Jim Rouse's Cross Collection

One of the first things Joe Nemecek said to me at the Ohio Show, last November, as I was unveiling The Catalogue, was that my book should have had more Cross.

He's right.   Since 99.9 percent of what's in the book are the things in my personal collection, and I only had two Cross pencils in my collection, I honestly forgot to include the maker until the last minute.  The A.T. Cross Company ended up taking a back seat, appearing on page 175 in the "Just a Couple More" section, which I wrote literally the day before the book went to press.

Everything I said in the book is absolutely true.  Cross is one of the oldest and most established manufacturers of pencils -- true.  Cross pencils are very high in quality and construction -- true.

And most collectors breeze right by them without a second thought, because in general most of the ones you see all look alike -- ok, you can send me all the hate mail you want, but you know it's true.

That's most of the ones you see.  I knew there were guys out there who had spent years accumulating examples of the brand that you don't see all the time and could teach me more about Cross in a couple hours than I would be able to learn in the next decade of picking through flea markets and pen shows.

Guys like Jim Rouse.  Jim was at the Ohio Show, but I had not made his acquaintance yet and even though Joe told me he had his entire Cross collection with him, I wasn't able to get away from my table long enough to spend some time with him.   

The Baltimore Show, however, was another story.  Joe introduced us on Saturday and I asked if I could bring back a camera to document his collection on Sunday morning.  Jim agreed, so early on Sunday morning, before most of the dealers were in the ballroom, My camera and I spent some quality time with Jim's portfolio of vintage Cross pencils . . .

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

Lakeside

Lakeside, one of Montgomery Ward's store brands, appears on page 94 of The Catalogue.   This one turned up recently at an online auction.  I really like the clips on these . . .

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 Big Bumblebees

A few weeks ago, when Joe Nemecek was weighing in on wafers (March 4), he had sent me this picture, throwing in to the shot the two bumblebee pattern dollar pencils at the top of the picture.

At the Baltimore show, Joe asked me at one point why I'd turned down that red bumblebee dollar pencil like the one he had.  The answer was simple:  I missed it.  Thanks to Joe, I swung back around and picked it up.  While it was a little rough when I bought it, after a little love and attention it's looking pretty good now . . .

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 Saturday Night Special

I live in a town small enough that when someone does something as odd as write a book on mechanical pencils, it's front page news.  It's also small enough that when the front page of the local paper had my picture on it holding a copy of my new book, people were surprised that they didn't already know one of their neighbors had a stash of thousands of mechanical pencils.

My in-laws have a family friend named Jerry who has known my wife literally since the day she was born, and he's known me since I first started hanging around my wife.  He and my father-in-law joined the local Elks lodge decades ago, and I see him regularly on Saturday nights when Janet and I go down for the weekly drawing -- usually at the same table, usually in the same chairs.  When it's not the same table or the same chairs, that itself is a topic of conversation.  It's a comfort thing, I suppose.

"I never knew you collected pencils," he said to me after the article appeared in the paper.  "I've got some I'll bring down to you to see what you think."

That much I've heard from dozens of people since the book came out.  Only a couple actually followed through and appeared on my doorstep, and Jerry was one of them.  He had a pretty nice bunch of things, and I paid him well for them -- after all, if I didn't pay more than fair prices for the things he brought me, that would really be a topic of conversation on Saturday nights.

Here's one of the things he brought me . . .

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

Shaw-Barton: the Inside Connection

On page 8 of The Catalogue, I illustrate a couple of pencils that were given to me by a friend, Ellen McCoy, who found them in her mother's desk drawer after her mother passed.

What I didn't know at the time the book was printed was that both Ellen's mother, Della Hall, as well as her father Lauress, both worked for Shaw Barton in the 1940s.  At that time, Shaw Barton was the major employer in Coshocton County.  Since I knew my friend grew up in Coshocton, I guess it shouldn't have surprised me to find out that my friend's parents worked there. 

But it did surprise me when Ellen showed up on my doorstep with a couple other pieces of Shaw Barton memorabilia . . .

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

Shaw-Barton Gets Its Due

Shaw-Barton, Inc. was founded in 1940 by a group of investors led by Jay S. Shaw, who formed the company and purchased the calendar and specialty advertising division of The American Art Works in Coshocton, Ohio.

You would think, since Coshocton is only about 30 miles from where I live, that I would have illustrated an extensive group of them in The Catalogue.  Unfortuantely, if you turn to page 134, there's a picture of one lonely example.  I just didn't have any on hand at the time I wrote the book. 

Shaw-Bartons don't get a lot of attention.  They're often written off as "only" advertising pencils, and usually they turn up in dollar boxes at flea markets.  But for what they are, they really are well made, and since the book was written I've made more of an effort to put together a better selection of the different varieties that are out there.

Here's what I've found so far . . .

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

There's Something Fishy About This Sheaffer

Ah, another fuzzy ebay picture, another irresponsible bid by yours truly.  I should probably do more articles on all the dumb chances I've taken that didn't pan out, because believe me -- they don't all turn out this well.  What made me bite was the wider band.  But on closer examination, I noticed that the clip lacked any markings . . .

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