These Guys Really Did This Right!

Occasionally at a pen show, Rob Bader will make a beeline for me with his hands behind his back and a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin on his face, and I know he’s really found something special. Rob’s got a great eye for a good pencil – I can’t ever remember a time that I wasn’t as excited by what he’d found has he was.

Usually, he’s content to have me drool all over whatever he’s found and then tell me it isn’t for sale, which is one reason why I started bringing my camera to pen shows. But this time I was salivating pretty heavily and he didn’t bring a big enough towel to wipe it off, so with a bit of cash (ok, more than just a bit) he let me bring it home . . .

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

Diamonds, But Not In The Rough

Collectors of Diamond Points draw a bright line between the high quality pieces the company made during their early days in the 1920s and the more conventional, but cheaper pens and pencils the company turned out from the late 1930s forward. But say what you will about their later stuff, the colors and patterns they used were just spectacular and nearly all were unique to this brand.

In a weak moment, I saw two in separate online auctions a few weeks ago, and even though I thought the opening bids were a little high on both of them I simply couldn’t resist them . . .

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

An Even Greater Public Service

When I first established my website and started posting pages at my "Mechanical Pencil Museum," one of my earliest pages concerned the "Pato," which also appears at page 118 of The Catalogue.

I have characterized this as a public service announcement, for all those online sellers out there who have advertised "Pato" pens or pencils. The mistake happens frequently enough that I felt compelled to put something out there in cyberland – so that it would be found using the search engines – to let sellers know that it’s not "Pato" . . .

It’s Patd. As in "patented."

Over the years, I occasionally get emails from random sellers, to thank me for this bit of information and preventing them from making the same mistake so many others have made. I’d have to say, out of all the pages I’ve posted, I’ve made more friends out of this one than any other.

And now, as Paul Harvey used to say, I’m going to tell you the rest of the story.

See, these Patd clips appear on literally hundreds of lower tier pencils (and pens, for that matter). As an example, here’s a couple more well known brands . . .

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

Keeping It Real

Here was a nice find from the DC show. I don’t remember where it came from, but I think it came out of Frank Hoban’s hoard (through Michael Little).

This is a "Realpoint," which was an Autopoint brand (the name is a combination of Realite and Autopoint, the two companies which merged to form the Autopoint Products Company). According to Jim Stauffer, Realpoint was the brand Autopoint used to test market new ideas, which explains why this one lacks the familiar removable nose cone seen on Realites and Autopoints.  The mechanism is a conventional nose drive.

Also, rather than being made of bakelite, another Autopoint standby, Realpoints are made in very attractive colors. Here it is, posed with the three examples pictured on page 23 of The Catalogue . . .

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

My Inner Hillbilly

Labor Day weekend is, for me, more than just a long weekend and a sign that the summer is winding down. It’s my chance, once a year, to live up to every stereotype big-city types have of rural Ohio and embrace my inner hillbilly – at Swapper’s Day in Johnstown, Ohio. And I do it with gusto.

Swapper’s Day is a flea market/gun swap/dog show and sale held at the Sportsman’s Club grounds just outside of Johnstown, and I’ve been going there for probably close to twenty years now. Usually there’s dozens of yard sales all along the state routes leading to the Sportsman’s Club, but with limited time (and when Janet goes, on limited patience) I usually forego those and head straight for the main event.

This year, since it was raining, we took the F-150, as four-wheel drive is a must in the muddy marsh that is the parking field.  Here’s what the event looks like as you are coming in the gates . . .

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 Metal Cap Fad Begins

Putting together a top ten list of most influential pen and pencil designs in history is an easy task, because there have been a few truly standout instances where one writing instrument manufacturer puts a new idea out there and within a few short years everyone is copying it trying to catch up. The Sheaffer Balance is an excellent example, for making tapered designs fashionable. LeBouf’s pioneering use of celluloid had everyone racing to come out with pens that weren’t made of hard rubber.

And the Parker 51 is widely regarded as the writing instrument that overnight had everyone else trying to copy the solid color lower barrel, metal upper barrel look. But here’s a little secret: the Parker 51 followed in the footsteps of something else. Here’s the Parker "Duo-tone."

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

I'm Glad the Name Didn't . . . Stick

Andy Beliveau is one of those that’s great to have a drink with. He’s had an interesting life; he’s seen it all, heard it all, done it all, and best of all, he’s made meticulous mental notes about it all and can spin a great story. And spin stories he did, over some great Thai food at the place around the corner on Friday night!

Saturday morning, I noticed Andy had this one on his table. It was part of a set, but he was all right with peeling off the pencil for 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