Like every generation before it and since, most of our Victorian ancestors lived according to the societal norms and “rules” of the day. Unspoken rules

Nacre (noun: pronounced “NAY-ker”) – otherwise known as mother-of-pearl. While the inner barrel and mechanisms of most 19th century mechanical pencils were constructed of brass, it

As a collector it can be difficult to stay focussed in one specific collecting area without eventually coming across something that nudges you into making

It is said that “instant success takes time”, and a perfect example is the development of the “Stanhope” viewer. The story of the stanhope begins

This has been one of my favourite quotes for many years now. While the quote is attributed to Louis Pasteur in 1854, I first heard

While many of the upscale Victorian pen/pencil case makers in England used silver or gold for the majority of their pen/pencil casings, these same makers

James Perry was a schoolmaster in Manchester during the early part of the 19th century. Around 1819 James worked out a steel pen design that provided

Ever wonder how some of these beautiful Mordan writing implements were made “back in the day”? Well, wonder no more… I recently stumbled upon a

Most of us, upon hearing the name “Goodyear”, immediately think of the tire industry. Lesser known is the fact that while Charles Goodyear has been

The culture and symbolism of the ancient Egyptians has always been intriguing to many other cultures, and the Romans were among the first to become

Interesting bit of history. At the Bastogne Museum (Battle of the Bulge) there were several artefacts made from spent shell casings. Some were quite elaborate,

As long as there has been human conflict, there have also been those that collect memorabilia associated with those conflicts. With the passage of time

While sloped writing surfaces of various forms have been around for many centuries, the flat surfaced rectangular writing box really only became widely available towards

Sampson Mordan, along with his partner John Isaac Hawkins, are credited with patenting the first mechanical pencil in 1822. Mordan pencils are widely sought after

One of the rarer pencils in my collection is this “Dawson’s Patent” pencil, pen, and stamp dispenser combination. The early-to-mid 1800’s experienced an explosion of

This was not the first pencil in my collection; nor is it the oldest, the most valuable, the rarest, or the most interesting. But like