I don't know how old this wheel is, but I imagine some of the bus routes have probably changed since this was made. This wheel is 5.75 inches in diameter and made of a coated, stiff cardboard. It's in excellent shape.

There isn't much to say about this wheel except for one thing: it was distributed by Wimpy Burger! I am a huge fan of Dudley Moore and Peter Cook's 1967 film Bedazzled. In it, Moore plays Stanley Moon, a hapless loser who works as a short order cook in the hot and greasy kitchen of a Wimpy's. He ends up selling his soul to the Devil, played by Peter Cook, in the hopes that he can win the love of Margaret, the blue-eyeshadowed waitress he works with. It's probably my favorite movie. I highly recommend it. It's hysterical and absolutely perfect!

What I don't like is that awful Ziggy-esque character on the back. Gack.

The 1940s must have been a golden age for wheel production. Here's another one. It's the Wheel of Musical Knowledge, by someone with the rather grand name of Royal C. Mathewson. It's 9 x 10 inches and in good shape. In real life, the color is a bit bluer than the photographs are. We actually have two of these and, remarkably, each came with its original envelope. In real life, the envelope is not as blue as the photo shows. Go figure. If there were ever instructions on how to use this thing, we don't have them.

I like this this wheel for its elegant and simple design. If someone were to design this today, it would be a garish plastic thing covered in pictures of pop stars. And it would have advertising on it.

Speaking of original envelopes, you may recall the star finder from July 16th. I found the original envelope for that one today, so I've pasted it below.

Here is yet another Rossig wheel, this time on the life of George Washington. It's the same size as the others: 10 inches. It's also in good shape, mostly. There's a tear on the outer disc.

You can choose a topic and then get out either your magnifying glass or microscope to read the text in the little windows. (Let me just pause here to complain that my iPad's auto-fill suggests "Windows" instead of "windows". WTF?)

I actually had to use a macro lens to catch the red text. I include some examples here. Did you know ol' George "maintained" over 300 "employees" at Mt. Vernon? (Hey, he didn't get to be America's First Millionaire by paying people to work for him.)

This is obviously a reproduction, but I still like it. They may have overdone it on the neon orange. The reverse side of the orange disc was printed over by mistake. I am curious to know who produced this reproduction. Maybe it was a souvenir of some living history park or a museum in Washington D.C. See the reference in the tiny copyright notice?

This is 7.5 x 7.75. It's in near perfect shape. It's only marred by the ink stain on the back.

Here is a feed calculator for the diary farmer, produced by Larro Feeds. This is from the 40s and is seven inches wide. It's not in very good shape, although the grommet is good. I found out just how bad this really is when I found one on eBay where the discs are yellow and white!

The photos below don't show just how dark and soiled this wheel is.

Here's a handsome little wheel. It's just over four inches in diameter and is made of a stiff and slightly shiny cardboard. The copyright says 1959 but this wheel is like new. I like the color and type on this one.

I'm not sure what this was really used for. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's for estimating speed and horsepower. I guess my real question is: who would use this and why?

Here's a fun wheel. It's in somewhat delicate shape and is a mysterious 9.25 by 9.5. Not quite square. Just look at the bright colors, the spotlight, the studio audience and the enormous microphone! It's too bad the microphone has been lost.

This is from the mid1940s and someone definitely had fun with this. It's well-used.

Here's a rather weak offering from the WPA. If you own a radio, then why do you need this wheel? This would be improved by including the types of programming one might find on each station. In spite of not being magic in any way, this wheel is not without its charms.

"Fascinating, Amusing, Educational, Different Programs -- By-Ways of the Ether World." That's great! The reverse side highlights other forms of amusement New Yorkers might find. Live Reptile Exhibits!

This measures three and seven eighths by nine and three sixteenths. What gives? It's in fair shape. I don't know if the brad is original or a repair from an owner.

I don't know who this Mike character was. I'm sure he knew his twines and cordages, but he didn't know squat about making appealing wheels. Aside from the three angled windows on the left, this one is pretty dull. I couldn't even bring myself to rephotograph the front, which was cut off.

​This is about three or so inches across. I don't know. Maybe this would be okay if it weren't gold colored. I mean, it's not like Cleveland Mills was in The Cordage City or anything.

I'll bet no doctor or pharmacist today receives any drug company advertising like this! I have no idea how old this thing is. It's 7.25 by 6 inches and in very good shape. John Wyeth & Brother, Incorporated was formed in 1899 and lasted over a hundred years before being gobbled up by Pfizer.

I I like the offset disc and the offset text. However, there isn't really any reason other than novelty for this information to be presented in wheel form. The numerals on the dial make reference to a table on the back. But you get the identical information when you dial the number on the front.

I know Pablo/El Lobo will appreciate the pun in the elixir's name: vitamin B1 or Bewon!