Rotary phones were a typical home appliance up until the 1970's when push button tone dialing was introduced. Rotary phones were gradually phased out through the 1980's.  For people who made lots of phone calls using a rotary phone, the "handy telephone dial top" on the end of a pen or pencil was a welcome tool.

It can sometimes be difficult to accurately date a pencil. The pencil below is an exception as it has the date "June 18" printed right on it. It is an promotional pencil for the 1962 campaign of George Nowlan who won the Digby-Annapolis-King riding of Nova Scotia for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in the federal election held on June 18, 1962.

Here are the top five pencils in my collection of vintage Canadian made pencils. Why are they my  favourites? They are beautiful to look at, are noteworthy or have some historical significance, and write wonderfully.

The Maritimer 1758 was manufactured by Eberhard Faber. Living in the Maritimes, Canada's eastern provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island (PEI), gives this pencil special meaning. This pencil's number, 1758 signifies the year that representative government was established in Canada. It came in several colours but this glossy red is my favourite.

The Dixon Chancellor was one of the few pencils made with graphite sourced from Canada. 

The Venus Velvet is not especially rare but it an exceptional pencil to write with. The Canadian version of the pencil has the number 6557 while the US version bears the number 3557.

This is a beautifully designed pencil with red on one side and blue on the other. Great for editing work.

Advertisements for the Sovereign in the 1940's had the tagline "A fine British name for a fine Canadian pencil." ​