"Marie's Patent"

Ebay sellers who are honest but who honestly don't know anything about what they are selling are a lot of fun.  I'm not talking about the sellers who state in the title that a pencil is 14k, but the picture clearly shows a gold filled pencil sitting on a scale to show you how heavy it is, when 99% of the weight is steel, not gold.  Those guys know exactly what they are doing and should be publicly flogged.

No, the sellers I'm talking about are the ones who have something they don't understand, so they are describing it to the best of their ability -- and also to the best of my entertainment.  They are being completely honest in trying to describe exactly what they are seeing and don't realize that they've gotten things a little mixed up.

The best example, which comes up on a regular basis, are the "PATO" pens and pencils you see listed every so often . . .

NOTE:  This article is now included in the print version of The Leadhead's Pencil Blog, available anywhere you buy books, or also from The Legendary Lead Company.

To order, here's the link:  Volume 1 at Legendary Lead Company