Does anyone remember the Dixon Oriole?
The official product page calls them a “first-rate commercial grade woodcase pencil offered at an economical price”.
Hmmm, “commercial grade”.
Well I ordered them online after finding a store that had some older US made stock. Or so I thought. I should have known what was coming – the photo and description [...]
Does Dixon still make pencils in the United States?
It is very hard to say, but here are some “Made in U.S.A.” “tri-write” pencils found just last week at a Grand and Toy store here in Canada! They appear to be new, and are sold in a cardboard/plastic package of eight.
The cynic in me wonders [...]
Here are a couple of oversize pencils from Dixon – the Laddie and Beginners.
The Beginners in particular seems to make people laugh when they see it. There is definitely something amusing about it. It looks just like a regular Ticonderoga, except that it is round and almost twice the diameter. The Laddie is somewhere between [...]
Has Dixon gone too far in extending the Ticonderoga brand?
Fort Ticonderoga has played a part in French, British, and especially American history. It played a landmark role in the American revolution. The Ticonderoga pencil has been named and marketed such that its identity is inextricably bound with this history. Dixon, dating from the 18th [...]
A dozen vintage Dixon pencils.
They are marked:
Leadfast PAT. 1927142 Made in U.S.A. Dixon Ticonderoga 1395 No. 2 5/10
A cardboard holder has an illustration of Fort Ticonderoga, and the slogan “A Dixon Pencil For Every Use”.
US Patent 1927142 was issued on September 19, 1933, for the eraser/ferrule combination.
They don’t make them like this anymore!
Found in a drawer – nine yellow office pencils, sharpened and ready to use.
The pencils are marked:
1. Czechoslovakia Bohemia Works Deluxe 1380 HB
As Czechoslovakia split up in 1993, this pencil is an interesting historical item. I seem to recall Bohemia Works pencils being available some years ago.
2. Roundedge Grand & Toy HB
Dating from the 1880s, [...]
