Venus was a trading style of the American Pencil Company, founded in 1860.  About a hundred years later, in 1956, the name was resurrected as the company was renamed the 'Venus Pencil Company'.

The style of the pencil, and that of the box, suggest it was made around the turn of the century, perhaps earlier.  The 1920s Venus Everpoint pencil is much less elaborate and does not have a stone set finial.  The cut out of the box exactly matches the contour of the pencil.

The rolled Gold is in excellent condition and the pencil mechanism, a rotary extend and manual retract works well by twisting the nozzle.  The gemstone, set firmly innto the finial, is in superb condition, it is probably an amethyst.

The pencil can be removed and reversed to convert to a dip pen, the nib is much younger than the pen, but is the correct fit.

The length of the pencil is 10.4 cm., 12.2 cm. when converted to a dip pen.

The box is in very sound, clean condition with only light pencil marks where the pencil has been stored with the lead extended.  It has a push button catch release which is in perfect working order and the hinges are sound.

The main thrust of the company's very early efforts was the traditional wood snd lead pencil with only a brief sojourn into the manufacture of mechanical pencils, this is a rare item.