In my first post on the forum, although I mainly collect Autopoint and other pencils from the Great Depression and WWII periods, I find it more convenient for the forum’s members to share my most valuable Japanese pencils, a once-in-a-lifetime find!
I was astonished by the immaculately NOS condition of this H-225 set and the Display Cardboard as well. Missing one black pencil and three clear pencils. Code “5L16B” is printed (not imprinted) on 7 of the clear pencils (on the tube beneath the clear barrel), and code “5L11B” is printed on the remaining two clear pencils. I am guessing the three missing clear ones had the code “5L16B” printed, and these two with the code “5L11B” could have come from another set within the store that used to sell them.
I wanted to check the black ones to see if they have similar codes printed on the inner tubes, but the metal tips are tight and stuck, and I don’t want to ruin this treasure.
These codes may help identify the exact year of manufacturing or maybe specific attributes of the pencils. If I am guessing correctly, the production year is sometimes between 1981 and 1983, during which Pilot advertised these pencils at a regular price of exactly $2.98, as printed on the display board, allowing retailers to sell them for even less than $2. The regular price of these pencils in 1991 was $3.59. I know that some Pilot collectors will have better estimates of the production year.
Note that Pilot advertised the following in 1988 (from low price to high price):
H115 is the Pilot’s 0.5mm “Penciller” pencil.
H225 is the Pilot’s “General Purpose” pencil.
H215 is the Pilot’s “Drafting” pencil.
H305 is the Pilot’s “Super Pro” pencil.
H1010 is the Pilot’s “Shaker” pencil.
H1005 is the Pilot’s “Vanishing Point” pencil.
H2005 is the Pilot’s “Black S. S. Squares” pencil.
Note that I didn’t share the prices because the prices on the ad are the discounted prices, not the MSRPs. For example, the H-225 was discounted to $1.80 (instead of $2.98, the original price at the time).
