A PIECE OF JEWISH HISTORY OR JUST A PENCIL?
This piece, along with a gold pencil and a painting, was acquired quite a few years ago from an elderly widow, who said it had belonged to her father, who was "the editor for the first Yiddish newspaper in New York." A pencil with 1/4 inch diameter lead or grease stick would have limited uses, such as marking up large areas of lithographic stone or plate for printer's changes.
The piece is steel, well-used, and inscribed "Trade Bank and Trust Company."
Research, including contacting the National Yiddish Bookcenter in New York, could not put a name to the initials, I. F. We would love to know more about this piece and the related objects. If you have any information, please contact me, Susan, at Fantasia Antiques.