The United States once had dozens of pencil manufacturers. Among the better known was the Union Pencil Company Inc. of New York, also a maker of erasers. The Union pencils, first an independent company, became a sister pencil product brand and sub brand of Eberhard Faber of Brooklyn. The UnionMORE HERE

HOBOKEN – Newell Brands, formerly Newell Rubbermaid, owns an astonishing array of classic brands. For those of us who like these classics, they are the owners of American crown jewels. These include Sunbeam, Shakespeare, Blue Diamond, Oster, Coleman, Sharpie, Rubbermaid, Elmer’s, Rawlings, Elmer’s Glue, Ball jars, X-ACTO knives, Crock-Pots, DymoMORE HERE

Sometimes, the best things are not necessarily the most expensive, or easy to find. Such is the case of the Bic Round Stick Grip, a pen that may be one of the best pens ever. Of course, Marcel Bich & Edouard Buffard’s original great pen is the 1950 vintage Cristal,MORE HERE