A love letter to Victorian Pencil pendants.
Once upon a time in the Victorian era, pencil pendants were rendered in gold, embossed and designed to propel and expand. They continued to gain popularity, especially in the Art Deco era, and were often designed to hang from a watch chain or in earlier times, a chatelaine. Here, the precious golden pencil would live alongside scissors, sewing tools, and scent bottles on a beautiful chain.
Victorian expanding golden pencils (we just picked up one at Brimfield) were pioneered by Sampson Mordan and co-inventor John Isaac Hawkins, who secured the first British patent for the mechanical metal propelling pencil mechanism in December 1822. They usually were made of gold filled metal, sterling or brass, or sometimes solid gold.
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The Victorian Expanding Magic Pencil craze reached its height from the 1870s to the early 1900s, when these pencils were produced for the masses. In ads, around the 1870s, they were sometimes dubbed “Victorian Magic Pencils”. Later on, when the Victorian Revival aesthetic hit, they continued to be made but in much lower quantities. Many of the pencils were made in New York City, with others created in England, France, and Germany.
Most interesting about this humble item is the fact that it combines form and function through jewelry. It’s wearable, yes, but one could also use it to write at the height of Victorian fashion. Some of them do look like pencils, but the best ones don’t. Think: metal eggs, guns, horses and snakes, all with a telescopic pencil inside. The best Victorian Pencil Pendants are totally ornate: embossed, covered in gems, enamel, delicately designed so that from afar, they appear as a chunky piece of jewelry rather than a hanging pencil. Some of the smaller ones that actually do resemble pencils (cast in gold) are also very cute; a great personal choice for a writer or even a teacher. The expansion mechanism is key: you see a chunky, cylindrical pendant that looks nothing like a long, typical pencil until it’s fully opened.
If you’re lucky – you can find a true antique gold filled expanding pencil pendant in the $100 – $200 range. Shop some of our favorites below.
1. Top left (hero) — Victorian Ruby & Diamond Snake Propelling Pencil — price $3,200.93
2. Top right — Rare Antique Gold Flintlock Pistol Charm — 9k Mechanical English Figural Pencil — $1,075.00 (pair)
3. Right, lower — Fantastic Unusual Egg Antique Victorian Pencil Pendant — price $206.28
4. Bottom right — Antique Victorian Sterling Repoussé Pencil Pendant, 24″ Chain Necklace — price $695
5. Bottom center — Victorian Era Sterling Silver Horse / Hidden Pencil Pendant, Mabie, Todd & Co. — price $1,150.00
6. Bottom left — Antique Victorian Lion & Snake Gold Filled Pencil Pendant — price $182.04
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