Eversharp Week Part 3: The British Invasion

Here's a better picture of a series of early Wahl Eversharps shown on page 60 of The Catalogue.

Now as a rule, I try to limit myself to American mechanical pencils.  The two at the top are marked simply "Eversharp," so at the time I found them (the first at the Washington DC show a few years back) I thought they probably were American.  However, the soldier clip teal one came from England off of an online auction, as did the middle example.  I'm pretty well resigned to the idea that all of these are English, and I'm also resigned to the idea that I'm going to keep collecting them simply because they are so darned pretty.

At the Ohio Pen Show, I saw something in a junk box that just didn't quite look right . . .

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

Eversharp Week Part 2: The Undersize

In sharp contrast with the oversized 800-pound gorillas featured yesterday, the Wahl Eversharp "Matchstick" pencil was the smallest the company made.  Here is one shown next to a standard Wahl ringtop for scale, as pictured on page 58 of The Catalogue, . . .

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

Eversharp Week Part 1: The Oversize

A big start to "Eversharp Week" deserves a big pencil.  A few weeks ago I was looking at a fuzzy ebay picture, trying to decide whether I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing.  I rolled the dice and got lucky, finally bringing home the "oxidized Grecian Border" oversized pencil, shown here with the gold filled version shown in The Catalogue. . .

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

Good Enough to Eat

I ran across this one recently, and it falls into the "why didn't someone else think of this" category:
The pencils is certainly made by Quickpoint, a pencil manufacturer in St. Louis that made a wide variety of advertising pencils.   That conclusion is based not only on the shape of this pencil, but on the advertising on the side:

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

A Mouthful of a Name

Today's pencil defies nearly everything that I limit myself to collecting.  It doesn't have a name on it, its not particularly old and it's not American.

It is, however, cool enough for me to ignore these things, and it came complete with some pretty neat paperwork that gave it a name:  The "Goldring Moneta Stamp-O-Pencil."  These quirky little guys have a built-in self-inking stamp, so you can . . . well, stamp things, I guess.  Pulled apart, they look like 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

No Really . . . "That Pencil"

Today's pencil du jour is as different as the path that brought it to my doorstep.  A few weeks ago, I was checking ebay when I noticed a listing that intrigued me (the item number was 130629325597, for those who want to pause here and check the listing).  The pictures clearly looked like they were of an Eversharp "Demonstrator" Pencil, with what is clearly a Wahl clip and the telltale football-shaped cutouts on the back side.  The description, however, said that the pencil was marked "That Pencil Patent Applied For."

The more I looked at this piece, the more excited I got.  Why would a Wahl-made Eversharp demonstrator be marked "That Pencil"?   I grew more excited as the auction neared its end, with little interest and no bids.  Towards the end of the auction, I threw in an outrageous bid -- not a snipe, but in the last couple hours -- and held my breath.  At auctions' close, I was the high bidder at only fifteen bucks.

As soon as the auction closed, I couldn't wait to figure out what it was that I had purchased.  I sent the seller a message and asked him to look more closely at the pencil to see if it was marked "Wahl," and the answer that came back was disappointing . . . he'd mixed up the pictures.  The pencil that was pictured was in fact a typical Wahl Eversharp Demonstrator he had sold weeks earlier.  The pencil I had won was a different one entirely.   

He asked what I wanted to do, and I asked him to send me pictures of the pencil I was actually bidding on.  The pictures he sent me weren't any clearer, but were intriguing enough that I said I'd go ahead and take that one.  When it arrived, on closer inspection I definitely think I got my fifteen bucks' worth:

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

A Pair of Gold Medals

There's been some discussion online lately concerning Gold Medal, the Sears store brand.  During the Depression, many of these appear to have been made by Parker.  However, before Parker became involved, it looks like National Pen Products was responsible for production of the Gold Medal brand.   Here's a pair of early Gold Medals I picked up recently . . .

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

It's More in the Family than I Thought

A while back a pretty nice Esterbrook set showed up on ebay, and even though I already had the pencil (and didn't really need the pen), I was unable to resist . . .

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

I'd Better Quit Before This Becomes "Eagle Month."

Since neither the Beatles nor any other band I know of wrote a song titled "Nine Days A Week," it's probably time to wrap up Eagle week.  

A while ago I posted an article on the Eagle 75-10, the "Automatic."  The Automatic's brother was the "Chromatic" . . .

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

Eight Days a Week: The Eagle Simplex

I thought about calling it quits after 7 days of "Eagle Week" so that it would actually be an even week, but I've got a couple more neat things to write about concerning Eagle Pencil Company. 

On page 46 of The Catalogue, you'll find pictures of the Eagle "Simplex."  Since that was taken, I've found a couple more . . .

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

"Eagle Week" Part 7: A Wood Pencil I Couldn't Resist

At the Ohio Pen Show, someone came up to my table with a shoebox, asking if I'd be interested in buying any pencils.  I resisted the urge to pull a Bill Engvall on her and say something like "No, but if you have any snakes in that box, I'd be happy to look at them.  Here's your sign." 

OK, if you haven't watched the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, that last line didn't make a bit of sense.  We'll just move on then.

Anyway, I normally don't go for wood pencils, but when she pulled this out of that shoebox, I just had to have it . . .

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

"Eagle Week" Part 6: They Weren't All from 1915

Pencils turn up all the time on ebay, identified by the sellers as being a pencil made by Eagle in 1915.  As an example, look at the pencil third from right in this picture . . .

The only markings on this pencil are on the clip, which reads, "Eagle Pencil Co. Pat. Jul.20 1915."

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

"Eagle Week" Part 5: And Now For Something Completely Different

The Eagle Pencil Company was unique among American manufacturers in that the company was equally devoted to the manufacture of both wood pencils as well as mechanical pencils -- not to mention steel dip pen nibs and some pretty good fountain pens, too.   It was in my opinion the most diversified manufacturer of writing tools.

Occasionally, that diversity meant Eagle's wood pencil and mechanical pencil worlds collided, and this article is about two of the best instances of that.

For the first one, we go back to the Scott Antique Market, where I passed by a particularly "girly" booth, featuring a lot of . . . ok, I don't remember what was on her table, I just remember that most of it was stuff that guys tend to roll their eyes at and move on.  But this piece caught my eye . . .

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

"Eagle Week" Part 4: Eagle's Banner Year of 1909

Part of the attraction for me in the early Eagle pencils is the great names that were used.  At the top of the list in my book are the No. 830 "Torpedo" and No. 829 "Little Torpedo," shown here . . .

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

"Eagle Week" Part 3: Magic Pencils

When you think of Eagle, normally what comes to mind is not the jewelers' quality pieces such as those produced by Edward Todd, Fairchild or E.S. Johnson.  Daniel Berolzheimer's Eagle Pencil Company produced pencils that while well made, were more utilitarian and definitely more "gimicky." 

So a "Magic Pencil" is a little out of character for Eagle.  But that doesn't mean they aren't out there . . .

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

"Eagle Week" Part 2: Drop Pencils

The Eagle "Stop Gauge" pencil was a leadholder.  Pushing the button released the lead, but nothing more than gravity or the push of a finger would move the lead up or down once released. 

The next logical step for Eagle was the Drop Pencil.  Just like the Stop Gauge, when the button on the top of an Eagle Drop Pencil is depressed, something falls out -- but instead of the lead, what drops down and locks into place is an entire pencil mechanism, with its own screw drive to propel the lead!

Here's a shot of a pair of Eagle Drop Pencils, in black hard rubber (shown retracted) and in the same green and white marble as found on the Stop Gauge pencil pictured yesterday.  The bottom piece, in red hard rubber, lacks any patent dates but has "Eagle Pencil Company" inscribed around the end.  Instead of a pencil mechanism, this one features a knife blade . . .

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

"Eagle Week" Part 1: Stop Gauge Pencils

Welcome to "Eagle Week!"

On page 45 of The Catalogue, you'll find a picture of early pencils made by the Eagle Pencil Company of New York.  Although I list all the patent dates found on these pencils, I didn't go into detail concerning the inventors or patent numbers.   There were two reasons:  first, I had some space constraints with which to contend. 

Second, I have have to admit I hadn't tracked them all down yet.  Patent databases are pretty easy to navigate around after 1920 -- punch in a date and search for patents assigned to Eagle Pencil Company, and there's your answer.  But prior to 1920, you can't search by name.   In some cases, the patents aren't for the pencils themselves but for some attachment or manufacturing process, so you can't even search by category.

In a couple of really tough cases, I had to look at every stinkin' patent issued on a particular date until I stumbled into the right one. 

At any rate, it's taken some time, but I've finally run down all the patent dates that appear in the book -- and a couple others, too.  So I'm declaring this week "Eagle Week" to reintroduce the early Eagle pencils which appear in the The Catalogue.

The first pencils pictured on page 45 are Eagle "Stop Gauge" pencils.  Here's a shot of them, together with a nice green and white marbled example I found since the book went to print . . .

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

Have You Seen Me?

If we pencil collectors drank our own brand of milk, a picture of this one would be on the back of it, because it just looks like someone ought to know what it is and what family it belongs to:

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

A Break from "Autopoint Weekends" - Sort Of

I've been featuring a lot of Autopoints over the last few weekends, and so I thought I'd take a break and introduce a non-Autopoint pencil.  Here's a nice Paper Mate pencil from the 1970s. . .

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

The Grim Reaper Unmasked

People had a lot of fun with this week's "Grim Reaper" post.  The Hampden pencil spurred lively debate online and several guesses concerning what purpose the pencil served, including an awl, a toothpick, and in the case of one disconcerting backchannel email, an instrument of divine retribution. 

The answer, which had eluded me, was easier to find than I had thought.  Although I had searched six ways to Sunday every route that might lead to the Hampden Manufacturing Company, what I should have done is simply searched the patent databases for "folding pencil."

Daniel Kirchheimer was first to suggest that the pencil might be a compass, with George Kovalenko chiming in just a few minutes later.  They cited two patents, both issued to Allan J. Keaney.  The first was applied for on July 8, 1925 and was filed December 21, 1926 as number 1,611,835:

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

A Nifty Little Accident

About a month ago, I went a little bit crazy on ebay.  I don't know whether there was just a flurry of good stuff that was listed all at the same time, or all the other pencil guys were taking a collective break, or whether the particular brand of beer on which I was sipping while I surfed led me to bid often, bid happy, but for some reason I suddenly found myself coming home to little piles of packages on my doorstep because the mailman couldn't fit them all in the mailbox.

They were all really cheap, I told Janet when she gave me "the look."  They were, mostly.  I may have glossed over a couple, though.

This piece was in one of the packages I received during that little squall of activity . . .

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

The Grim Reaper's Own Pencil

At the January Scott Antique Show, I was walking along one aisle when I noticed one of those boxes of junk that looked as though someone had simply emptied out a desk drawer into it.  Mmmm... my kind of fun....

In the bottom of the box, I saw something that looked like a plastic Scripto pencil from the 1950s or 1960s.  However, because I am so easily amused, I decided to pick it up for a closer look, and when I did, I saw that this clearly was no Scripto:

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

Repair Tutorial: Sheaffer Middle Joint Pencils

The other day, John Hubbard sent to me a Sheaffer Commandant military clip pencil to repair.  When it arrived, the pencil looked like this.  The problem is a common one:  there's a gap between the upper and lower halves of the pencil.  Although it's harmless, it's unsightly.  Here's what the problem looks like up close:

There's been speculation as to whether it's shrinkage, but I think probably not.  More likely is that years of pulling the top off to get at the eraser or spare leads has pulled the brass tubes out slightly.   The repair takes a light touch but is fairly simple, so today I will walk you through it step-by-step.

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

I Wasn't Expecting a Cup of Tea

I haven't seen it all, and that's what keeps me interested in pencils.  This one is going to singlehandedly keep me interested for a while.  This one is a "Shanklin's Sure Sharp."   When this one popped up on ebay, I popped right with it, because I've not heard anything about this one before.  Here's a close-up of the imprint:

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

Even When All Else Isn't Failing, Read the Directions

As a rule, I don't normally chase down Autopoints, since my dad also collects them.  But this time, I couldn't resist placing a healthy bid on ebay, and much to my surprise (my dad is not the only avid Autopoint hunter out there in cyberland) my bid was enough to carry the day:

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

The Autopointiest

A while ago I was chasing a Sheaffer's jewelers' band ebonized pearl pencil on ebay.  The pencil appeared to be the lone star in a large lot-- the kind of lot that looked like someone's desk drawer simply emptied out onto a tabletop and photographed.

Since the pencil appeared in my jewelers' band article during "Sheaffer Week" a while ago, it's obvious that I won the lot.  But as I culled through the other tagalongs in the padded envelope I received, there was also a pocketknife in the grouping:

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

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

It May Not Be Right, But it is Rite-Rite

Remember the Rite-Rite "torpedo" pencils shown on page 127 of The Catalogue?

The design, patented in 1933, is pretty interesting, as is the use of the Wahl "brazilian green" and the Sheaffer "clown" celluloids.   At the Scott Antique Market, I found this tired little guy in a basket, looking like it needed a hug . . .

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

A Couple Camels for "Hump Day."

I was pretty proud of the fact that I had an example of the Camel to show off on page 27 of The Catalogue.  The Camel Pen Co. was much better known for its pens, which "made their own ink" -- from ink tablets and water, I believe -- and were named after the dromedary due to their supposed ability to write a lot more words in between refillings.

However, the Camel pictured wasn't what I had in mind.  Yes, it's actually a bit more unusual than what you'd expect to see: a "Spaulding" model with a built in perpetual calendar. . .

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