Vintage Ruggles and Rademaker Salt Co. Advertising Pencil (manufactured by Wallace Pencil Co.), c. 1942-1945

A rare wartime promotional pencil from Wallace Pencil Co., custom-commissioned by the Ruggles and Rademaker Salt Company during World War II. The orange and green barrel mirrors the iconic branding of this legendary Manistee, Michigan salt producer, which operated the world's largest and most modern salt plant when built in 1922. The green plastic ferrule is the definitive dating marker—a direct result of the 1942 U.S. War Production Board metal ban that forced American pencil manufacturers to abandon brass and copper-nickel for critical military supplies. Wallace switched entirely to molded plastic ferrules during this period, reverting to metal immediately after 1945. Though Ruggles and Rademaker was acquired by Morton Salt in December 1930 following a legendary partnership feud, Morton continued using the regional brand name and distinctive packaging well into the 1940s before full absorption into standard Morton branding. This pencil captures that transitional moment—a tangible artifact of Depression-era industrial history and wartime American manufacturing innovation.