Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602 Pencils, Set of 12, Original Box, Unsharpened 1960

View Similar Items

Collection of 12 Original Golf Ball Boxes. Silver King, North Berwick etc.

Arne Jacobsen by Tobias Faber (Book)

Set of Japanese Hand Painted Perfume or Snuff Bottle in Original Box

1960s Set of 12 Wood Toy MONKEYS Danish Kay Bojesen Era Jointed Teak & Oak

The Hummel Gold Christmas Ornament Collection Box Set of 36 in Box

1960s Original Gorgeous Playing Cards Box by Piero Fornasetti. Made in Italy

Set of 2 Mid-Century Dumbbells, 1960s

Shepherd & Wooly Sheep Putz Toy Set Antique German Christmas 1900s, original Box

Vintage Set of Four Amber Necklaces, 1960s

Vintage Set of Three Amber Necklaces, 1960s

1960s Carl Aubock Werkstatte #5606 Nickel Chess Set in Box Vintage Midcentury

Charles Hollis Jones Lucite Chess Set with Original Nickel Base and Box, Signed

About the Item

Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602 pencils, set of 12, original box, unsharpened 1960s. The Blackwing 602 is a pencil that is noted for its soft, dark graphite, unique flat square ferrule and replaceable eraser. It was manufactured by the Eberhard Faber Pencil Company from 1934–1988. (As of 2012, a different pencil using the same name is being manufactured by Palomino.). The Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602 is perhaps the most famous — and if not that, the most notable — wooden pencil in history. The Eberhard Faber Pencil Company began production of the Blackwing 602 pencil in 1934. Stamped on the side, opposite the brand mark, was the slogan "Half the Pressure, Twice the Speed". This claim was meant to appeal to stenographers, as the 602 possessed the unique softness and smoothness of a 3B/4B lead but with the rate-of-wear of an HB; however the 602 quickly evolved from an office tool to that of the artist. Among these were animators Chuck Jones and Don Bluth, authors John Steinbeck and E.B. White, composers Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, John Williams, Stephen Sondheim, Nelson Riddle, and Quincy Jones, playwrights Eugene O'Neill, and Arthur Laurents, the filmmaker Todd Field, the poet Archibald MacLeish, among many other notable figures. Steinbeck is among the most famous Blackwing user in history. He was famously quoted in the Paris Review in an article entitled “The Art of Fiction” where he said… “I have found a new kind of pencil—the best I have ever had. Of course it costs three times as much too but it is black and soft but doesn’t break off. I think I will always use these. They are called Blackwings and they really glide over the paper.” On Work Habits, “The Art of Fiction”, Paris Review The Blackwing pencil isn’t easy to track back to a single patent but its design was foreshadowed in the 1921 patent entitled, “Eraser-holder” by Lothar W. Faber on behalf of the Eberhard Faber Pencil Company. This patent, US1373062A (see final image) describes the Blackwing’s unique ferrule and extendable eraser with its metal retention clip. This patent was technically for a pencil extender, not a full pencil, but the leap from one to the next is a logical one. The Eberhard Faber Pencil Company was founded in New York City in 1861 by the German-born Eberhard Faber (1822-1879). The brand was essentially a spin-off from the family’s then 100-year-old company known as A. W. Faber. The American branch of the Faber pencil dynasty began in 1848 when the 26-year-old Eberhard went on a scouting trip for high-quality red cedar to ship back to his brothers Lothar and Johann’s pencil plant in Germany. By 1850, Eberhard had settled in New York and opened a stationery store in Manhattan while continuing to export cedar back to Stein. Eberhard’s NYC operation was the first graphite pencil factory opened in the United States, originally located where the UN building currently stands. According to this fascinating 2007 report on forming an Eberhard Faber historic district in NYC, "Following a disastrous fire at the Manhattan plant in 1872, Faber moved the factory to Brooklyn, where it remained until 1956. The company is credited with bringing German lead pencilmaking techniques to the United States and Faber grew to become one of Brooklyn’s most important factories, employing hundreds of workers, most of which were women."

Dimensions:
Height: 6 in (15.24 cm)Width: 6 in (15.24 cm)Depth: 10 in (25.4 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 12
Materials and Techniques:
Wood
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
Mid-20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1960s
Condition:
Minor fading.
Seller Location:
Brooklyn, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU4190327466142