The Spider Pencil
The Spider was known for branding his victims using a seal he kept in the base of a specially built cigarette lighter. That is until he briefly switched over to a pencil contraption with the May 1941 issue. Surprise, surprise! Two months later the magazine began offering readers a Spider Pencil for 25¢. This switcheroo was a definite relief for parents, seeing as their childrens' rooms were overstuffed with flammable pulp paper.
The Spider Pencil, a celluloid mechanical pencil with rubber eraser of The Spider seal, was produced in very limited quantity. Pencils were made as they were ordered, so there are no remainders—no "warehouse finds" as with other character premiums—and today, the pencil is rarer than the coveted Spider Ring. In March 1942, the pencil was discontinued due to "defense priorities," marking the end of The Spider Magazine's second and last premium.
GOOD $600 | FINE $1600 | NEAR MINT $2800 (Hake's)
Photos from Hake's Guide to Character Toys, 2nd Edition
The Spider TM & © Argosy Communications, Inc.