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Yard-O-Led Hallmarks and History
I am considering buying some vintage Yard-O-Led's and have been trying
to locate a web site or publication that descirbes history of their manufacture and what the various hallmarks on the vintage pens mean. So far, I have found nothing. Can anyone help me out with a ponter? Thanks, Rob remove the underscore and the 123 in my address to reply directly |
In message . com, Rob
writes I am considering buying some vintage Yard-O-Led's and have been trying to locate a web site or publication that descirbes history of their manufacture and what the various hallmarks on the vintage pens mean. So far, I have found nothing. Can anyone help me out with a ponter? Thanks, Rob remove the underscore and the 123 in my address to reply directly They were originally made by a firm called Mordan, which was bombed out during WWII. If you type the word Mordan into Google you will find lots of info. HTH -- June Hughes |
June Hughes wrote:
They were originally made by a firm called Mordan, which was bombed out during WWII. If you type the word Mordan into Google you will find lots of info. HTH Not quite correct. Let me quote Sue Courtier, Jane Marshall, and Jim Marshall's wonderful, fact-packed book, "Collectible Pencils." "Y-o-L was founded in 1934 by L. F. Brenner...After being bombed out of business in 1941 they started again in 1946...In 1955 they acquired Edward Baker and thereby the Mordan company patents..." So Y-o-L acquired the company that had acquired Mordan, not the other way around. Y-o-L pencils were not made by Mordan. From the same source, "Hall marked [sic] pencils bear makers' names JM & Co, Johnson Matthey & Co, E.B., Edward Baker and Y.O.L. Yard O'Led." HTH, Mark Z. |
In message , mz
writes June Hughes wrote: They were originally made by a firm called Mordan, which was bombed out during WWII. If you type the word Mordan into Google you will find lots of info. HTH Not quite correct. Let me quote Sue Courtier, Jane Marshall, and Jim Marshall's wonderful, fact-packed book, "Collectible Pencils." "Y-o-L was founded in 1934 by L. F. Brenner...After being bombed out of business in 1941 they started again in 1946...In 1955 they acquired Edward Baker and thereby the Mordan company patents..." So Y-o-L acquired the company that had acquired Mordan, not the other way around. Y-o-L pencils were not made by Mordan. From the same source, "Hall marked [sic] pencils bear makers' names JM & Co, Johnson Matthey & Co, E.B., Edward Baker and Y.O.L. Yard O'Led." Thank-you for the information. If you simply type 'Yard-O-Lead' into Google you get no history at all - just lots of people trying to sell pens. OTOH, If you type Mordan, you get a great deal of info. For example if you look at the following: http://www.jimgaston.com/faq.htm Of course the info may be incorrect.................... -- June Hughes |
Mark - Does the "Collectible Pencils" book explain the various
hallmarks and how to date and authenticate YoL mechanical pencils? This may be the book I've been looking for. June - Thanks for the link and tip on Mordan. It provided some information but a Google still yields a lot of people selling Mordan pens. There needs to be a 'no sales/auctions' option. Rob |
In message . com, Rob
writes Mark - Does the "Collectible Pencils" book explain the various hallmarks and how to date and authenticate YoL mechanical pencils? This may be the book I've been looking for. June - Thanks for the link and tip on Mordan. It provided some information but a Google still yields a lot of people selling Mordan pens. There needs to be a 'no sales/auctions' option. Yes indeed. I looked up Yard-o-lead Ltd on the Companies House site and it filed dormant accounts last year, so must just be kept to protect the name now. -- June Hughes |
Rob wrote:
Mark - Does the "Collectible Pencils" book explain the various hallmarks and how to date and authenticate YoL mechanical pencils? This may be the book I've been looking for. Sorry, Rob, it doesn't. I understand there are registries for hallmarks, but I'm not familiar with them. June - Thanks for the link and tip on Mordan. It provided some information but a Google still yields a lot of people selling Mordan pens. There needs to be a 'no sales/auctions' option. You might try the advanced search to exclude terms. Looking at the summaries of some of the pages you're not interested should give some hints as to terms. HTH, Mark Z. |
June Hughes wrote:
Yes indeed. I looked up Yard-o-lead Ltd on the Companies House site and it filed dormant accounts last year, so must just be kept to protect the name now. Could it be because the proper spelling is Yard-O-Led with no "a" in led? While I know nothing of the Y-O-L financial status, the Writing Equipment Society (UK) commissioned a hallmarked silver FP to commemorate its 25th anniversary. Orders were due by the end of June with delivery expected in October. Nothing has been said about a pending demise of the company. Of course this doesn't mean that something hasn't happened. Mark Z. |
In message , mz
writes June Hughes wrote: Yes indeed. I looked up Yard-o-lead Ltd on the Companies House site and it filed dormant accounts last year, so must just be kept to protect the name now. Could it be because the proper spelling is Yard-O-Led with no "a" in led? While I know nothing of the Y-O-L financial status, the Writing Equipment Society (UK) commissioned a hallmarked silver FP to commemorate its 25th anniversary. Orders were due by the end of June with delivery expected in October. Nothing has been said about a pending demise of the company. Of course this doesn't mean that something hasn't happened. Being pedantic, Yard-o-Led is the name of the dormant company listed. There is no actual company called Yard-o-Lead. I suspect a holding company now produces the pens etc and the original company is kept merely to protect the name, as already stated. That makes sense. I am sure there is no expected 'demise', and have never said anything of the sort. I cannot understand why you thought there should be. -- June Hughes |
June Hughes wrote:
Being pedantic, Yard-o-Led is the name of the dormant company listed. There is no actual company called Yard-o-Lead. I suspect a holding company now produces the pens etc and the original company is kept merely to protect the name, as already stated. That makes sense. I am sure there is no expected 'demise', and have never said anything of the sort. I cannot understand why you thought there should be. Just an erroneous conclusion drawn from terms unfamiliar to me. I equated "looked up Yard-o-lead Ltd on the *Companies House site* and it filed *dormant accounts*" [emphasis added] in your original with receivership or bankruptcy. Could you explain what the above means? TIA, Mark Z. |
In message , mz
writes June Hughes wrote: Being pedantic, Yard-o-Led is the name of the dormant company listed. There is no actual company called Yard-o-Lead. I suspect a holding company now produces the pens etc and the original company is kept merely to protect the name, as already stated. That makes sense. I am sure there is no expected 'demise', and have never said anything of the sort. I cannot understand why you thought there should be. Just an erroneous conclusion drawn from terms unfamiliar to me. I equated "looked up Yard-o-lead Ltd on the *Companies House site* and it filed *dormant accounts*" [emphasis added] in your original with receivership or bankruptcy. Could you explain what the above means? Just means the company is still alive but not trading. It therefore has to file what are known as dormant accounts. Sorry, I expected people to be familiar with the term when there is no reason for them to be so. I didn't mean to insuIt your intelligence. I expect the trading is done elsewhere within a group. As the company is still in existence, no-one can form another company with the same name. Very important for such a brand as that. -- June Hughes |
June Hughes wrote:
Just means the company is still alive but not trading. It therefore has to file what are known as dormant accounts. Sorry, I expected people to be familiar with the term when there is no reason for them to be so. I didn't mean to insuIt your intelligence. I expect the trading is done elsewhere within a group. As the company is still in existence, no-one can form another company with the same name. Very important for such a brand as that. Thanks for the lesson, June. As the years pass I realize how much I don't know and will never know, unfortunately. Please believe me when I say I was sure no offense was meant and none was taken. ;0) Thanks again, Mark Z. |
HiRob
I've just noticed your Y o L posting and the related replies . I have built up a collection of about 80 YoL items , going back to the 1930's . Like you , I have found it difficult to dig up any detailed info on the company. The histoical info in the replies to your original request is , as far as I am aware , correct ( set up in 1934 , took over Baker and the Mordan Patents etc.) The current ownership position is , I think , as follows. The Y o L brand is now owned by Filfax ( the personal organiser company ) which is , I believe , in turn owned by Lettes ( best known for diaries ) . The Filofax website has a link to a YoL site which contains a very small amount of data on the company. Y o L have a workshop/ factory in Birmingham ( UK) -- I may be able to dig out the address sometime if you might be interested in contacting them . Why is there so little info available on this company??-- no idea!! As far as the hallmarks are concerned , they will show the name of the silversmith making the case ( J.M. E.B. or Y oL ) a symbol representing the assay office which tested the silver content of the metal, 925 and a lion which represents sterling silver , and a date letter. Agian , I might be able to send you more info on these hall marks if you are interested. Hope this helps. It's good ( and unusual ) to find someone showing an interest in Y o L -- I think these represent the very top of the range in quality silver / gold writing instrument , but they don't seem to have quite the image of brands such as Montblanc!! Regards MIKE Rob wrote: I am considering buying some vintage Yard-O-Led's and have been trying to locate a web site or publication that descirbes history of their manufacture and what the various hallmarks on the vintage pens mean. So far, I have found nothing. Can anyone help me out with a ponter? Thanks, Rob remove the underscore and the 123 in my address to reply directly |
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"June Hughes" wrote: Yard-o-lead was so named because inside the base of the barrel there are eight holes which contain 'leads' for refilling the pencil. I read somewhere (you can probably find reference to it via Google) that Yard-O-Led was so named because their pencils were designed to carry 12 3-inch (ergo a yard of) leads. -- B |
In message n_nNe.121$g47.63@trnddc07, BL
writes "June Hughes" wrote: Yard-o-lead was so named because inside the base of the barrel there are eight holes which contain 'leads' for refilling the pencil. I read somewhere (you can probably find reference to it via Google) that Yard-O-Led was so named because their pencils were designed to carry 12 3-inch (ergo a yard of) leads. -- B I have just looked at mine. One seems to have 12 holes (which would be logical), one has four (a short 'ladies' pencil) and one has 8 holes. -- June Hughes |
"BL" wrote:
I read somewhere (you can probably find reference to it via Google) that Yard-O-Led was so named because their pencils were designed to carry 12 3-inch (ergo a yard of) leads. | All pencils contain one yard of lead (12 x 3 inch leads), hence | the name Yard-O-Led http://www.filofax.co.uk/corpsales/SEURLF/ASP/SFS/SFE/yardo.htm -- Steve My e-mail address works as is. |
In message , Stephen Hust
writes "BL" wrote: I read somewhere (you can probably find reference to it via Google) that Yard-O-Led was so named because their pencils were designed to carry 12 3-inch (ergo a yard of) leads. | All pencils contain one yard of lead (12 x 3 inch leads), hence | the name Yard-O-Led http://www.filofax.co.uk/corpsales/SEURLF/ASP/SFS/SFE/yardo.htm Not all. (Although the one in question is around 60 years old - short lady's pencil).. -- June Hughes |
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