Author Archives: Sean

Chiseled

Posted on April 13, 2020 by Sean

Chisel-point pencils, along with their mechanical cousins (flat-lead pencils), are very interesting to me. The shape and structure of the leads allow you to maintain a more consistent line width when drawing long lines, and are less likely to break … Continue reading →

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Oh, Canada (II)

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Sean

Somewhere, nestled amidst the endless tundra (and ubiquitous Tim Hortons) was once the Canadian division of the Eberhard Faber Pencil Company. This display folio showcases the Microtomic Van Dyke line: The line was offered in 18 degrees, from 7B to … Continue reading →

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It’s That Time Of Year. Again.

Posted on December 17, 2019 by Sean

While it goes without saying, it’s still worth repeating: nothing says Christmastime like an Eberhard Faber XMAS Mongol. A single XMAS Mongol frees you from the burden of having to write your holiday cards and notes with two separate pencils. Will … Continue reading →

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1874 Eberhard Faber Catalog

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Sean

This catalog and price list from the Eberhard Faber Company dates back to 1874. I’ve had in mind the idea of creating a facsimile edition and printing a small quantity for sale. The catalog has been professionally digitized by a … Continue reading →

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Baroness Ottilie von Faber: Between Sun and Moon

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Sean

I have mentioned before that to research the Fabers means to encounter a great repetition of names. One small example: The three most-frequently mentioned brothers—Lothar, Eberhard, and Johann—all share the same first name (Johann). Eberhard’s wife? Johanna.  Therefore, it would … Continue reading →

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Ottilie von Faber-Castell – Eine mutige Frau

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Sean

There appears to be a historical drama about Ottilie von Faber-Castell in the works, which will be broadcast and released on DVD in September. Here is a trailer for the film: You can see a making-of video here. © Pandastorm … Continue reading →

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Eberhard Faber Tee-Vee Pencil

Posted on August 17, 2019 by Sean

These Eberhard Faber Tee-Vee 1142 pencils remind me that there must have been thousands upon thousands of pencil brands in their company catalog. Over the course of 138 years, how many different brands of wood-cased lead pencils could there have been? … Continue reading →

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“We choose to go to the moon…”

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Sean

A photo by Laurie Spiegel of her Eberhard Faber Blackwing, which to me evokes the image of a rocket flying past the sun or perhaps the moon. Laurie’s music was included on the Golden Records affixed to Voyager 1 and 2, all à … Continue reading →

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Eberhard Faber’s “Graphite Pencil Company”

Posted on June 7, 2019 by Sean

In 1894, the Eberhard Faber Company dissolved its agency with A.W. Faber in Germany. A point of contention between the two companies—one that would see twelve years’ worth of lawsuits fought in New York and Bavarian courts—was the use of … Continue reading →

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Pencils from the 19th Century

Posted on June 2, 2019 by Sean

(Click photos for a larger version.) Pencil-making in 19th-century America is part history and part folklore. William Munroe is often cited as one of the earliest American pencil manufacturers, along with the Thoreau family, Ebenezer Wood, Horace Hosmer, and Benjamin … Continue reading →

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