Tag Archives: Eberhard Faber

Mongol Musings

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Sean
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A New Draft

Posted on March 9, 2019 by Sean

A new cover idea: Several Eberhards Faber: A general timeline: The early years: The mills of Cedar Keys, Florida: Origins of the “Diamond Star” logo: The occasional nib and leadholder: An extraordinary pencil: The History of the Lead Pencil by … Continue reading →

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About that Eberhard Faber factory fire in 1872…

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Sean

In a previous post titled Beware The Dry House, I noted several fires that occurred at two Eberhard Faber Company factories. But the most well-known fire occurred at the first factory, which opened in 1861 and burned to the ground … Continue reading →

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Eberhard Faber: Rough Draft

Posted on January 29, 2019 by Sean

“Rough draft” might be too generous. It’s more like a “rough compilation”—396 pages so far, with at least as many to go. This copy is a one-off. Toward the beginning is the Faber family tree I’ve cobbled together, though it’s … Continue reading →

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Eberhard Faber’s 1856 Copybook

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Sean

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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1917: England, France, and Germany

Posted on September 1, 2018 by Sean

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 Sean

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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Eberhard Faber-Castell (3)

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Sean

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 Sean

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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Eberhard Faber-Castell (1)

Posted on May 25, 2018 by Sean

1985 was a difficult year for Eberhard Faber Inc. Despite an overall increase in sales of nearly 7%, several factors negatively impacted their bottom line, including: increased marketing expenses, price-cutting by the competition, a substantial reduction in inventories, as well … Continue reading →

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