"autoscript" Pencil?

[ISW_Kaputnik]

I've had this pencil for a number of years, but only took it out of the drawer in the past few weeks. It came in a bargain lot of pens and pencils on eBay, and it was a couple of the fountain pens that actually interested me. But coming across this when going through my things, I decided to try cleaning it off, and putting an old 0.046 inch (1.18 mm) lead in it. And it turns out to be nice enough to use, comfortable in the hand, a good size and weight. It won't become an absolute favorite, and it's not one I'd take with me everywhere, but it's in my main writing area at home.

The material appears to be Bakelite, or something similar. At any rate, it doesn't look like a modern plastic. The marbled pattern of light and dark brown is more attractive than quite comes across in my pictures. The only writing is some worn engraving around the top cap. Getting a good picture of that defeated me, but it almost certainly says "Autoscript" in a flourishy cursive. The standard notices "PATD AND PATS PEND" and "USA" are in block capitals, and still clearly legible.

Here is a disassembled view:

This particular twist mechanism may not be the best, partly because it only takes very short pieces of lead, but it does work. The old leads that I have in there seem about the equivalent of an HB. The top cap covers a small compartment that seems to be for spare leads; I doubt that there was ever an eraser in there.

On the whole, probably nothing that special, but it seems interesting, and likely old enough to count as "vintage". Some searching on this site and on the web has come up with nothing. Does anyone know anything about pencils of this general pattern, or this one in particular?

 

[SallyLyn]

Believe the brand name is Autopoint. I have several old and new versions. All use the short lead of various sizes from 0.5 up to the size you have. Off hand don’t know a history website but there is an Autopoint company selling site. Rite in the Rain maker of notebooks for use in damp weather sells a branded version. Jetpens sells some of the Autopoint lead and did sell the pencils.

Can’t help with a date for the one you own.

[ISW_Kaputnik]

Believe the brand name is Autopoint. I have several old and new versions. All use the short lead of various sizes from 0.5 up to the size you have. Off hand don’t know a history website but there is an Autopoint company selling site. Rite in the Rain maker of notebooks for use in damp weather sells a branded version. Jetpens sells some of the Autopoint lead and did sell the pencils.

Can’t help with a date for the one you own.

 

Thanks. I do have a modern Autopoint pencil, and am familiar with the brand. But this one is definitely not that. It's the "Auto" part of the name that is a bit hard to be sure of, but it ends in "script", with a high degree of certainty. At the very least, not "point".

[Autopoint]

This appears to be an oversize Autopoint mechanical pencil manufactured roughly between 1925 and 1930. The "hex head screw" on the side of the barrel was for affixing the pocket clip, which it looks like someone has removed. The "bell cap" (the very top of the metal pencil cap) does separate from the next metal piece down (called the "ferrule") - but in early AP mechanical pencils those combined two metal pieces were easily removed together, to access the lead storage reservoir down inside the top of the barrel of the pencil. The "extended metal fingertip section" displayed on this model disappeared in the very early 1930's, in favor of a bakelite fingertip section with a sharply reduced length metal writing tip. Oh, and the pattern of the barrel, made either of Redmanol or bakelite, was called "mottled" by Autopoint. Clearly one of the more desireable finishes, for Autopoint's non-translucent pencils. There's a wealth of information about these Autopoint pencils online, including a 1925 and a 1930 Autopoint catalog - just google "Bob Bolin Autopoint Realite" and you should land right on his page.

- - - Good luck, Jim

[ISW_Kaputnik]

This appears to be an oversize Autopoint mechanical pencil manufactured roughly between 1925 and 1930. The "hex head screw" on the side of the barrel was for affixing the pocket clip, which it looks like someone has removed. The "bell cap" (the very top of the metal pencil cap) does separate from the next metal piece down (called the "ferrule") - but in early AP mechanical pencils those combined two metal pieces were easily removed together, to access the lead storage reservoir down inside the top of the barrel of the pencil. The "extended metal fingertip section" displayed on this model disappeared in the very early 1930's, in favor of a bakelite fingertip section with a sharply reduced length metal writing tip. Oh, and the pattern of the barrel, made either of Redmanol or bakelite, was called "mottled" by Autopoint. Clearly one of the more desireable finishes, for Autopoint's non-translucent pencils. There's a wealth of information about these Autopoint pencils online, including a 1925 and a 1930 Autopoint catalog - just google "Bob Bolin Autopoint Realite" and you should land right on his page.

- - - Good luck, Jim

 

Thanks, some interesting material there.

 

Allowing for the difficulty in deciphering the worn inscription, it's quite possible that it does say "Autopoint" after all, although I can't quite see it that way. Just thought of a couple of ways to resolve that, but won't try them just now.

 

Anyway, a quite usable pencil, and after putting a somewhat softer lead in it, I use it a bit more often.

[Autopoint]

 

Thanks, some interesting material there.

 

Allowing for the difficulty in deciphering the worn inscription, it's quite possible that it does say "Autopoint" after all, although I can't quite see it that way. Just thought of a couple of ways to resolve that, but won't try them just now.

 

Anyway, a quite usable pencil, and after putting a somewhat softer lead in it, I use it a bit more often.

 

FWIW, I use a lot of Autopoint 2B and "Mark Sensing" (roughly equivalent to 4B) leads. Both write nice and dark. And both feel much like "brushing" the lead on the page. Does get all over the cuffs of your sleeves, though.

- - - Good luck, Jim