Another Thoreau pencil is for sale. This follows an auction by the Thoreau Society earlier in 2023.
This time the seller is online vintage pencil store Brand Name Pencils.
Asking $USD4500 (and the website offers a 10% discount for subscribing to a newsletter), this is roughly double the price of the Thoreau Society pencil.
This pencil has an imprint – “J. Thoreau & Co”, which I believe is highly desirable. But what is lacking are clear photos of that imprint and particularly the end – the lead and joints. I’d also be concerned about how the peculiar storage may have affected the pencil.
I’m sure Bob wouldn’t have bought this pencil if he didn’t believe it to be genuine, but I’d suggest that at this price one might hope for more background. The statement “This particular pencil comes to me by way of a large Victorian in West Roxbury, Massachusetts” had me imagining an older, rotund person.
And an alternate spelling of the name “Henry” doesn’t garner confidence regarding the attention to detail.
Still, an extremely interesting offering.
If you buy this pencil, please let us know.
And a very happy new year to all!
And Happy New Year to you, Stephen.
Likewise to you, Michael.
Happy New Year to you too, Stephen!
Happy new year, Gunther!
Greetings from BNP. I hope someday to take this pencil to a Thoreau Museum that has their own pencils to compare all the details. I would also be seeking to have this pencil removed from its peculiar encapsulation by a conservationist, as I dare not attempt such a procedure myself. I find the story behind the recently sold Thoreau lacking, as much as the pencil is lacking an imprint and cracking. The alternate spelling of Henry as been rectified…thank you.
Now that I think about it, the crack is most likely just the seam where they placed the lead and then filled in with a slab of wood. The old school construction is amazing. I have one unknown brand that could be an number of old school early American pencil companies: https://brandnamepencils.com/product/blank-2
Bobby, thanks for the comments! I was on vacation when they arrived; apologies for the moderation time.
Best wishes with your investigations!