NOS Time Capsule - Stylomine No. 202 - Lost Brand of France - Unique "Anti-theft" 1940s Black Resin 1.18mm Leads Repeater Pencil Item ID: VAR-175

STYLOMINE France

Manufacturer/Model: Stylomine France/ 202
Year of production:  Exact year unknown, estimated mid to late 1940s
Filling system: 1.18mm Leads - Push Upper Body Repeater Pencil
Material: Black Resin (similar to black celluloid), chromed clip and trimmings
Length (pen closed): Compact at 118mm

Condition and information:

Offered here is an extremely rare pencil from the lost company of Stylomine, made in Paris - France in mid to late 1940s. Moreover, the astonishing condition of this true time capsule, basically found as it was sold, in its original carton box with the instructions leaflet, with its original price sticker in Francs and model number. We rarely see pens in such condition, and whenever we encounter them, we are thrown back in time as if we were there.

The penic is made by Stylomine, a very respected and well established company from France, founded in 1921 by Yves Zuber. They had some very unique pen and pencil models, including the first accordion bladder filler in the 303 series range.

This is one of their unique pencil examples with the patented "Anti-Theft" clip. If one didn't have the original instructions, it would be difficult to know and guess why that needle sharp pin under the clip is there for. One thing is obvious, that one will need to make an extensive and very deliberate effort to hang the pencil in and out over a pocket. The only way to do that is to basically grab the pencil with one hand and the clip with the other, extend the spring loaded clip and take out the pencil out of the pocket. The clip has a lot of travel, and it's very flexy with a quite elaborate mechanism underneath it. Having the instructions makes all of this quite clear and amazingly interesting. 

While specific details about the company's history and product line are extremely limited, we managed to pull together several sources from inside our company literature and some online and just partially piece together some history of this company. From piecing all the info we have and some telltale signs such as the materials, the build and the filling system, we estimate this pen was made somewhere in the mid to late 1940s. Similar Stylomine pencils exist with the 302 mark, same as on the box, as they seem to share the same box, however the pencil here is clearly marked with the model number on its body, 202. It is also possible that this pen was made in the late 1930s, or as far out as early 1950s, but since no reliable sources are available, we can only give estimates. The last pens produced from this company are dated as late 1950s, when it apparently went out of business.

The pencil uses the standard at the time 1.18mm leads, still readily available today, and features a reservoir for several leads simply by pulling out the upper body section. The mechanism is very precise and responsive, fully functional, and ready to be used.