The Silent Cue

 Here’s a shot of one of the other trays I acquired from Jon Martenson at the “catch up” Chicago show in September 2021:

Finding examples of The Keeran Pencil in any condition is cause for celebration, as rare as they are. In this tray are two examples, shown on the right . . . the others we’ll get to tomorrow.  

Finding two examples of the Keeran which neatly fill in one detail in the history of the American pencil industry, however . . . now that is cause to sing praises to the universe that you were in the right place at the right time.

Gorgeous colors, yes . . . especially that golden brown, which resembles tiger eye and absolutely glows as if it is a living thing. The colors are stunning both to look at and to think about, because they exist somewhere else:

The ringtops are pencils made by the LeBoeuf Pen Company of Boston . . . or at least the barrels are. The mechanisms were sourced from A.T. Cross, which used identical mechanisms on Cross “Alwrite” pencils. The red is an exact match; unfortunately I didn’t have a ringtop in that distinctive brown, but that pink has the same depth. As for the brown, I do have one from LeBoeuf’s later “Pilgrim” line of pencils, which featured in “A Tale of Two Clips” (May 20, 2020: Volume 6, page 98):

And then, consider this example: it also turned up at that Chicago Show, in the hands of Eric Fonville:

This one resides in the cancer ward at the museum, since the celluloid is well into the process of disintegration. The nasty gasses celluloid gives off when it breaks down corrodes metal trim and will affect other items stored nearby, so this Keeran only joins birds of a feather for the occasional photo shoot, such as this one, alongside three other LeBoeuf pencils:

We tend to become jaded as we gain experience in this hobby, dismissing theories connecting manufacturers on the basis of celluloid material. It is true that the same or similar plastics is not usually a reliable indication of a connection between two manufacturers or producer. After all, celluloid companies sold to the entire American industry, and there is frequent “cross-pollination” as the same celluloids were supplied to several makers.

But not this time. Although celluloid had been in use during the Nineteenth Century, LeBoeuf’s pioneering use of celluloid in the early 1920s is frequently credited as triggering the industry-wide shift from metal and hard rubber barrels to brightly colored plastics. Furthermore, LeBoeuf had negotiated an exclusive contract with DuPont for the celluloids it used.

I had long suspected, but could not prove, that there was some cooperation between Charles Keeran and LeBoeuf to supply some plastics, since Keeran pencils are found in celluloid and were made in the early 1920s, when LeBoeuf still had somewhat of a lock on the stuff. As detailed in A Century of Autopoint, for a brief period after Keeran’s departure from Autopoint he associated with the Dur-O-Lite Pencil Company. Dur-O-Lite’s first president, D.O. Fredrickson, left a partnership in Smith and Fredrickson, which distributed writing instruments for . . . wait for it . . . LeBoeuf.

In most of the world, there are seven degrees of separation. In the pencil world, there are usually two at best.

Finding examples of the Keeran Pencil in plastics known to be exclusive to LeBoeuf nudges me from suspecting a connection between Keeran and LeBoeuf to accepting it as fact, one which fits neatly into Keeran’s post-Autopoint activities. Even without primary evidence to indicate when the Keeran Pencil was made (such as an advertisement), I believe they were made in 1924 - just as LeBoeuf was shaking up the writing instrument world with its snazzy new celluloids.

And then . . . clearing my throat for dramatic effect . . . should you still remain unconvinced, these images are from an online auction that closed shortly after I wrote the first draft of this article. I am still kicking myself that I had saved it in my watch list, then diligently forgot to bid on it.

Here is a Keeran Pencil, in yet another exclusive LeBoeuf celluloid, in the company of a LeBoeuf pen in the same material, all together in a LeBoeuf-marked box. The Keeran Pencil was marketed in sets alongside LeBoeuf pens, at least for a short time.

Yes, the LeBoeuf Pen Company popularized the use of attractive celluloids in pens and pencils in 1924 . . . and so did Charles Keeran and his Keeran Pencil.