California Republic Stationers resurrects and refreshes the legendary Blackwing pencil

STOCKTON, CA, November 13, 2010 (Press-News.org) It's arguably the most celebrated pencil in history: The Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602 was used by artists and writers, and even made a cameo on AMC's television show, "Mad Men." In such high demand, unsharpened Blackwings sell on eBay for $30-$40 per pencil ( http://www.pencils.com ). Discontinued in 1998, the Blackwing 602 was unparalleled in performance, quality and following — until now.

California Republic Stationers, makers of premium woodcased pencils ( http://www.pencils.com ) like the Golden Bear and the Palomino, has acquired the Blackwing trademark and engineered a pencil to rival the original Blackwing. They've added it to their highest quality brand, Palomino, to create the Palomino Blackwing!

"Ever since we introduced the Palomino it has regularly been referred to by many Blackwing fans as a principal contender for successor to the original 602," said Charles Berolzheimer, CEO of California Cedar Products, Inc., parent company of California Republic. "These fans continually lament the ceasing of production of this pencil and the increasingly high cost of 'old stock' on eBay. When I discovered the Blackwing name was available it was a natural choice to want to more closely associate this venerable name with our own brand."

The Palomino Blackwing not only takes on the name of its predecessor, but also its best features. The unique oblong eraser and extended ferrule have been resurrected, as well as the smooth, dark graphite praised by Stephen Sondheim, John Steinbeck and many others. In fact, in performance tests, many members of the control group expressed that the Palomino Blackwing was smoother and darker than the 602.

Interested buyers can find Palomino Blackwings for sale at the online store, Pencils.com, for $19.95 per dozen.

For more information about the new Palomino Blackwing, visit http://pencils.com/blackwing for reviews, in-depth analysis and links to many articles on the Internet.

For press photos, interviews or more information, contact: Paula Sullivan at 866-473-6245 or by email at info@pencils.com.