PF337 – Nimrodd's Blog

And it Keeps Growing and Growing…

Posted on July 29, 2019 by nimroddfw

Well, as of last week, I had to expand my collection into case #6. Up until my latest purchases of new pencils that came out around the world in June 2019 (11 of them), I could fit my primary collection in 5 cases. The new pencils would have fit in by count (5 cases will hold 240), but I had no way to keep everything grouped together for display, so the new case.

There are currently 232 pencils in the six display cases, along with the 15 custom pencils in the stands below, plus in the Pentel Salesman Sample Case (above the Knight’s head), there are 13 pencils that have alternate labels or something that makes them just slightly different in markings from the ones in the display cases.

Unintentionally, when I was changing the layout of the pencils in these cases, it wound up that Cases 1 & 2 (bottom and middle right) contain only P205 pencils in their various generations and limited colors. Case 3 (top right) contains all of the P203, P207 & P209 pencils, with their size specific limited colors. Case 4 (top left) contains all of the non-P200 pencils (P30xS, P32x, P533, PF33x, PS315, PS523 & P21x). Cases 5 & 6 contain sets that span sizes in P203, P25, P207 & P209. Except for the first 8 (Japan) in case 5, these all came from Brazil.

Again, something I didn’t really want to do, but had to, to keep it organized was to split the P200 for Boys & Girls pencils into 2 cases, but I moved the Brazil ones to Case 5 and left the Japanese ones in Case 2. It just so happened that they lined up on the middle shelf on the bottom row of each case.

Since I started this blog, back in 2017, my display has grown from 3 cases in March 2017, to 4 cases in June 2017 and then to 5 cases in September 2018. Unless Pentel does something super extravagant next year for the 50th anniversary of the P205, I should have room to grow for another year or two (I hope).

Over the next few weeks, I will showcase the new pencils for 2019.

P200 Family, Pentel

Pentel Packaging

Posted on August 12, 2018 by nimroddfw

Over the years, Pentel has packaged their pencils in many different ways. Most everybody is familiar with the different retail packages which we have covered in past blogs:
https://nimrodd.net/2017/09/11/retail-packages-in-the-usa-part-1/
https://nimrodd.net/2017/10/15/retail-packages-in-the-usa-part-2/
https://nimrodd.net/2018/02/12/p205-gilded-collection/

This post will be about other packaging that I have encountered.

P200 for Boys & Girls

These pencils were covered in a previous blog (https://nimrodd.net/2018/03/19/p200-for-boys-girls/). The first of these pencils I received were shipped as individual pencils, and they went straight into my collection. The next set of these pencils I ordered were shipped to me in the package above. The package consists of a molded plastic base for the pencils with a plastic cover with Pentel stamped on it. It is then placed in a Pentel stamped sleeve with a light blue back board and sealed with a strong adhesive strip.

PF337 in Sleeve

I recently (June 2018) purchased this pencil in the protective sleeve. It came with an instruction sheet. This is a standard Generation 4 PF337 for Film that was manufactured between about 1978 and about 1983. The sleeve is a brown vinyl sealed to a shorter clear front. The front is stamped in gold with Pentel and Japan, with nothing on the back. The insert is a generic Pentel Drop-in Load Mechanical Pencil insert. It does not mention the P200 series specifically.

PDS-3 Professional Drafting Set

This is a set of 3 pencils (P203E, P205A & P207C) that was sold as a set under the designation PDS-3. Of the sets in this blog post, this is the only one I have seen in a Pentel catalog. I have a copy of the pencil pages from the 1980 Pentel Catalog, and this one is on page 24.

I picked this up in May 2017, but it did not have the P207C pencil with it. The P203E & P205A pencils are both Generation 4, so I wanted to replace the missing pencil with a Gen 4 P207C. The problem is, this is the one P207C that I do not have in my collection. I do not know if they had too many Generation 3 pencils, so did not make a Gen 4 or why I have never found one, so at the moment, it is still without its mate in my collection.

The vinyl pouch has a flap that covers the pencils when not in use, and it is stamped with the text:
PROFESSIONAL
DRAFTING
PENCILS
P203 P205 P207
0.3mm 0.5mm 0.7mm
ITEM NO. PDS-3
Pentel

I cannot see it in the catalog, but this also came with an insert, which I have scanned below, showing the front and back.

PS315N in case

The newest package in my collection, I have had this about 2 weeks. This is the first version of the PS315 sliding sleeve pencil (Generation 3). According to the page from the German 1975 catalog this pencil was available at that time, and was replaced by the Blue PS315C in about 1978. This pencil has a little bit of damage to the text, probably from the plastic clip holding it in the case.

This case is a hard brown plastic with a white softer plastic clip to hold the pencil in place. It comes with a clear plastic cover that has Pentel molded into the top at the pencil tip end in this picture.

Pentel Presentation Sets

I purchased both of these sets in late 2016 from a dealer in the UK. The first one I received had a PS523D (Gen 4.5), a P207C (Gen 5) and a P209G (Gen 5), along with Super Hi-Polymer HB Lead for each of the 3 sizes. The 0.3mm lead came with 12 pieces, but the 0.7mm & 0.9mm lead both came with 15 pieces. Also included is a ZEH-05 block eraser.

The second set came with a P205A, P207C & P209G, all Gen 5. The included lead for each size all had 15 pieces. Again the ZEH-05 eraser completed the set.

The bottom picture shows the closed case.

Being Generation 5 pencils, these had to have been put together starting in 1983-1984 to 1991-1993.

P200 Family, Pentel

PF330 Series for Film

Posted on November 13, 2017 by nimroddfw

This time I am writing about the PF330 (PF335, PF337 & PF339) series of pencils that Pentel put out for writing on plastic film. These pencils are marked so that they can be identified easily that they contain the specific lead for this use, although they can use standard pencil lead as well.

All of the pencils in this series have the same creme color body, with the text and text color denoting the size (brown/dark red for 0.5mm, blue for 0.7mm and orange for 0.9mm).

PF335 Generation 2

This is one of the two newest PF series that I have received. I got it in June 2017 in a collection of pencils. This is the only PF pencil I have that does not have any text on it, but it does have the molded 0.5m/m on the bottom. All of the PF335 models have a sliding sleeve tip. Because these pencils use a special lead, they do not normally come with an eraser, but rather a black rubber stopper. I received this particular pencil with a standard green eraser instead of the stopper, indicating that it was probably used with standard pencil lead.

I classified this as a Generation 2, but I am not absolutely certain that the text was not removed from the side, since it looks to have been well worn. I know that there were Generation 3 of these pencils, but this is the only one of these I have ever seen.

PF335 Generation 3

Here is a true Generation 3 PF335 with brown text. In this generation, the word FILM is all capitalized in the text, as well as the molded size on the bottom of the pencil. I picked this one up at the beginning of 2017. I can see this version of the pencil on the cover of the German 1975 catalog (at the bottom right), so it goes back that far at least.

PF335 Generation 4

One of the earlier pencils in my collection, from 2012, this Generation 4 pencil with brown text is where Pentel dropped the molded size from the bottom of the pencil.

PF335 Generation 4 (with Red Text)

I received this pencil (and another one) in a batch at the same time as the Generation 2 above. The only difference between it and the Generation 4 above is the color of the text. Even more than the pictures above, when they are sitting side by side there is a very distinct difference in color.

PF335 Generation 5

This pencil was in my dad’s effects when he passed away and I took it for myself. He used regular pencil lead in it at his job, but I have replaced it with the correct Film lead.

Generation 5, as commented about in other posts, was a major changeover in production for the P200 family of pencils. In this case, the most visible exterior change is the common dropping of the “/” in the mm, and on the PF pencils, the word Film is now in upper and lower case.

PF337 Generation 4

I picked up this pencil (as well as the PF339 Gen 4) in 2014. It uses the 0.7mm sliding sleeve for the tip, and does not have a molded size on the bottom. As mentioned at the top, this pencil uses blue ink for the text.

PF337 Generation 4.5

I picked this pencil up in 2012 and for the longest time, I thought that this generation was a distinct generation, not just a hybrid due to changing the manufacturing process and using up older parts (Generation 5 outer body & Generation 4 inner body & cap).

PF337 Generation 5

I picked up this pencil in 2016 and it is a true Generation 5 (as opposed to the Generation 4.5 above). The interior pieces are now all Generation 5 to match the outer body.

PF339 Generation 4

The 0.9mm pencils do not have a sliding sleeve available, so the PF339 pencils use the standard 4mm fixed tip on them, as well as orange ink for the text. Otherwise, this pencil is the same style as the other PF Generation 4 pencils.

PF339 Generation 5

I am not sure when or where I got this pencil, as I have lost the receipt and the information is not in my database. It is the standard Generation 5 with the upper and lower case and no “/”.

P200 Family, Pentel

My Collection

Posted on March 16, 2017April 8, 2017 by nimroddfw

Before I start getting into looking at the specific pencils I have, I decided I would go ahead and show an overview of my current collection. I currently have 3 cases that can each hold up to 48 pencils.

The first case contains most of my P205 collection (it overflows into case 2).

Case 1b — Top – 8 -P205A, 4 – P205D, 1 – P205B, 1 oddball P205A, 4 Marble P205s & 6 – Metallic P205s

Case 1c — Bottom – 4 more Metallics, 1 White, 2 more Metallics, Carbon Fiber, 50th anniversary P205, Metallic Graphite and new Silver P205, 5 Gilded series, 5 Singapore releases and 3 from Brazil

Case two contains the remainder of my P205 collection, as well as the P203s, P207s and P209s.

Case 2b — Top – 5 P200’s for Boys and Girls from Japan, 4 Neon P205s from Switzerland, 4 Retro P205s from Switzerland, 3 P203Es and 1 P203 from Brazil, and lastly 5 P207C variations

Case 2c — Bottom – 1 P207C and an oddball P207C, 7 Metallic P207s and the Metallic Graphite P207, 2 P207s from Brazil, 4 P209Gs, 3 Kirari XP209s from Japan and 2 P209s from Brazil

The last case contains all of the non-P200 series pencils that are based on the same body.

Case 3b — Top – 2 variations each of P215, P217 & P219, 5 Stein P303Ss, 3 P323 variations, 1 P327 and 1 that I was sold as a P327 that has no markings

Case 3c — Bottom – 2 P533s, 3 PF335s, 3 PF337s, 2 PF339s, 5 PS315s and 3 PS523s, none of these are the same variation

I have a few more pencils on order that I hope to receive in the next few weeks.

I will be writing more blog posts about these groups of pencils over the next few months. I hope that you enjoy seeing these as much as I enjoy collecting them.