Now I Understand What He Was Talking About

A few months ago, a friend (I don't remember which one) emailed me with a question about the Roller Rule.   He was getting ready to list one, and he wanted to know if I could email him a picture of the instructions page that he could use with his listing.  Proudly, I sent him what I had.

The Roller Rule was a nifty little piece of Americana which first appeared around 1948.   When you rolled the top across a surface, a gauge on the back of the barrel records the distance traveled.  This example, complete with the box, was made in Japan.  Chadwick Miller, according to my research (and subject to some reader emailing me with a big "nuh uh"), was an importation and distribution company that distributed all sorts of nickknacks that were made in Japan during the 1950s and 1960s.

The response I got back from my friend after I emailed this took me aback a little.  "No, not those," he said.  The GOOD ones!"

I had no idea what he was talking about.  That is, until my December jaunt at the Scott Antique Market landed me this:

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