Saturday, August 26, 2017

The Oxymorons

This article has been edited and included in The Leadhead's Pencil Blog Volume 5; copies are available print on demand through Amazon here, and I offer an ebook version in pdf format at the Legendary Lead Company here.

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“Nice Arnold....”  two words that you don’t normally associate with each other.  Sure, the colors are nice, but Arnold brand pencils, made by Remmie Arnold in Petersburg, Virginia, are generally otherwise . . . not nice. 

These two, however, defy the norm for the brand:


The large black and pearl must be from very early on after Arnold acquired the Edison Pen Company.  The clip has a nicely detailed logo:


And the imprint is reminiscent of the elaborate Edison imprints (see http://leadheadpencils.blogspot.com/2016/12/one-heckuva-imprint.html):


With respect to the other pencil, before you dismiss it as “just an advertiser,” have a closer look at what it advertises:


“R.L. Arnold Pen Company, Inc. / Petersburg, Virginia, USA / Manufacturers of / Fountain Pens and Mechanical Pencils.:  Not bad at all . . . a pencil advertising pens!


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3 comments:

  1. Steve L.August 31, 2017 at 11:43 AM

    Jonathan,
    I have a Wearever pencil that looks identical to your black and white Arnold. Same black and white celluloid, same two rings above the clip, and the same shape clip but with Wearever engraved top to bottom on the clip. Did Edison make pencils for Wearever? Did Arnold make pencils for Wearever? It is a nice pencil.

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  2. Jon VeleySeptember 1, 2017 at 10:21 AM

    Hello Steve,

    Wearever was a brand name of David Kahn, Inc., which made other brands as well. Edison went out of business and was succeeded by Remmie Arnold's Arnold Pen Company. Both Arnold and Kahn made cheaper quality writing instruments, and looked very similar . . . but I don't know offhand if Kahn made things for Arnold this early. I'd like to see a picture of what you are talking about, to see whether the two are identical enough to suggest that there was something to this.

    Jon

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  3. Steve L.September 1, 2017 at 6:33 PM

    I'm away from the pen for a few days (its at my office and I'm on vacation now) but I'll send a photo. When I found it I was surprised that it felt better than most Wearavers, though it does have a little shrinkage at the top.
    Thanks for keeping up the blog, I know it takes time, but it give a huge amount of info for those of us out "in the field".

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