So here we are again, this time with not one, but two mystery pencils!
The question is, what links this unlikely couple? Bonus points for guessing both makers.
Looks like they’re European… from the 1950’s? An old British brand, like Stanley of London?
1 Like
I’ll give you European, but unfortunately not Britain.
3 Likes
I can’t even come close to an idea of which pencil this is but it smells French to me.
Ce ne sont pas les porte-mines que vous recherchez.
5 Likes
Penkala on the right.
1 Like
Penkala on the right is right!
The other one is from the same era, but a different country. Despite their differences, at one level they are twins.
2 Likes
Maybe the one on the left might be from Eastern Europe/Russia.
Kimex, perhaps? Bohemia Works, before it became KIN? Automat Krakow?
The grooves in the metal grip might point at a twistaction mechanism, with the slot acting as a lead retainer (as in the Penkala, I suppose).
I’m tempted to say that these were both compass leg attachments, but I know this is not true for the Penkala, so I might be very wrong here!
Not East European, not twist action, not compass inserts.
However, both pencils do have a second function.
1 Like
From the pictures of the Penkala I can find online, I think the metal end of the Penkala can be removed, thus leaving space to accommodate a metal nib to make it a dip pen for inking — but I am highly unsure about the actual usefulness or functionality of such a solution.
Still, by looking at the other pencil, I doubt this is the answer, unless there is a slot for a nib pen on the other end of the barrel.
Very fascinating mystery, I will be waiting for the mont of final revelation.
On this occasion, ink is not involved.
As another clue, here is the pencil end alongside a contemporary advertisement:
1 Like
A profile like the one in the leaflet reminds me of some cutting tips with a sharp edge one can mount into compass clamps, for a freehand cutting movement. rOtring had something similar, but with much more specialised cutters; also, I think the cutting tips I mean were made by other manufacturers, and re-sold as well for rOtring compasses.
Does the tip of the pencil work like a swivel point? It very vaguely reminds an Oli Rotomin, or a Speedraft, but it is probaly much older.
Another possibility is that it could work with metal needle tips, like the ones used by engravers on copper plates; the Italian term is “puntasecca” (dry point), and words fail me right now about the corresponding English or French term.
This is really head-scratching…
It doesn’t cut, scratch, or prick - indeed, the metal tip has no moving parts at all (excepting the natural spring of the slit).
1 Like
Nope, just a plain ol’ 2 mm lead.
1 Like
Correction: I just measured the lead with a micrometer and it came out as 0.087" or just under 2.21 mm. Very much not plain ol’ 2 mm lead!
1 Like
Wait a sec… Could it be one of those “rotary pencils” with the other hand carrying a sphere made of metal flanges, used to help secretaries to quickly dial phone numbers on a rotary phone? Something like the Dur-O-Lite KS8300 produced for the Bell Systems? [Picture taken from an Ebay listing.]
I have seen some of those on sale on Ebay, but never got one, as I lack the phone to pair such item with.
1 Like
It isn’t one of those, but you’re getting warmer!
1 Like
By the way, it turns out that the 2.2 mm lead mentioned above may be significant after all. Good thing I bothered to measure it!
2 Likes
Are these so-called ball pencils with a tassel or a similar decoration at the end?
I feel like I’m watching an MP-fied episode of HOUSE MD!
Taking notes furiously
1 Like