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During the Paul Wirt vrs Caws Pen company trial, Wirt's executive distributor, Charles Robbins was called to stand to testify. He was asked if he sold Wirt pens exclussivley, and he said he did. Well not just pens, but also Wirt pencils. This bit of information stung me. I was aware of Wirt's mechanical pencil patents, but I had never seen one, nor have I ever heard of anyone who had ever seen one. I was starting to think that they were never really marketed despite Robbin's testimony. Then I found one. Not a mechanical Paul Wirt pencil, but a very interesting pencil to say the least. A while back I was contacted by an antique dealer who found these Paul Wirt web pages while surfing the internet, looking to find information on the box of pens that he had. He sent me images of about 20 Paul Wirt Overfeed fountain pens. All looked worn, several missing caps, some nibs bent. Nevertheless, I am always looking for Wirt parts, so I agreed to buy the lot since he was not asking much for them. Actually he sounded shocked that I didn't try to barter the price down. When the box of Paul Wirt pens arrived, they were just what I expected until I cam across this little Wirt item.
The Paul Wirt Imprint is badly worn. I can just make out with a loupe "Paul E. Wirt Pat." Perhaps the name Bloomsburg is imprinted below, but it is too worn to see for sure. I've gone over all the know Paul Wirt pen and pencil patents carefully and nothing is known about this pencil. Perhaps it is a Paul Wirt patent or it could be a pencil design that Paul Wirt licensed from someone else. If you have any clues, please send me an e-mail. The pencil looks rather handy. The eraser and the pencil "sections" pull out and can be placed inside the barrel for easy carrying.
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