The Yard-O-Led Pencil Company is a manufacturing company founded in London, England in 1934
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Writing implements |
| Founded | 1934 [1] |
| Founder | Ludwig Brenner [1] |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Tim Tufnell (Honorary President) |
| Products | Fountain and ballpoint pens, mechanical pencils |
| Parent | Filofax Group (1988–2015) |
| Website | yard-o-led.com |
History
editIt was founded by German immigrant, Ludwig Brenner,[1] to produce his patent propelling pencils which contained twelve three inch leads (that is to say, 36 inches or a yard of lead). Originally based in Premier House, 12-13 Hatton Garden, London, the company moved in the late 1940s to 1 Great Cumberland Place, London.
After World War II the company merged with Sampson Mordan Ltd whose founder had patented the first mechanical pencil in 1822. They built a new factory in Birmingham and took over Edward Baker Ltd, another pencil maker.[2]
In 1988, the company was acquired by Filofax Group,[3] which owned it until 2015, when it was re-established itself as "Imperial Yard Ltd".
Yard-O-Led continues to produce fountain and ballpoint pens pens as well as mechanical pencils, most of which are made from hallmarked sterling silver.
References
edit- ^ a b c Company history on Yard-O-Led website
- ^ The story of Yard-O-Led
- ^ "Filofax in swoop for city pen firm". Birmingham Mail. England. 8 April 1988. Retrieved 27 December 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
Further reading
edit- Collecting Old Pencils, John Watkins, Collectors Press (1970,) ASIN: B000J2HUQG
- Victorian Pencils: Tools to Jewels, Deb Crosby, Schiffer Publishing Ltd (Oct 1998), ISBN 0-7643-0413-5
- The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance, by Henry Petroski
