Rare vintage Remington Rand UNIVAC promotional retractable tape measure advertising the UNIVAC Solid-State Tape System / Solid-State 80 or 90 Computer, dating to approximately 1959–1961.

This unusual promotional piece was produced during the early commercial computer era, when UNIVAC was actively marketing its Solid-State 80 and 90 systems and their magnetic tape capabilities. The design is a clever advertising play on the word “tape”: the round metal housing is printed with the large blue UNIVAC logo and the words “SOLID STATE TAPE SYSTEM,” while the retractable measuring tape itself carries UNIVAC advertising copy.

The printed promotional message on the tape includes wording referencing:

“Another major UNIVAC breakthrough…”

“UNIVAC Solid-State 80 or 90 Computer…”

and the speed, memory capacity and versatility of magnetic tape.

The tape also carries the period corporate identification:

“Remington Rand Univac – Division of Sperry Rand Corporation.”

This places the piece squarely in the early Sperry Rand / Remington Rand UNIVAC era and makes it a particularly interesting artifact of the first generation of commercially marketed electronic computers.

The tape extends to approximately 24 inches / 2 feet and is marked in feet and inches. The housing is painted metal, not plastic, and the tape is a metal measuring blade. It is marked “Made in U.S.A.”

The piece shows honest age and use, including paint loss, edge wear, scuffs and general surface wear to the housing, all visible in the photos. The graphics remain strong and highly legible, and the printed advertising on the tape is still clearly visible. No restoration has been performed.

I have been unable to locate another identical example online, making this an especially unusual piece of early computer advertising ephemera. It would be an excellent addition to a collection of UNIVAC, Remington Rand, Sperry Rand, vintage computers, early computing history, corporate advertising, technology memorabilia, or mid-century promotional items.