Pencil Leads
Yard-o-Led, Parker and others:
A selection of leads for most pencils from the 1920s on

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0.9mm

0.9mm Lead

HB or B Grade
only at present
Tube of 24 leads

Suitable for Parker 51, 61, 75 and other models produced from 1945-1970s

£4.00
 


0.7mm 0.7mm Lead
HB Grade
Current Parker Duofold
Tube of 20 leads
£4.00


0.5mm 0.5mm Lead
HB Grade
Current Parker Duofold
Tube of 20 leads
£2.30

Coloured Leads

Blue or Red
Blue or red leads
0.5mm, 0.7mm or 0.9mm

Tube of 20 leads

£4.50

Colour
Diameter

Parker Erasers

Erasers for Parker 51, 61, early 45, Frontier
6mm diameter
Pack of four

£2.99
 

Yard-o-Led
1.18mm
(known as 1.1mm)
1.18mm Lead
Pack of 12 3" leads
Available in H, HB and B grades

Suitable for most pencils produced from 1920s-1940s by fountain pen companies including Parker, Waterman, Sheaffer, Pelikan, Montblanc, Swan Fyne Poynt
£5.90

Select grade

Age and Width - Some General Guidelines

Early pencils (1820s to 1920s) take a wide variety of lead widths, most of which are no longer available. The best source for these leads is antique/collectible fairs where one may be successful in finding the odd pack.  Generally there is no way of knowing which size lead a pencil takes without using a micrometer - please do not phone us to ask as we will not be able to tell you and we will not have any of these leads in stock.

Pencils made by fountain pen manufacturers (such as Parker, Waterman etc) from the 1920s to the late 1940s and sold as part of a set generally take 1.18mm (usually abbreviated to 1.1mm) which is the standard width used by all Yard-o-Led pencils.

From the late 1940s, the standard gradually changed from 1.1mm to 0.9mm.  So Parker 51, 61 and 75 rotary pencils and most other manufacturers' pencils all take 0.9mm.  Clutch pencils frequently use 1.1mm.

Since the 1980s, there has been a tendency for manufacturers to offer thinner leads such as 0.5mm and 0.7mm.

So, taking the Parker Duofold pencil as an example, normal lead widths have changed as follows:

1920s-1940s - 1.1mm
1950s-1960s - 0.9mm
1988-mid 1990s rotary mechanism - 0.9mm
from around 1995 continuous feed mechanism - 0.7mm

Today, the Parker Sonnet, Latitude, Insignia, 45, Frontier, Jotter and Vector all take 0.5mm and only the Duofold and the Vector 3-in-1 take 0.7mm


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