While often overlooked by many, the pencil is a very important and useful writing utensil that is used by countless around the world. In addition to artists, engineers, mathematicians, and others that favor the wooden writing instrument, pencils are also very good tools for children who are still learning as they can easily correct their mistakes. Head to any convenient store or office supplies store and you can pick up a pack of pencils for under $5 dollars. You can also spend a little more for mechanical pencils, but what’s the most expensive pencil that money can buy? Well it’s pretty expensive to say the least.
The pencil can trace its origins to around 400 years ago, and aside from mechanical pencils, not much has changed. If for some reason you want a “luxury” pencil that is also the most expensive pencil in the world, take a look at the “Perfect Pencil” from Graf von Faber-Castell. Graf von Faber-Castell is a brand of high-end writing instruments that come from Germany. They use high-end materials and deliver an ultra-refined, luxury product. Their Perfect Pencil is the brands flagship pencil, and it’s pretty expensive at $12,800 dollars per set. That price-tag makes the Perfect Pencil the most expensive pencil in the world. So why is this pencil so expensive?
The Perfect Pencil was first introduced in 2001, and Faber-Castell declared that they were only going to be producing just 99 units. Okay so it’s really limited, what else is there? Well first off, the pencil is made from premium olive wood that is 240 years old. There is also a pencil extender, a cap, a built in sharpener, and an eraser cover that are all made from 18-carat white gold. Additionally three diamonds can be found on the cap when you order a set of the pencils. The pencils are also robust and you can easily change the eraser or put in a fresh pencil into the extender/cap/case combination. At the end you have a really expensive pencil. It’s not quite clear if this pencil writes any better than others, although to the user I’m sure you perceive it to write better than others because you just dropped $12,800 dollars on a pencil. So is the Perfect Pencil really a perfect and luxury writing utensil, or is it just an unnecessarily expensive item that one buys to flaunt their wealth? What do you think?
Photo from Graf von Faber-Castell
