A 1921 advertisement from Eberhard Faber for a small pencil/pen holder, including a space for their double clamp eraser:
I like that it both “takes up little room” and is “compact” (that one may need to be filed with the Department of Redundancy Department). Also, “being handy and compact” is counted as being a single feature. Nitpicking aside, has anyone come across something like this?
A great item! I haven’t seen something before. Regarding the colour “Mission Grey”: Have Eberhard Faber supplied the US Army? – I like the adjective “dignified” is this context. With all these mobile devices and therefore less work at a desk the latter doesn’t seem to get much acknowledgement in form of such utensils nowadays (the Graf von Faber products seem to be an exception).
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I have a vague recollection that Eberhard Faber supplied pencils to the U.S. as wellas other allied countries during both World Wars. I believe Petroski has some information about it. I recall too that copying pencils were in very high demand since that was the main way of making duplicates of important documents.
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I’ve never seen anything like this. Such a beautiful, modern design.
“Mission grey” appears on this page as a shade of brick. Perhaps the name is related to architecture (Spanish missions in California)?
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In Britain during the war the government snapped up all the stationery supplies it could get its hands on. Civilian supplies were subject to strict manufacturing guidelines similar to the Utility Clothing and Utility Furniture schemes. I remember in the fifties having school text books that were printed on “War Paper”. It was recycled pulped paper with added wood pulp including wood chips, very thin and almost yellow.
Wasn’t the Faber factory sold at auction just after 1918 as part of war reparations – along wiht other property belonging to German nationals?
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Interesting how this item is called a “little hardwood desk”. It looks just a bit like some of my many attempts with cordless drills and drill bits and wood off-cuts to accommodateand display just a few of my many (that’s all I’ll say) pencils.
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Kevin, I am happy to hear that you are a tinkerer too 🙂 Regarding the “desk”: Maybe it is worth to be recreated. – By the way, when I look at it now I wonder why it doesn’t bear Eberhard Faber’s name on the front.
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