Pencil, Lindbergh, King Collection

A gold unsharpened pencil with two thin red bands around the body of the pencil. Between the two bands is a red image of the Spirit of St. Louis with the text "New York to Paris" next to the airplane is a black oval with a black drawing of Charles Lindbergh and the text "Plucky Lindy" also in black.

On May 20-21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh literally flew into history when he crossed the Atlantic Ocean in his Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis, thus becoming the first pilot to fly solo and nonstop from New York to Paris. This flight made Lindbergh a household name and catapulted him into fame and celebrity. The objects of popular culture in the National Collection display everything from ashtrays to wristwatches reflect the public adulation for Lindbergh and the powerful commercial response to his celebrity. More than 75 years after the Spirit's historic flight, Lindbergh's name still has the power help sell manufactured goods.