Long Live the Palomino Blackwing 602

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Nostalgia for a legendary pencil no longer in production paves the way for its return.

For fans of the vintage
Blackwing 602 pencil produced by Eberhard Faber from 1934 to 1998, a great pencil is hard to find.

Made legendary by John Steinbeck, Stephen Sondheim, and
Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones, the Blackwing 602 featured smooth, dark lines
and was known for its resilience. But in 1998, Eberhard Faber decided to cease
production of the fabled writing utensil, forcing its cult following to pay as much as $40 for single, unsharpened examples on eBay.

The good news for Blackwing fanatics is that it’s back,
albeit under a slightly different name. As Sam
Scott reports
in the January/February 2013 issue of Stanford, the Palomino Blackwing 602 produced by California Cedar
Products Co. in Stockton, Calif., has earned recognition from
enthusiasts as the second coming of the Blackwing. While it’s just an article
about pencils, Scott’s piece about the resurrection of the Blackwing 602 is a
fascinating look into how nostalgia still has value in our quickly changing
society.


Image courtesy tsuacctnt, licensed under Creative Commons

  • Published on Feb 20, 2013
Tagged with: Culture, nostalgia, writing
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