Showing here is a British sterling, mechanical pencil bridge set. Probably produced prior to 1940. Another couple bridge sets are featured in a very early entry in my blog.  Enjoy!

Today I'm showing a pair of Crocker black hard rubber pencils from the 1920's. Pictured are clip and ring top models. Each approximately five inches in length.

  Great style is certainly one reason I collect mechanical pencils. This one has got a whole lot of that me thinks. The material is likely hard rubber. The piece measures 4 5/16 inches in length. The only markings on it are 'DAY 1852', That information happens to relate to Charles Goodyear suing Horace H. Day for patent infringement in 1852 for it's rubber vulcanization process.This piece was quite probably produced sometime after that event.

Showing here are three A.T. Cross mechanical pencils. Two feature painted design over a gold filled metal finish. Both paint jobs are flawless. The third pencil is a chased sterling with somewhat unusual thick lead. All were produced in the vicinity of the 1930's. The painted pieces are approximately 4 1/4 inches long. The silver example comes in at around 3 3/4 inches.

  The long taper to the tip attracted me to this silver plated English pencil, circa 1930's.The scripting reads a probable model name Easiuryte, Made In England, and Pat No 182658. The piece is 3 1/4 inches long. The taper is the deal.

 Pictured here are mid 1920's through very early 30's Wahl-Eversharp pencils. 4 through 6 from the left are English. The rest are American. The lone exception is a no name on the far right. All pieces about 4" long.

Stockbroker mechanical pencils are a different breed. They are almost always oversize, heavy and well made. The materials range from solid gold to silver plating and everything in between. Typical lead size diameter is the extra large 5.6mm. The story goes that traders on the stock exchange floor found the thick lead pencils useful in hurriedly scribbling buy and sell orders. Lengths depicted here range from the 5 3/4 inch clipless, sterling model on top to the extra short 3 1/4 inch example on the bottom. Pencils of this type were produced from the 1920's all the way into the late 1940's.

From top to bottom the makers of the pencils are: a no name, an Edward Todd, a Hicks, another no name and a Victor.

  Joseph Dixon Crucible Company produced primarily wooden pencils from the mid-1800's into the 21st century. They are still in business as Dixon Ticonderoga Company, still producing wooden pencils. Here showing is a pamphlet they did for the kids. Printing date is 1904. The cover is not worn. It was printed to look like that.  Enjoy.

     

  Just a cool, little noname pencil. 5 1/2 inches long.

  In 1909 the tower of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Building in New York City was completed. Tiffany created a magic pencil representing the tower. The pictured example is shown here in the fully extended position. Calendar courtesy of my buddy Jon Veley. Enjoy!

  Osmia of Germany produced very nice mechanical pencils. Here showing are two examples from the late 1920's - mid 1930's period.

Shown here are a couple store display writing instrument cases. Circa thereabouts 1925 - 1930. On the left is an Eberhard Faber and on the right is a Koh-I-Noor. For the curious, that is a boxed Parker bridge set sitting in the right case.

A couple mechanical pencils circa 1920.

On top is an English, silver plated pencil. The mechanism is actually patented. The mechanism features an outer shell that extends the lead by pulling the shell towards the tip. Reversing the action allows the lead to be pushed manually back into the body.

Bottom piece is a French, black hard rubber pencil. It features some very nice knurling and chasing. The mechanism is a twist to propel/repel system.

Each pencil is just under 5 inches long.

The Post Office delivers.

Three metal clutch activated Eagle pencils circa 1885 (clutch activated = turn the release point on the pencil to free the lead, set it via gravity to write and then re-tighten for use).

A nice Swanberg propel pencil in wood grain circa 1930. Surprised me how well made.

Good day!

Here for National Pencil Day I'm showing a gold filled Redipoint. This pencil made in the United States circa 1935 - 1940.

  Today's haul from the Post Office: top piece is an unusual, ring chased Sheaffer's gold filled metal pencil This one was produced during the late 1940's - early 1950's. Middle piece is a nice 1920's, gold filled metal Sheaffer's pencil . Bottom pencil is a very fine, no name Victorian in sterling, produced sometime in the 1890 - 1915 period.

Here's a nicely made silver metal, stick pencil featuring an attached beetle guest. Probably British. Time of production was in the 1910'ish vicinity.  Piece is a long 6 1/8".  This one, unlike many resembling it, does not pull apart and invert to double as a dip pen.

  I'm showing today a very cool Victorian magic pencil representing a two faced head; maybe like the comedy/drama thing. The pencil was made by the American Aikin Lambert Company in about 1880. The piece is about 2 1/2" long compressed and 3 1/2" extended.