Castell HB

Name: Castell HB by A.W. Faber | Brand Name Pencils
Brand: A.W. Faber

First-Generation Original (1905–1912)

Before the era of model numbers like the 9000 or 9007, there was simply the original green Castell pencil. If you encounter a Castell pencil with a ferrule or casing stamped "The Finest and Best Drawing Pencil," you are looking at a the very first generation of production.

When Count Alexander von Faber-Castell introduced the green pencil line in 1905, he designed it to directly challenge and defeat the dominant premium drawing pencil of the day: L&C Hardtmuth's famous yellow Koh-I-Noor. To establish immediate supremacy in the marketplace, early production runs proudly carried this explicit quality guarantee. The phrase was entirely retired from the Castell lineup by 1912, creating a strict seven-year historical window for these pieces.

Anatomy of a 110+ Year-Old Castell:

- The Inscription: On the reverse side of the casing, these pencils feature the elegant historic branding: "Made by A.W. Faber in Bavaria."
- The Knight Graphic: Original boxes from this 1905–1912 era feature a unique illustration of two jousting knights where the victorious red-armored knight (representing A.W. Faber) is on the left side. In all subsequent generations, the layout shifted the Faber knight to the right.
- The Historic Core: Collectors and artists note that these turn-of-the-century graphite formulas feel distinctly different from modern leads. They utilized a recipe that prioritized a rich, dark, and uniquely supple feel on paper, contrasting with the lighter, high-precision point-retention of modern Castell lines.

About A.W. Faber

The company was originally established in 1761 when a carpenter by the name of Kaspar Faber (1730-1784) opened a small pencil factory in Stein, Germany. The business was called “A.W. Faber” after his son, Anton Wilhelm Faber (1758-1819), who grew the company into a flourishing pencil manufacturer. In 1900, an heiress to the Faber fortune (granddaughter of Lothar Faber) married a count of Castell and the newly united A.W. Faber-Castell soon began producing a high-quality line of “Castell” drawing and copying pencils. The company has its headquarters in Stein to this day, now operating under the name Faber-Castell with 8,000 employees worldwide.