Images(2)

Pencil, Mechanical

Object number2009.110.1

MediumMetal; Lead

Credit LineGift of Elizabeth L. Verterano and Phyllis A. Cooper

DescriptionMetal lead mechanical pencil.Dimensions0.5 x 5.25 in. (1.3 x 13.3 cm)
InscriptionsBlack and red text on pencil body "KOPPERS [inside octagon] / KOPPERS COMPANY, INC. / Tar Products Division".
MarksEngraved on pencil's clip, "Ritepoint".
Historical NotesKoppers Company, Inc. mechanical pencil. The donor's father worked for the tar and chemical division of Koppers. Object obtained to enhance collection on Koppers Company, Inc. The Koppers Company was founded by Dr. Heinrich Koppers, a young German engineer, who had developed a new type of coke oven that could economically recover the byproduct chemicals of the coking process. American steel producers brought Dr. Koppers to the U.S. to build his ovens. The first ovens were completed in 1907 in Joliet, Illinois, and the H. Koppers Company was incorporated in Chicago in March 1912. In 1914, these American investors purchased the majority interest in the company from Dr. Koppers and established the headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA, then the world capital of steel making. (Edited from Source: www.Koppers.com)

Related institution Koppers Company, Inc. (founded 1907)

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