Offered for your consideration is a vintage Autopoint no. 48 Executive spiraling .046” (1.1mm) lead pencil, USA-manufactured c.1960. The 48/148 Executive was introduced in the late 1930’s, with only minor changes over the years, and was one of Autopoint’s best sellers.
This pencil has a 10-panel barrel crafted from sturdy plastic in dark burgundy with black finger section and chrome-plated steel clip, trim ring, and writing cone topped with their “diamond cut” black plastic eraser cap.
It bears a promotion for the Frank G. Hough Co. Hough (pronounced “Huff”) was famous for introducing the Payloader, a large rubber-wheeled tractor with shovel-bucket in 1939. International Harvester took notice and became involved, bought the company c.1952, and dissolved Hough into a division of IH by 1966. With over 3000 employees in its heyday, Hough was the largest employer that Libertyville, a suburb of Chicago, ever had I’m fairly certain.
So, please see my large photos and read the remaining description to decide if this scarce Autopoint pencil should be yours.
This Autopoint Executive pencil is in clean, good condition. It measures a full 5⅞” long by a hand-filling 7/16” thick. There are no cracks or noteworthy scratches, just one barrel blemish by the clip and some typical usage marks throughout from the years. Plus, the metal parts are free of undue oxidation and the clip rests firmly against the barrel with no gap. Also, the Hough imprint is in great shape with no enamel loss noted. Overall, this old Autopoint pencil presents very nicely.
Most importantly, the pencil works perfectly. It uses .046” (1.1mm) lead in its simple and dependable spiral mechanism. Rotation of the writing cone extends the lead and retraction, when needed, is accomplished by manual upward push. Plus, I’ve added an unused Autopoint eraser to replace the worn original. And, there’s a good supply of leads underneath the eraser cradle as typical. Lastly, this vintage Autopoint pencil is well-balanced with ample mass and feels great on paper, especially with the large, soft lead of yesteryear that many of us still prefer!
As pictured and described, this Autopoint Executive pencil promoting the venerable Hough Payloader is offered at a competitive price.
I encourage interested parties to ask any questions they may have about this listing before committing to purchase. Payment is due at checkout by PayPal or other accepted methods. U.S. mailing addresses will pay $4.45 for very carefully packed shipping via U.S. Postal Service with tracking and delivery confirmation. International purchases accepted only from those who are able to pay with PayPal, including shipping by U.S. Postal Service Global First Class Parcel Air Mail. Thanks for looking!
