Graf von Faber-Castell: 25 Years of the Perfect Pencil

Graf von Faber-Castell is celebrating 25 years of their Perfect Pencil line with a limited edition, restricted to 750 pieces. There have been many iterations of the Perfect Pencil, many of which you can read about at PencilTalk, but here are a few selections from the catalogs over the years. The dates of the catalogs do not necessarily coincide with the first year each item was offered.

The Graf von Faber-Castell range of writing instruments was launched in 1993. Before there was the “Perfect Pencil” with integrated sharpener, there was this pencil cap/extender atop a pocket pencil. This example is from the 1997 catalog:

Before an eraser was offered on the pencil itself, the lengthener had a removable cap with an eraser underneath:

By 1999 there was a silver-plated Perfect Pencil, with a built-in sharpener and a two-part form factor. However, this product was still being referred to as a verlängerer rather than as the Perfect Pencil. The sharpener, originally made of plastic, could be removed and replaced. The eraser cap was originally unthreaded, then the pocket pencils would eventually be offered with a threaded cap:

In 2001, celebrating the company’s 240th anniversary, two special editions of the Perfect Pencil were issued in limited numbers: one in white gold, and another in stainless steel. Both editions have 3 diamonds in the cap:

This is from the 2006 catalog. Though still offered with a plastic sharpener, the extender would eventually be plated in platinum. A version made of sterling silver was also made available.

This is from the 2008 catalog. The desktop pencil case, which originally came with a small hand-held sharpener, would be pared down to a platinum-plated Perfect Pencil along with 4 replacement pencils with erasers:

2016 would see the inclusion of a magnum Perfect Pencil. The line would be further expanded with models in black and rose gold.

The line of replacement pocket pencils was also expanded by including textured surfaces in a variety of colors.

Like I mentioned before, this is not a comprehensive list of every Perfect Pencil in the Graf von Faber-Castell range; what began as a revival of a classic pocket-pencil design has grown to a large and diverse collection. I continue to hold out hope though, that the company might reissue the original verlängerer, in stainless steel or in a nickel-plated version perhaps.

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