As far as I know the Pentel Mechanica (1968) was the first 0.3 mm pencil and the Pentel PMG (1970) the second. Is there a pencil which can be considered the third with that diameter or were there several after that, so that you can’t name a third?
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What’s the saying? “Nobody remembers second place.”
Well, Newman definitely had some 0.3 models, including the ‘fauxbois’ and the ‘etched grip’ drafters. Since they developed the 0.2 leads for release in 1971, it wouldn’t be wrong to deduce that they also developed their own 0.3mm soon after the MEC… maybe between 1969–1970?
Mitsubishi’s Hi-Pitch Holder M5-50 has a 0.3 brother in the maroon colored M3-50 from approximately 1969 thru the 1970s. The identical FC TK-9555 was on the 1972 catalog cover, but no idea if the TK-9503 was released at the same time.
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Thank you for these details! So my assumption that the PMG was the second 0.3 mm pencil was also wrong.
The MEC sold for a princely 3000 yen back then. The Newman ‘fauxbois’ at 1000 yen and ‘etched drafter’ at 2000 yen probably made Pentel decide to launch the PMG asap.
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