I was reading on Wikipedia about pencils (...cause I'm cool you know) and came upon a "Stenographer's Pencil"
Stenographer's pencil
also known as steno pencil. These pencils are expected to be very reliable, and their lead is break proof. Nevertheless sometimes steno pencils are sharpened at both ends to enhance reliability. They are round to avoid pressure pain during long texts. [44]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pencil
That sounds like a collectors item but I imagine they are very similar to normal pencils in reality. Still. it'd be interesting if there was ever a Gregg Approved Stenographers Pencil with a little shorthand etching on it.
BTW - Two trivia questions
1. Did early pencils use lead?
2 How do they get the "lead" into the wood?
Labels: general