The original packaging of the Grade Prix pencil from the late 1970s to early 1980s featured a Formula One race car on the front. Note that the car on the package from 1979 has the number 12 on the front, the same as Gilles Villeneuve's car number from that season. Villeneuve later drove a Ferrari with the number 27 on it but packages from the early 1980s have the more generic number 10 (perhaps a copyright issue?).
The first Grand Prix pencils were all painted yellow with green printing.  Berol Grand Prix with no logo.  Berol Grand Prix with the rectangle logo.  Berol Grand Prix with striped ferule. The 1990s saw the disappearance of the Formula One car from the packaging. The car was replaced with more colorful designs typical of the decade. In addition to new packaging, there were also new colors introduced including the "fashion" colors and "neon" colors with a black ferrule and black eraser (these happen to be my son's favorite pencils). I've also seen photos of a "natural" unpainted version of this pencil.
  Berol Grand Prix "neon" pencil colors. After the Berol factory closed in 1992, Grand Prix pencils continued to be manufactured in the US for sale in Canada. This was short lived however and these pencils are no longer made.  Post-1992 American made Grand Prix pencils with both HB and 2 markings.
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What better way to celebrate Canada Day than with some Canadian flag pencils! The Canadian national flag was adopted in 1965. There were several commemorative pencils made for this occasion including the one below from Venus Canada.  Venus Canada 65 HB The vintage pencil below features the Canadian flag on one side and text on the other. The manufacturer is not identified but I have several Dixon pencils with a similar ferule.   Canada's National Flag / Drapeau du Canada This isn't a stamp blog but I find there are a lot of common themes between pencil and stamp collecting. The year 1965 saw the issue of a commemorative stamp to mark the adoption of the new national flag. The cachet contains the date of inauguration of February 15th, 1965.  Canada 1965 New Flag #439 plate block of four FDC Rosecraft cachet |
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