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Autopoint Pencils 1981, Autopoint Inc., Robert L. Bolin Depositor

Autopoint Pencils Trade Catalogs

The Autopoint Company was founded in Chicago around 1920 and grew dramatically in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. It pioneered use of Bakelite and other plastics to create mechanical pencils. It specialized in production of advertising pencils. By the 1960s, Autopoint had a sales force spread across the country, a large array of products, a factory in Chicago, and a corporate apparatus. It produced tens of thousands of pens a year.

Although Autopoint had had a number of corporate owners, it had operated as a free-standing company until the 1960s. In the late 1960s, new corporate owners dismantled the corporate …

Autopoint Imprinted Chart Availability Catalog [C.1981], Autopoint Inc., Robert L. Bolin Depositor

Autopoint Pencils Trade Catalogs

Around 1980, businessmen in Janesville, WI, bought Autopoint from Papermate and established Autopoint Janesville as a small business with a few employees and small-scale manufacturing and sales operations. In 1981, the new Autopoint company issued a new catalog to advertise itself to the world.

This catalog was apparently issued to accompany the 1981 catalog. Autopoint has sold advertising pencils for many years. One way advertisers have increased the value of their pencils by imprinting them with calendars and useful charts and tables. This catalog lists charts and tables that are available for printing on pencils.

Although it is not dated, …

Autopoint 1982, Autopoint Janesville, Robert L. Bolin Depositor

Autopoint Pencils Trade Catalogs

Around 1980, businessmen in Janesville, WI, bought Autopoint from Gillette which had been manufacturing Autopoint pencils for about 10 years. They established Autopoint Janesville as a small business with few employees and a small-scale manufacturing and sales operations. In 1981, the new Autopoint company issued a catalog to advertise itself to the world

This is the second catalog issued by the new Autopoint Janesville company. It is accompanied with a Special Order Form and a cover letter signed by David Griffiths, the president.

Interestingly, Autopoint had resumed using product names in addition to Model numbers for its pencils. The “Twin …

Autopoint 1976 Catalog, Autopoint, Inc., Robert L. Bolin Depositor

Autopoint Pencils Trade Catalogs

The Autopoint company was founded around 1920 in Chicago. The founders pioneered using molded plastic to make mechanical pencils. In the mid1920s, the Bakelite Corporation took over ownership of Autopoint. Over the next 40 years Autopoint had several different corporate owners, but it continued to operate as a stand-alone company with its own officers, employees, manufacturing plant, sales force, etc. Around 1970, the situation changed radically, Gillette bought Autopoint and integrated it with it’s Paper Mate division. Manufacture and management was transferred to Paper Mate facilities and personnel.

This is a catalog issued during the period of ownership by Gillette. …

Autopoint Business Aids Catalog 1966, Autopoint, A Division Of The Cory Corporation, Robert L. Bolin Depositor

Autopoint Pencils Trade Catalogs

The Autopoint company was founded around 1920 in Chicago. The founders pioneered using molded plastic to make mechanical pencils. In the mid1920s, the Bakelite Corporation took over ownership of Autopoint. Over the next 50 years Autopoint had several different corporate owners, but it continued to operate as a stand-alone company with its own officers, employees, manufacturing plant, sales force, etc.

By 1966 Autopoint had developed an extensive product line of pencils, ball-point pens, desk top accessories, and specialty advertising products like cigarette lighters and pocket knives. They got much of their business as a job shop manufacturing personalized pencils, pens, …

Autopoint Mechanical Pencil Brochure (1936), Autopoint Company, Chicago, Illinois, Robert Bolin , Depositor

Autopoint Pencils Trade Catalogs

This is a single page tri-fold, color brochure with an accompanying sales letter.

The brochure shows major Autopoint products -- a mechanical pencil the size of conventional pencils and an extra large mechanical pencil about twice as large as conventional pencils. Interestingly the brochure shows a picture of a pencil with a Bakelite tip like the modern Autopoint pencils, but with a metal cap over the eraser like Autopoint pencils from the 1920s. The brochure stresses that the price per item drops sharply for large orders. It shows pictures of four variations of pencils and gives prices for five variations. …