UPDATE: I love it when I can combine old photos with documentation. In this case, I discovered that Stanley W. Smale had filed a patent for his metal sweeper. Stanley filed his Magnetic Sweeper patent on January 10, 1950.

From his patent: “An object of this invention is to provide an apparatus of such size and mobility that it can be used to remove ferrous articles from roads, parking lots or any surface over which vehicles may travel, in an effective, speedy and economical manner.

Another object of this invention is to provide a mobile magnetic field of sufficient force to not only pick up loose items, but pieces embedded below the surface which might normally be forced upwardly through the surface by frost or other disturbing influences.”

One Post, The Jeep Goes International, is from 2015 and included this excerpt:

Original Post from June 2014: “Press Photo Stanley Smale & magnet equipped Jeep for sweeping metal”