Category Archives: Pencils

“Still occasions arise when a woman must sharpen a lead pencil.”

Posted on November 17, 2018 by

From The American Stationer, 1889. Words would just spoil it, so: (Thrusting? Moistening? Did I pick up the wrong magazine again?)

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Caution! A.W. Faber’s Lead Pencils.

Posted on November 1, 2018 by

The counterfeiting of pencils could be a lucrative trade, especially during the 19th century when laws protecting international trademarks and patents had yet to be written. Such was the case for A.W. Faber, whose growing presence and reputation in the … Continue reading →

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Eberhard Faber’s 1856 Copybook

Posted on October 10, 2018 by

This Francis & Loutrel bookplate is from a letterpress copybook once owned by Johann Eberhard Faber (1822-1879). The book’s pages are very delicate and tissue-thin. There isn’t a great deal of content though, only about 10% of the pages have anything … Continue reading →

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“The grief, the disappointment, yes, the almost abject despair…”

Posted on October 9, 2018 by

One cannot help but feel the pain of Walton Day, who in his 1894 monograph The History of a Lead Pencil (published by the Jos. Dixon Crucible Company), recounts the loss of a single unsharpened pencil during his youth. Not just … Continue reading →

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Lexivikinger

Posted on September 22, 2018 by

Photo: lexikaliker.de Congratulations to Gunther of Lexikaliker and to Viking on the new Verso pencil. From the Viking website (translated through Google): This is quite remarkable. Not only is it a technical achievement on the part of Viking, it’s also an example … Continue reading →

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1917: England, France, and Germany

Posted on September 1, 2018 by

The images posted here are scans of a monograph handwritten by John Eberhard Faber II, titled: The History of the Lead Pencil. Over the course of twelve pages Faber’s version of history begins in ancient Egypt and Assyria, wends through Barrowdale and … Continue reading →

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Eberhard Faber History and The Pencil Museum on Staten Island

Posted on August 13, 2018 by

Photo: New York City Parks Artist Jackie Mock has mounted an installation in Faber Park, Staten Island, which features pencils made by the Eberhard Faber Company. Allison Meier, of Hyperallergic.com, has written a feature about it here. Thanks to Micheal … Continue reading →

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A.W. Faber Taschenstift No. 018

Posted on August 11, 2018 by

This pocket pencil and point protector were made by A.W. Faber-Castell. The point protector is nickel-plated and has a gold-plated tip and slide ring. Close inspection of the tip reveals a small imprint: “A.W. Faber Paris” I’m not certain of … Continue reading →

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Eberhard Faber-Castell (3)

Posted on June 26, 2018 by

Eberhard Faber IV (center) meeting with the board in 1971 (© Fortune). This wasn’t the first time Eberhard Faber Inc. had experienced difficulty. Leading up to 1971, the company had lost money for three consecutive years and had experienced a twelve-week … Continue reading →

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Eberhard Faber-Castell (2)

Posted on May 31, 2018 by

By April of 1987 the assembly plant in Mexico was running at about 50% for pencil production, causing shipments to lag some 24% behind company projections. The top two priorities then for Eberhard Faber Inc. were to bring the Mexican … Continue reading →

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