HOUSE OF GRAPHITE

The Venus Velvet 3557 was the flagship writing pencil of the American (Lead) Pencil Company in the USA: a hexagonal, cedar-cased pencil finished in yellow ("cheddar-cheese") lacquer with a trademark blue band on its eraser ferrule. It was sold in five numbered graphite grades — No. 1 (Soft), No. 2 (Medium Soft), No. 2 2/3 (All Purpose), No. 3 (Hard) and No. 4 (Very Hard) — with a firm, clean core that reviewers describe as writing close to a modern #2/HB. The line is long discontinued; Venus passed through Berol, Faber-Castell USA and ultimately Sanford/Papermate, and the 3557 (whose Canadian counterpart was numbered 6557 and used lettered grades such as HB and 4H) is now a vintage collectible. This specimen: Velvet 3557 in grade No. 3 (Hard).

No. 1 (Soft) No. 2 (Medium Soft) No. 2 2/3 (All Purpose) No. 4 (Very Hard)