A Mysterious Find

Today at the VdeP I was browsing in the pencils-and-crayons bins, hoping to find some quality coloured pencils (sometimes they slip a good Derwent or Staedtler aqaurelle or two into thos little plastic pouches, together with bales of the Crayola and Laurentian crummy ones). And I found a package containing NINE unsharpened pencils with a magenta barrel, labeled:

"MADE IN CANADA - DIXON - ETERNO - INDELIBLE COPYING - 2075"

What are these? Why, they're hectography* pencils of course! I have been looking everywhere for these, bothering every tattoo shop in town for any stubs they have left over but none of them will admit to using them, or even knowing what they are (they are used in henna work (mehndi) and making skin transfers, but I want them to do some printmaking!).

I looked up the Dixon-Ticonderoga company online and of course there is nothing like that in their online catalogue. I left them an email asking just how old these pencils are and if there is any way I can find some more of them somewhere out there.

Oh yeah, and the package of pencils (including five ordinary HB ones) was 75 cents.

[EDIT: The Dixon Company informed me this morning that they have not manufactured these pencils for at least seven years, and they have no substitute product in their catalogue. So it goes.]


*about hectography: http://english.boisestate.edu/ttrusky/hecto.html