Life-Long was originally a Mentmore trading style which was taken over by Conway Stewart, as sole agents, in 1933. The pencils were then produced by BCM/Life-Long, as a Conway Stewart associated company.
This is a fine example of a Junior Cubic model pencil, probably from the 1940s. It is a small pencil but has a telescopic action which extends it from 10 cm. to a full sized 12.5 cm. The original tassel is still in place but this can, of course, be easilly removed.
In excellent, ding free condition throughout, the pencil is constructed in rolled Gold with an engine turned finish. The end cap is clearly stamped:
' Life-Long Rolled Gold. '
The lead is extended and retracted by a smooth twist mechanism operated by turning the end cap. The instructions indicate that this can be removed but it is quite stiff and I'm reluctant to use force with older items, particularly as it doesn't have any effect on the use of the pencil.
The pencil is presented in its original box along with an instruction leaflet. The box has age marks on the lid but the interior is and instructions are in very good, clean condition. The instructions identify the pencil as a 'Junior Cubic model.
Mechanical pencils have seen an upsurge in popularity recently wiith new models ranging from a few pounds to over twoo hundred. The vast majority of these use a simple and cheap to make 'click action' continuous feed mechanism which depends upon plastic 'catches'. The original rotary mechanism, as in this pencil, is much more robust and is only found towards the top of the price spectrum.