Telephone Dialer Pencil

[Fabius]

I found this in a Michigan City Indiana antique shop for $5. Marked: Indiana Farm Bureau. The Voice of Agriculture.  Mint condition. I don't thing these are usually seen with a pencil, eraser and clip.

[TelePlay]

I remember having one like this as a kid many years ago. Had the pencil and eraser and the metal cap on the pencil. Never knew it was a phone dialer. Used it as a protected tip pencil. IIRC, it was hard to get the pencil out, a good friction mount. Too long ago to remember what was on the side but I seem to recall it was a white barrel with blue printing on the outside.

[Dave F]

This is an example of what is commonly called a Bullet Pencil.  These advertising pencils were popular in the 1930s-40s.  I do not believe that the metal tip was originally designed to be a phone dialer, although some of the tips may coincidentally fit a fingerwheel.  You can see hundreds of different bullet pencils for sale on eBay.

DF

[Fabius]

It may be the ones with a pencil were not intended as a dialer but there where the ones without a pencil and eraser that had the bullet tip that I am sure were. Back in the 1960s I remember my aunt had one that fit in a spring holder that was clipped to the side of her 500U set.

[david@london]

........i have had these two phone diallers for a while. they came in a bargain-priced bundle of propelling pencils.

[SUnset2]

I have a few of those bullet pencils too.  It looks like they were intended as a way to 1. protect the pencil point in your pocket and 2. extend the life of pencil stubs.  Telephone dial pencils would be designed not to rub on the dial plate and wear off the numbers.  Here is a wooden example from Gray Top Cabs, MAin 4949.  It's a shame it got sharpened down so far.

[Fabius]

So I learned that what I got is not a true dialer. I went out and bought a real Bell System mechanical pencil with dialer ball at top. $3.50

[19and41]

The dialer pens or pencils that I remember had a head on it like this little pencil-less dialer.

[Dave F]

Here are several specimens from my collection.

DF