Founded in 1893, Blaisdell Pencil Co. was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and had a short stint in England, too. Founder Frederick Blaisdell was granted a U.S. patent in 1895 for the shelf-sharpening paper-pencil. Until about 1946, Blaisdell was the sole manufacturer of a pencil with a string sharpening feature. The company became a subsidiary of Eagle Pencil Company around the 1930s, and eventually merged with Berol.