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.