Hello!
The other day, I saw on Yahoo Auctions a certain mechanical pencil simply called an “ITO sharp”, with no further information other than the photographs on the listing.
I was intrigued and attempted bidding, but did not win the auction due to a high bid from a Japanese user. I was wondering if anybody on this forum knew anything about this brand and model of mechanical pencil, as I’ve never heard nor seen any “ITO” pencils before, but was very attracted to how it looked.
Pictures below:
Perhaps somehow associated with the Japanese stationery retailer Ito-Ya?
ITO-YA is usually written in capital letters, and accompanied by a hyphen. However, it can sometimes be written as just ITO; as was the case in which you saw it.
Would that account for the reasoning of this person paying ¥30,000 for this?
So. ITO-YA is quite traditional in Japan, with over a century of history. I’m not familiar with the company’s product line. But I’m sure this one is a rarity.
I’d imagine this is their equivalent to a rare Keuffel and Esser exclusive from the 1960s/70s.
I would still like to know if anybody knows what the model is based on, if Ito-ya had an OEM manufacture this for them - are there any similar designs from other companies from this point in time?
YES
Because this is a beautifully designed pencil, but is it really just a piece of junk with a brand on it?
Regarding design, one of the company’s proposals is that it does not become outdated over time. They focus on simple lines and shapes, applying simplicity and style, and not getting bogged down in exuberance. This concept is quite interesting, and captivates a very select audience that is very attentive to what ITO-YA produces; especially in the mechanical pencils sector.
I do have this pencil, it really is very nice and simple.
For that quality and simplicity, as you see it isn’t ¥30,000. Maybe it’s similar to why I pay certain amounts for a specific vintage pencil that initially was only ¥500.
For that price, I would say that it could be a special limited edition, with only a few copies available. Or it could also be an item that was missing, and someone really wanted to complete the set. They must have been looking for it for a long time, and when they came across the pencil, they didn’t miss the opportunity and bought it.
Wow it looks quite cool!
There was a similar question asked on X regarding the provenance of ‘ITO’. A private post shared the following:
事務用品製造メーカーITO/アイティーオー。名古屋を拠点とした大きな文具メーカー兼問屋でしたが2000年に倒産し、現在はプラスの社内カンパニーであるJOINTEX/ジョインテックスが取り扱っています。
ITO is a stationery manufacturer and wholesaler based in Nagoya, but went bankrupt in 2000. It is now handled by JOINTEX, an in-house company of PLUS.
From that page, it appears that ITO was more of an office furniture supplier than a manufacturer of precision writing tools - do you know if they also made their own mechanical pencils?
I have no other information.
I sold an “oyster can” to the owner of the restaurant that had the brand on the can a while back for an obscene amount of money, it must be a similar situation
Or not, it could be an AWESOME pencil…. Maybe they have the last laugh
I found a link here about Ito, which is very interesting and can clarify many things. Could I share links here in the community? It’s important to know before sharing.
Yes, I don’t see why not. Plenty have done so before, and people regularly link to ongoing auctions or external blogs while discussing mechanical pencils here.
Ok.
I don’t know… but, I think that maybe it doesn’t explain much, and it just increased the doubt even more.
