BLACKWING PENCIL SERIES

Blackwing currently makes three versions as part of its standard lineup, each featuring a different graphite core. This review takes a look at one of the three “new” Blackwings, namely the original pencil that was released in 2010. Three Blackwings, Three Different Pencils The 2010 relaunch was covered by media outlets such as the New Yorker and BoingBoing, and wasn’t without controversy.

You can read further on the history of the Blackwing pencil here. I’m primarily a user, not a collector, and that $50 will buy more than two dozen “modern Blackwings” that perform (for my purposes) just as well. Personally, I’ve never owned a vintage Blackwing 602, and regardless of how cool it would be to have one, even I can’t bring myself to shell out $50 for a single pencil.

Vintage Blackwings continue to sell for ridiculous premiums. From the time of its discontinuation in the late 1990s to the re-release, enthusiasts were known to hoard boxes/grosses of the original pencil, paying hundreds of dollars for a dozen. The original Eberhard Faber Blackwing dates to the 1930s, and became a favorite pencil of various writers and artists such as Stephen Sondheim, Chuck Jones, John Steinbeck, and others.

BLACKWING PENCIL SERIES

In recent years, the Blackwing “legend” has taken on a life of its own in popular culture, due to a combination of (1) the scarcity of the original vintage pencil (2) the mythology surrounding the pencil and those who used it, fueled by internet stationery obsessives - seriously, who are these people!? and (3) the 2010 release, to much success and acclaim, of a highly regarded series of pencils in the style of the original Blackwing by CalCedar, a California-based pencil manufacturer that purchased the Blackwing trademark once it expired. Few stationery items have drawn more attention - and fueled more late-night internet bickering - than the Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602.