This is a very unusual Wahl Eversharp pencil - it is the daintiest size they made - more slender than the "Midget" which was introduced in the early 1920s - and sometimes called a "Baby" Wahl. It was not made for long - c. 1925 - 1928, and it was phased out as the vogue for gentlemen's vest pocket pencils passed around 1930. The pencil is unusual due to it being with its original "Baby" Midget Miniature box - which is collectible in its own right. Fitted with vintage leads, fully working and with spare Eversharp leads - this is a beauty for the Wahl collector.
This pencil, being the "Baby" size (or "Midget Miniature") is only 3¼" long, but unlike the similarly short Midget pencil, it is much more slender and has capacity for only 4 spare leads in its mechanism (vs 6 in the Midget, and 12 in any full size Eversharp). This pencil contains those 4 vintage Wahl leads, and is also fitted with its original (hardened) eraser. You can see, as you open the pencil up, that all the engineering and design (and thus, the tooling for production) was uniquely sized for this pencil - it is not surprising it did not last long. The lead propel-mechanism harks back to the pre-1924 redesign, but is quite literally miniature, and not a shorter version of that mechanism. The eraser bushing, likewise, is a unique diameter - as is the cap. Nothing about this pencil is streamlined with the production of any other Wahl pencils of the day - and so, much like the short-lived "Stick Thin" pencil, it did not endure.
This pencil is the smooth gold filled design, and I have been unable to find a code for it in any of the Wahl catalogues of the day (see photo of page 13 showing a Midget Miniature in the 1925 catalogue). This Baby pencil is in very good condition - the gold fill is entire all over, and whilst the smooth finish shows up marks and damage most starkly of all the designs, this pencil is in generally good and clean condition. There are two small dimples to the barrel, which I have shown in photos and on the video. There are some small scratches to the lead cone - see photos. The lead propel mechanism is working perfectly, and the cap pulls off to reveal the original hardened eraser. That eraser unscrews to access the lead storage.
The barrel top is stamped "EVERSHARP GOLD FILLED MADE IN CANADA".
The box is a paper-covered wooden case, lined with silk, and gold-printed "EVERSHARP Pens Pencils" to the inside of the lid. It is in overall excellent condition. The hinge is entire and working (paper and silk). The fitted pencil bed is silk-covered, and removes to access the instructions. I have included non-original instructions from the time, although they refer to the new post-1924 mechanism, the operation for this pencil is the same. A canister of vintage Wahl Eversharp leads are also included.
I have photographed this "Baby" pencil next to a full-size Wahl Eversharp, a standard ring-top Eversharp and a Midget - this "Baby" Midget Miniature is at the bottom of these group photographs. You can see that the Baby is a tiny bit longer than the Midget - but much less plump in the girth. And this Baby is very slender compared with the full-size pencil. None of these additional pencils form part of this sale, they are for scale only.
Dimensions (all approximate):
Length: 3¼" / 8.2cm
Width: 0.26" / 0.65cm
Weight: 8.4g
Lead size: 1.18mm (0.046") - available online (not Wahl brand) from eg Yard o Led.
I will send this rare Midget Miniature "Baby" bundle very protected under tracked Royal Mail delivery in the UK. Please note if you are buying from outside the UK, this pencil will be delivered by the eBay Global Shipping Programme and it will take around 10 days to get to your door.