Bernard Lassimonne — The Inventor of the Pencil Sharpening Machine (1828)

In 1828, French mathematician Bernard Lassimonne (or Lassimone) from Limoges, France, received the first known patent for a pencil sharpener.

His invention used small metal files mounted in a wooden block, allowing a pencil to be shaped evenly into a perfect cone.

This marked the first time a pencil was sharpened with a purpose-built mechanical device rather than a knife.

Binant — The First Manufacturer of Lassimonne’s Sharpening Machine

Shortly after Lassimonne’s patent, Parisian merchant Claude François Bruno Binant, known for selling artists’ materials, began manufacturing and selling Lassimonne’s sharpeners. Working in Paris, Binant filed his own patent in 1829, likely for an improved or modified version of Lassimonne’s device. His sharpeners soon appeared in Parisian trade catalogs.

The device was actually produced, and one surviving example is known.

First construction by C. A. Boucher

A few years before Lassimonne, a military officer in Paris named C. A. Boucher had designed a sharpening device but never applied for a patent. Boucher’s design seems to have been motivated by the needs of fine mechanical work (for pantograph use), and civilian applications were very unlikely.

The Styloxynon Pencil Sharpener

In 1833 this sharpener was patented in England by Cooper & Eckstein.
The Styloxynon consisted of two sharp metal files arranged at right angles inside a small block, allowing the pencil to be evenly shaped into a point when rotated by hand.

In 1851, Benoît-Théodore Warée patented new sharpeners that improved cutting precision. His invention was exhibited at an industrial fair in Paris, establishing Warée as both inventor and manufacturer.

If you want to read more details, please have a look at this website about the early history of pencil sharpeners (in English) or divided into to periods up to 1832 and from 1833 to 1850 (in German).

Walter K. Foster – Inventor of the Handheld pencil Sharpener and the first mass producer worldwide

In the 1850s, American entrepreneur Walter K. Foster from Bangor, Maine (USA), invented small handheld pencil sharpeners. He used cast metal parts and replaceable blades, which made the devices inexpensive to produce and allowed for the first mass production of pencil sharpeners.
Foster’s sharpeners quickly became a sensation. They were sold throughout the United States and exported to Europe by 1857. His design became known as the “American Pencil Sharpener.”
If you want to read more details, please have a look at this website about the history of such pencil sharpeners (in German).

Developments in the United States after 1880

By the 1880s–1900s, the market featured robust, crank-driven, or gear-based sharpeners designed for offices and workshops rather than personal pocket use. These were heavier, more durable machines equipped with multiple holes, gears, and replaceable cutters.

Examples produced in the U.S. included models such as the Perfect Pencil Pointer by Goodell, the GEM by Gould & Cook, and the Planetary by the A. B. Dick Company.

The Rise of the Automatic Pencil Sharpener Company (APSCO)

Founded in Chicago (USA) in the early 1900s, the Automatic Pencil Sharpener Company (APSCO) became synonymous with high-quality mechanical sharpeners.

Its first model, the U.S. Automatic, introduced the innovative rotating star-knife system.

Not long after, APSCO and other U.S. manufacturers shifted from blade-based mechanisms to cylindrical milling cutters. Over time, APSCO launched a range of models with names such as Climax, Dexter, Wizard, and Junior. By the mid-20th century, APSCO had become one of the largest producers of desktop pencil-sharpening machines worldwide.

European Sharpening Machines
In 1896, the Jupiter sharpening machine was patented in Germany. Manufactured by Guhl & Harbeck in Hamburg, it was one of the first rotating-disc sharpening machines. The Jupiter was also exported to the United States and became a successful mechanical sharpener.

In 1908, Emil Grantzow from Dresden (Saxony) developed the Avanti sharpening machine in Germany — a model very similar to the U.S. Automatic, but with an elegant Art Nouveau-inspired design.

If you want to read more details about the Avanti and many similar pencil sharpener models, please have a look at this website about the Avanti pencil sharpener. There, you will also find more information about related machines and a lot of others (in German).

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Here are information about pencil sharpener history up to 1850!

As German version you can read about the history of the following pencil sharpeners:

Avanti, Simplicia / Clou / Iduna, Jowei, Ergo / Ergo Extra, Optimax, Fram, Stern, Constanta, Potz-Blitz, Oryx und Quail.

Pencil sharpener - Bleistiftspitzer - Taille-Crayon - Pencil pointer - Bleistiftspitzmaschine - Sacapuntas -  Temperamatite - Apara-lápis - Puntenslijper -

Apontador - Slip - Spisser - Blyantspidser - Affilacoltelli - Blyertsspetsare - Pennvässare - ξύστρα -  Temperówka - Ořezávátko - Strúhadlo - Ostra - Ascuțitoare - точило -

Oстрилка - シャープナー- מְחַדֵד