Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Maybe Not Mabie?

John Mabie’s patent of October 3, 1854 was stamped prominently on many of Mabie’s early writing instruments  – even ones to which Mabie’s patent didn’t apply, like this one:


This one, along with another pencil, came from an unwise gamble in an online auction.  From the terrible pictures the seller had posted, all I could tell was that the barrels were black and that there appeared to be a little bit of writing on them.   I was pleasantly surprised when they arrived to find that there were no cracks in either of them, both were in perfect working order, and the imprints were clear enough to respond favorably to highlighting:


But there’s something very curious about this Mabie Todd:


“Pat. Dec. 24 1867 Mabie, Todd & Co.”

To learn more, this full article is included in The Leadhead's Pencil Blog Volume 2, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and everywhere else you buy books, or you can order a copy signed by yours truly through the Legendary Lead Company HERE.



at

3 comments:

  1. UnknownJanuary 6, 2015 at 10:46 AM

    I found a pencil very similar to the first one in my house, I could only read one of the inscriptions as the other was worn off. it reads;
    MABIE S PATENT OCT 5 1854
    it also has two engraved rounded ends, one of which the pencil can be slid out of and then retracted. I doubt there is anything interesting about it but if you think there is it would be great to know!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 6, 2016 at 4:43 PM

    I found a combo with HICKS PAT.DEC.24.1867 on one side of BHR then on other side A.G.DAYS PAT.AUG.10.58. might want to check it out.
    Thank you, Robert

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousNovember 2, 2023 at 12:50 PM

    This pencil looks very much like a couple of John Foley pencil/pen combination pieces that I have. The gold pattern design is nearly identical. I have seen them both in a picture of Foley's 1853 catalog.

    ReplyDelete