"[...] extract the boot disc from the Mac & stick it to the side of her filing cabinet with a honking big magnet.
There are several similar stories that probably happened where a customer had been instructed to keep a backup copy of an installation floppy in a safe place.
1) they filed the floppy - stapled to a sheet of instructions.
2) they filed the floppy - with holes punched to fit in a ring binder.
3) they filed a photocopy of the floppy