The Eversharp 64 was named – and priced – after the $64 Question, a popular game show feature back when $64 was a million dollars. Their marketing department seemed to know what it was doing. A Time feature back in 1946 says Eversharp sold $32 million worth of the 64 pen and pencil sets in two years.
Both pen and pencil have 14K gold caps, which are hallmarked as such. They had many color and shape variations through their lifetime. I recently got a black Skyline version in a deep maroon velvet-covered presentation box.
I love the way “Sixty Four” is in quotes.
In 1946 a tie cost $1.50 and most pens, even premium ones, were below $10. Were people so relieved to be rid of war that buying a pen and pencil set worth three good ladies’ suits seemed reasonable?
Or was it justified value? Fresh from uncertainty, people could have gravitated towards objects with value regardless of which government was printing currency.
The pencil advances lead through a simple twist mechanism. The pen has a fine-medium semi-flexible nib and fills by lever. All in all, quite standard issue save for the cap bling.
I inked the pen with Sailor Amber Arima, as its hints of gold were appropriate.
