About GrafixMat Coasters • Front • Back Story
About GrafixMat Coasters:
Each GrafixMat® is a work of art, masterfully laser-engraved on the cork front with a unique and amusing story colorfully illustrated on its flip-side. For a treasured gift or your own personal collection; select one or create a set of 2, 4, 6 or more from 21 themed Collections totaling more than 500 contemporary and fine art designs. Made from eco-friendly recycled cork from Portugal and Spain, yet handcrafted in the U.S.A. GrafixMats® are so artfully designed and intriguing, we've created a hanging hole in the back of each coaster.
All Natural • Durable • Easy Wash • Singles or Sets • Storage Caddies • 4 1/4" Diameter, 5/16" Thick • Green Certified
Front Design:
Drawing of High Wheel Bicycle
The Back Story:
The High Wheel Bicycle
In 1870, the first all metal machine appeared. The pedals were still
attached directly to the front wheel with no freewheeling mechanism. Solid rubber tires and the long spokes of the large front wheel provided a much smoother ride than its predecessor. The front wheels became larger and larger as makers realized that the larger the wheel, the farther you could travel with one rotation of the pedals. You would purchase a wheel as large as your leg length would allow. This machine was the first one to be called a bicycle (“two wheel”). These bicycles enjoyed a great popularity among young men of means (they cost an average worker six month’s pay), with the hey-day being the decade
of the 1880s.