I took my first quilting classes in the early 80s. The instructor had these rubber stamps and ink pads and we bought them from her. I'm not sure, but I think she had them made up ay a local office supply store. They looked just like these stamps except that they had the big wooden knob on them like old office stamps. I still have them. I have a diamond (for 8 point star), a dresden plate stamp, squares and triangles. So, who knows who really "invented" them, but they have been around for a LONG time... which doesn't make them any less desirable today. I think that way back then they were just harder to find because no one was mass marketing them (and there was no internet, or at least not what we have today!)