My notes say the H-208x was sold from 1981 - 2010. I am not sure where “2010” came from.
Do any of you have a catalog or some information I can share to substantiate that end date of 2010?
Was this sold only in Japan?
Does anyone have info of the variants? (Info I have is below)
Pictures of original packaging?
Any advertisements with them in it?
Is there Anything that I am missing that should be included?
My Notes:
Documented Model Numbers:
HH-200K
HH-200K-M-03 (H-2083)
HH-200K-M-05 (H-2085)
(M is for Mokume per catalog) Mokume in Japanese translates to “grain” (assuming wood)
Materials:
Grip: Maple Wood (per catalog)
Barrel: Aluminum
Brass clutch
Known Datapoints:
Release: October 1981 (100 Years of Pilot) (have image) (was original price ¥2,000?)
1988: Pilot catalog ¥2,000 (have image)
1995: Pilot catalog ¥2,000 (have image)
Known Variants:
Early and late versions are available. Not sure which is which:
Black vs. Brown text on barrel
shiny vs. matte finish on eraser cap (w/ size indicator).
Notes:
My 0.3 & 0.5 both have a matte finish on the eraser cap.
Neither has the size on the cap.
Both of mine appear to have brown text
Distribution:
Unknown - assume Japan only?
Grip Type: Wood, lattice
Misc. facts:
Removable pocket clip, color code (not ISO3098), eraser lead jam clearing rod.
Standard drafting package (4mm fixed sleeve, lead hardness indicator)
“Family” Members: H-58x, H-108x, H-208x (I have these/will be shown in video)
Similar competing products: Tombow Exta (I have one/will be shown in video)
My notes say Exta was sold from 1988 through the 1990s. (is this correct?)
Regarding the variants, I have found a few pictures online with text that seems to be black and a matte eraser cap. Not sure how useful these picture are, but here thay are anyways.
There has been a “Xilo” by the Italian brand “Pigna”, but it had a relatively short sleeve, and i think it was more of a writing/notetaking pencil than a drafter; you can judge it here.
Maybe — maybe— the E.Roland 9118 (but I am not sure it is wood, or just a plastic material imitating woodgrain), and similar models.
There are, also, older MP’s where the body was made of wood, but I mostly recall clutch pencils (e.g. the A.W. Faber–Castell “Varius” 9025, or the Vemco Tec), rather than thin-lead knock-advance models.
I think the Faber Castell Vandyke model has a wood variant, I have one I’ll check mine
Staedtler Lumograph comes in wood
I have a Faber Walross in wood
The Dixon El Dorado
There are many….
on mine the 0.5 ends in “A” and the 0.3 ends in “B”. it also looks like the image @Neroaddict posted was 0.5 and also ended in “A”. I found similar code on other pencil from same time, but the A and B final digit was found on other sizes, so I don’t think its a size designation.
So in this case “7D19B” may be April 19, 1987"
and “7F28A” may be June 28, 1987"
I think this is a pretty sound thesis. My brown text 2805 has the code 9G27A. So… 1989 July 27 (production line A?). I couldn’t detach my 2083 guts from the grip.
EDIT:
This image is from a user on X. I was able to get their permission to use the image, However do any of you guys have a H-2083 or H-2085 that is the “shiny” version, like this one? if so, does it have a date code (or whatever that is) stamped on the lead tube?
Mine are matte capped (89). No number in the finial.
Based on the theory that ‘improvements’ simplify production steps, the shiny caps are likely earlier models?
Which may also explain why you don’t see as many. I’m trying to find a picture I can use for the video.
Hopefully one will show up on Mercari or Yahoo so I can snag the image
Nido got back to me with a code of “3008A” which may confirm the 1st digit as last digit of the year (1983 in this case) but kind of sinks my thesis on the what the other digits represent.
When I get some time I’ll record all my pilot dates and make a post to see if we can identify trends in the codes.
I’m also going to write Pilot tomorrow to see if they have any information on the codes.
