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This is a strange one, I'll be the first to admit, but can anyone help?

I have found what I think are cryptic clues in a book. I can't promise they are clues but I think they could be anagrams?

"Products created for a thumb...which are replaced in part by the staple gun, but not eliminated from use in today's world.

I think there are two clues in that sentence leading to something thumb related, but I can't see it!

It could be TACKS as in thumbtacks/drawing pins which have been replaced in part by the staple gun but TAX has not been eliminated from use in today's world.

I believe that Debbie Harry put this sentence (or at least her ghostwriter did) in her 2019 memoir "Face It", and she was referring to thumbtacks.

I've never had her down as a crossword enthusiast so I rather doubt whether there's a cryptic clue in there.

Thank you, I like the use of tacks and tax.

I was wondering if 'replaced in part by the staplegun' was leading to a partial anagram of 'the staplegun'. But all I can get is 'gauntlets'

That's correct, it's in her autobiography.

There's a whole chapter on thumbs at the end, and people are keen to write it off as padding to hit a word count. But all her life she's been underestimated , and I'm sure there's more to it!

I met Debbie Harry after a Blondie gig at Manchester Free Trade Hall. She was charming and took the time to chat and then sign my program. Yes, it was so long ago that we had programs at rock concerts viz: the seventies. A time when manners mattered and there was no need to sneer at a successful woman simply because of her beauty. Face it. Harper Collins make clear that the book is a collection of interviews and was written in collaboration with another person. She was riffing on the (admittedly niche) celebration of thumbs 👍 et al.
If you are able to come up with another example of a thumb-based tool please feel free to submit it to HC and claim your £5.

Thank you, I do appreciate your tolerance!

If you could.indulge me for just a little longer - if this was a crossword clue, what could it mean?

"Not eliminated from use in today's world."

Is it an anagram of 'use in today's world' without the letters in 'not'?

As per other posts, I really don't think that this is a cryptic crossword clue; rather, a whimsical discussion of various things thumby. If anything, it's a straight question. The paragraph is reproduced below.

Recently in Mexico I was reminded of another thumb reference by my friend and keyboard player Matt Katz-Bohen. His suggestion was a surprise and I appreciate his contribution to this train of thought: thumbtacks. The tacks designed specifically for application using the thumbs. Which gives us “getting down to brass tacks”—and I’m a big believer in getting down to brass tacks. Are there any other products created for a thumb that have stood the test of time in spite of being replaced in part by the staple gun, but not eliminated from use in today’s world? There might be, but I’m passing the thought on to you for consideration. Hit me up through my publisher. Perhaps I’ll award a prize to the best entry. Or not.