Saturday 29 October 2011

Stationery Archeology 8


Next in this increasingly infrequent series is this, a bullet pencil kindly sent by my correspondent in Georgia, USA, Richard. Bullet pencils are largely unknown here in England - although I have found some examples on the interweb - so it was a lovely surprise to receive one in the post. I understand from reading about them that they were often given as promotional items by small businesses - this one being a fine example.


This one has clearly been used a lot, for the pencil component is now little more than a stub. The eraser end has hardened to a rubber bullet in its own right. It is probably about four inches long in total.

Thank you Richard.

1 comment:

  1. Great post. I've recently become enamoured with these ever-so-useful pieces of Americana. The American-style promotional bullet pencils aren't common here in Australia either (I've never seen one advertising an Aussie business), but you may be pleased to learn that the concept of the bullet pencil appears to have originated in the UK around the turn of the 20th Century. More info about the British origins of the bullet pencil here - http://thejungleisneutral.wordpress.com/2013/10/27/the-bullet-pencil/

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