Like a lot of these advertising pencil companies, Gerlach-Barklow specialized in making calendars. According to
Joliet’s Gerlach-Barklow Calendar Company by Tim and Michelle Smith, the company was founded in 1907 in Joliet, Illinois by Theodore R. Gerlach, Edward J. Barklow and K.H. Gerlach.
By July, 1919, the Gerlach-Barklow plant was "the largest in the world devoted exclusively to the making of art calendars and direct-by-mail advertising media," as reported in
Monotype: A Journal of Composing Room Efficiency Published by the Langston Monotype Machine Company:
To learn more, this full article is included in The Leadhead's Pencil Blog Volume 3, 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.
5 comments:
I don't think the G-B inscription has anything to do with Gerlach-Barklow.
Michael Little
Halfhyde on eBay
That's one man's unsubstantiated opinion, unless you have some evidence to the contrary . . .
I do indeed.
I have an early model ball point pen from the Holt Pen Company in Crompton, Rhode island.
On the cap it reads:
The Holt Pen Company
Crompton R.I. U.S.A.
Pat Pend
The pen has that same G-B Co. clip as you have in your pictures.
The clip is on the cap
I think I sent you this same information with picture a while back.
Michael Little
Halfhyde on eBay
OF all the established examples attributed to Gerlach Barklow, none were actually made by the calendar company (the examples shown all trace back to Ritepoint in all probability).
I haven't ruled out the possibility that other companies also supplied G-B with pens or pencils - and from what you are indicating, Holt may also have done so.
Do you have an established connection between Holt and "G-B," or an association of "G-B" with something other than Gerlach Barklow?
Have you actually linked that pencil with G-B Co.on the clip that you have in the picture to Gerlach - Barklow?
If not, perhaps it is just similar names and they are not related in any way.
I had someone at the West Warwick, R.I. library look in the city directories for the early 1950's for G-B Company but they found nothing.
They did find another name that Holt must have used: The Warwick Pen Company It was located at 100 Pulaski, West Warwick, the same as Holt.
Michael Little
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