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Although I did not initially set out to collect old batteries, I gradually found more in old toys and electronics that had interesting designs or were simply old and/or from other markets, and it seemed a bit of a shame to throw some of them away, so I have kept some of the more interesting and nicer-surviving batteries I have come across. I am also, as always, interested in the differences in the external design and construction over time.
Panasonic (known as National in Japan, both consumer brands of Matsushita) had a very distinctive red and later also black series of "Hi-Top" batteries throughout the 1970s and 1980s, carrying into the 1990s.
Started by a scientist and businessman partnership in the 1920s as the P. R. Mallory Company, the Duracell brand was introduced in 1964 and went public in the late 1980s, being later bought by Gillette in the 90s and they in turn Procter & Gamble in the 2000s.
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An old Mallory Duracell predating the "copper top" design. Its degrading, but I've held onto it because its the oldest one I've come across | |
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1990s Duracell AA marked as best installed by January 2000 | |
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An OEM version of the Duracell AA from a little bit after | |
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Late 1990s Duracell D battery with Powercheck bar - this was a
built-in way to test if the battery still had capacity Powercheck video |
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An OEM Duracell battery included with some product circa 2017 | |
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Duracell Quantum, first released in 2013, often (always?) still feature the Powercheck meter |
Originally started as the French Battery Company in 1906 and renamed Ray-O-Vac in 1930 following the rise of vacuum tubes. In the early 2000s the brand diversified before going bankrupt in 2009 and eventually selling the battery division to Energizer in 2018.
The Eveready Battery Company was formed in New York in 1905 as the American Ever Ready Company selling flashlights and batteries. In the 1980s most Eveready batteries were renamed Energizer and the company was sold and eventually spun off independently as Energizer Holdings in 2000, acquiring Rayovac in 2018.
Meijer is a chain of supercenter stores based primarily in Michigan and the midwest that sells groceries, electronics, housewares, clothing, and other common goods.
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Meijer Extra Heavy Duty AA found in a circa 1985 Robotix toy | |
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The 2000s Meijer Powercell Alkaline design I remember buying often |
First developed by Sanyo and Tomy as "Every Denchi" (エヴリデンチ) specifically for use in toys and released in 2003 (because apparently all roads lead to Tomy...), Sanyo developed the "modern" consumer rechargeable battery in the 2000s and released the first generation of Eneloop nickel-metal hydride type rechargeables batteries in 2005. In late 2008 Panasonic announced plans to acquire a controlling share of Sanyo and bring it in as a subsidiary. Eneloop batteries were apparently the last product still sold under the Sanyo name in Japan for a time, with other products being discontinued or rebadged as Panasonic before Eneloops were integrated into Panasonic's battery range alongside their existing Evolta range. In addition to slightly increased capacity over the generations as well as larger C and D types with appropriate capacities they all feature pretty good charge retention, and they often come pre-charged. In the last few years I have seen more retail and store brands selling NiMH rechargeables and they can be bought online in many sizes and combinations. I remember using nickel-cadmium style rechargeables as a kid with toys that chewed through batteries (mostly Rokenbok) and nowadays I pretty much only use these types of rechargeables in my toys and devices. Passive diameter-adapters are sometimes included with sets of these batteries to let them power C and D-cell devices (the C and D sizes are only sold directly to some markets, although they can be bought online). I balk at the prospect of paying for one-time-use batteries to play with in my own toys and would much rather employ a small fleet of these batteries and chargers
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Blue "second generation" Eneloops from Sanyo |