Introducing the Eagle Diagraph X/R Sticker
In March I began releasing vintage-inspired stickers for select pencils on a monthly basis, and they’ve been a big hit with pencil collectors and sticker fans alike.
However, not all vintage pencils are created equal. Some are more valuable than others, and some are flat out impossible to find.
Every once in a while I come across a large quantity of very hard-to-find pencils in their original boxes. For these, it just seems fitting to treat them special. To give them a little extra attention, if you will. And so today I’m introducing a new sticker series called the X/R — reserved only for choice pencils like the exceptionally rare Eagle Diagraph 817 No.2.
What makes the Diagraph unique
The Diagraph 817 No.2 was made by Eagle Pencil Co. in New York well over 100 years ago, and aside from being a bonafide antique there are a few reasons why this pencil is special. When you pick one up the first thing you’ll notice is the texture. It feels grippy and won’t easily slip out of your hand. It also sports the long ferrule with a left-handed imprint; two qualities that often go hand-in-hand with pencils from the early 1900s.
If you dare to sharpen one, as demonstrated with the Høvel pictured below, you’ll discover a warm red wood which is most likely cedar. But this isn’t your everyday wooden pencil, because trees harvested a century ago were much different from the younger trees used for pencil-making today. The wood in the Diagraph is quite hard, indicating a much older tree (i.e. “old growth”) with tighter grain.
As for its lead, the Diagraph has a mid-range graphite. It’s supposedly a No.2, but I’d place it closer to a No.2.5. The good news with that is, a slightly harder lead means the Diagraph is bound to last longer … because fewer trips to the pencil sharpener as they used to say!
In fact, I’m confident this pencil will be good for at least another 100 years if you wish to pass one down to your great, great … great grand children.
