Vintage Colored Pencils: Canada-Made Berol Prismacolors

 

Canadian Berol Prismacolors came in this red box with the lovely,
delicate drawing of pencils.

A few years ago when I wrote a post comparing USA- and Canada-made Prismacolors, I mentioned that I had acquired a mint Berol set marked “made in Canada” on the sealed box, but when I opened it, I found that all but one pencil were made in the USA. Though disappointing, it wasn’t surprising, since the inventory of pencils was likely mixed during the transition from Canadian to US production.

Since then, I had kept one eye on eBay listings to find a set of Canada-made Prismacolors that included pencils made in Canada – not just a box that said so. And this time, I knew better: I looked for a set that wasn’t sealed so that images would show the imprint on the pencils.

It took a while, but I finally spotted a set of 24 within a reasonable price range. Although I wasn’t necessarily looking for an unused set, this one happens to be – and every pencil is made in Canada.

Back of box

"Made in Canada" on the box

Most of what I have to say about Canada-made Prismacolors was in that previous post, so I don’t have anything new to add here except to say that it’s always satisfying to check off an item on my hunting list. (I have one more set of Prismacolors with an interesting hunting story that I’ll blog about eventually.)

By the way, if you’ve been wanting a set of vintage Prismacolors but have been discouraged by the over-inflated prices, that tide may be turning. Just lately, I’ve seen a number of good sets sell on eBay for prices I used to see several years ago. I’m done (yes, I am done! I do not need more Prismacolors! I don’t!), but this might be a good time to shop.

"Canada" on every pencil

Just eye candy.