SLSF Railway Pencil #3 (Vintage - 1970s)

These pencils were manufactured for St. Louis - San Francisco Railway Co. during the mid-1970s. Made from high-quality cedar with a lovely natural grain, then finished with clear lacquer and silver-foil stamping, they're some of the nicest promotional pencils we've ever come across.

This pencil has a hard, precise core, similar to an H hardness in modern pencils. Many 20th century pencils in the U.S. were graded according to a scale from #0 to #4, with zero being the softest and four being the hardest grade. #2 pencils are still popular, but the other grades are rarely seen in shops today. #3 pencils like these are meant for small writing, precise drawing, and lines that need to be easily erased. They hold their points for a much longer time than a #2, and the line does not vary as much.

One side is foil-stamped with "St. Louis - San Francisco Railway Co. No.3" and the other side is stamped "Care for Your Safety." Some pencils may have small cracks and other vintage patina that is unlikely to affect their function. Our test pencils sharpened cleanly and wrote very smoothly, with consistent and clear marks.

Sold individually. Made in the United States.

HISTORICAL NOTE

The St. Louis - San Francisco Railroad, also called "the Frisco," was one of many Class I regional railroads during the height of rail travel in the United States. SLSF did operate in St. Louis, but despite its ambitious name, it never had tracks anywhere near San Francisco. It was a mostly Midwestern regional carrier of freight and passengers, with routes that connected cities like Tulsa, Kansas City, Wichita, and Dallas.

The Frisco was absorbed into Burlington Northern in 1980, so these pencils must not have been made after 1979. Our other dating reference comes from the case pack in which these pencils shipped — we noticed that the three-arrows recycling logo is printed on the box. That logo was introduced in 1970, so our pencils must have been made in 1971 or later.

We were also able to identify the manufacturer of these custom pencils — it was the Milton Bradley Company of Springfield, Massachusetts. Milton Bradley is mainly known for toys and board games, but the company also had a thriving sideline in school and office supplies from the 1870s through 1984, when it sold off its school supply division to another firm.