imprint: “WECLE JAPAN” (on side of pushbutton)

This well made pencil seems to be a reinterpreted broker's pencil. Broker's pencils were fairly common in the early 20th century. They had a very fat lead and usually a decorated barrel of precious metal; an indication that they were not suited for the artists' or draftsman's studio but belonged in a more genteel environment. What the actual use of such pencils was eludes me entirely.

The Argus Broker's Pencil is an unusually austere example.