Yard-O-Led
The Yard-O-Led Pencil Company is a manufacturing company founded in London, England in 1934 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). 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]
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 |
In 1988, the company was acquired by Filofax Group, 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 as well as mechanical pencils; most of which are made from hallmarked sterling silver.
Bibliography
- 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
References
- Company history on Yard-O-Led website
- The story of Yard-O-Led