Yard-O-Led
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Yard-O-Led Pencil Company is a manufacturing company founded in London, England in 1934.
| |
Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Writing implements |
| Founded | 1934 [1] |
| Founder | Ludwig Brenner [1] |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Tim Tufnell (Honorary President) |
| Products | Fountain and ballpoint pens, mechanical pencils |
| Parent | Filofax Group (1988–2015) |
| Website | yard-o-led.com |
History
It was founded by German immigrant Ludwig Brenner[1] to produce his patented propelling pencils which contained twelve three inch leads (that is to say, 36 inches or a yard of lead). Originally based in Premier House, 12-13 Hatton Garden, London, the company relocated in the late 1940s to 1 Great Cumberland Place, London.
After World War II, the company merged with Sampson Mordan Ltd whose founder had patented the first mechanical pencil in 1822. They built a new factory in Birmingham and acquired Edward Baker Ltd, another pencil maker.[2]
In 1988, the company was acquired by Filofax Group,[3] which owned it until 2015, when it was re-established as "Imperial Yard Ltd".
Yard-O-Led continues to produce fountain and ballpoint pens as well as mechanical pencils, most of which are made from hallmarked sterling silver.
