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Company type | Private |
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Industry | Writing implements |
Founded | 1934[1] |
Founder | Ludwig Brenner [1] |
Headquarters | , |
Key people | Tim Tufnell (Honorary President) |
Products | Fountain and ballpoint pens, mechanical pencils |
Parent | Filofax Group (1988–2015) |
Website | yard-o-led.com |
The Yard-O-Led Pencil Company is a manufacturing company founded in London, England in 1934.
It was founded by German immigrant Ludwig Brenner [1] to produce his patented propelling pencils which contained twelve three inch leads (that is to say, 36 inches or a yard of lead). Originally based in Premier House, 12-13 Hatton Garden, London, the company relocated in the late 1940s to 1 Great Cumberland Place, London.
After World War II, the company merged with Sampson Mordan Ltd whose founder had patented the first mechanical pencil in 1822. They built a new factory in Birmingham and acquired Edward Baker Ltd, another pencil maker. [2]
In 1988, the company was acquired by Filofax Group, [3] which owned it until 2015, when it was re-established as "Imperial Yard Ltd".
Yard-O-Led continues to produce fountain and ballpoint pens as well as mechanical pencils, most of which are made from hallmarked sterling silver.