Who wrote this drivel?  Oh, I did.  Oops -- minor brainstorm.  It was
all correct except for the facts.

One fact at least.  Artona spool ends were originally brown Bakelite
(late 1940s), then the translucent stuff mentioned by Bryan Cather
from (at a guess) the late 1950s.  Never multi-coloured -- that was
somebody else entirely.

The choice of material I assume was the choice of the injection
moulders that Gordon Iles used.  No other UK makes used it.  There were
no other UK makers for much of the time Artona traded -- the enthusiast
recutters arrived much later.

Julian Dyer