Gutta-percha

Gutta-percha was one of the first plastic materials. It was made from a mixture of resins from Malaysian trees. It was molded and used for daguerreotype cases, toilet articles, and picture frames in the nineteenth century. The Gutta Percha Company used gutta-percha as cable insulation in its tubes in 1850, which was used to insulate landline cables and, later, submarine cables. For more information, explore our identification guides for daguerreotype cases and jewelry.