The exquisite Graf von Faber-Castell Pen of the Year collections began in 2003. These fast became must-have pieces among the connoisseurs and collectors of exceptional writing culture. The Graf von Faber Castell Pens of the Year are exclusive writing implements that always appear as limited editions and are presented in unusual materials that are fashioned by hand with great skill. Each Pen of the Year tells the story of an epoch and people whose deeds made a strong impression on the history of humanity.
Inspired by a rich heritage of simplicity and excellence, timeless elegance meets modern technology in this Graf von Faber-Castell collection from the oldest and one of the best known international companies in the field of writing instruments. Founded in the 18th-century collectors of this brand have not only beautiful pens but also own a part of history. Let’s take a look at the last decade.
Pen of the Year 2011 – Jade
Symbolism and Material
Jade is a symbol of luck, power, and immortality, discovered by the great jewellers of the Art Deco period. Previously, Russian goldsmith, Fabergé, had already created artistic desk utensils from jade. Jade has a special meaning in China, revered as the stone of the gods and reserved for kings and emperors. The oldest Chinese dictionary defines jade as “beauty in stone with five virtues”: human understanding, modesty, wisdom, justice, and courage.
The unique symbolic and creative energy naturally predestined jade for a unique role in celebrating Faber-Castell’s 250th anniversary in 2011. Eight segments of jade symbolise the eight generations that have made their mark on the Faber-Castell firm. In reference to the year when the company was founded, this exclusive edition was limited to 1761 pens.
Because of jade’s hardness, it is difficult to work with and requires extraordinary skill to craft it into something beautiful. The particular jade used in the Pen of the Year 2011 is Russian jade. Found in a secret location in Siberia, this jade is emerald coloured and softly mottled.
Before jade can be used in pen design, it must be processed by an experienced jeweller. After the jade is chiselled, the perfectly faceted and polished jade is given its final and perfect form by a master craftsman of the Stephan gemstone laboratory. He is backed up by the long tradition of the Idar Oberstein workshops, that were set up in the 15th century and now enjoy a world-wide reputation.
Technical Features
Barrel – Jade
Cap – Platinum-plated with a solid spring-loaded clip
End Piece – Platinum-plated
Nib -18-carat bicolour gold
Filling mechanism – Plunger
Numbering -Each pen bears a specific sequence number on the little metal plate under the end cap
Production – 1761 pieces (limited edition)
Pen of the Year 2012 – Oak Wood
Symbolism and Material
The Oak Wood pen is crafted from pieces of ancient wetland oak wood, each with a beautifully unique grain that has been formed over thousands of years. The deep and knarled textures are derived from as many as 8000 years of being buried in German bogs and marshes, giving each unique piece of wood a mysterious story of its own.
Gold leaf is delicately applied to the wood by hand, using a fine squirrel-hair brush and a technique that harks back 4000 years to ancient Egypt. This particular skill is only practised by a select number of masters and is an extraordinary craft.
Technical Features
Barrel – Gold sheen oak wood with 24 carat gold-plated fittings
Cap – Chessboard faceted citrine gemstone
Nib – 18-carat bicolour gold nib in widths: M, F and B
Filling mechanism – Plunger
Numbering – Individually numbered on the head of the plunger mechanism
Production – 1500 pieces (limited edition)
Pen of the Year 2014 – Catherine Palace
Symbolism and Material
The poignancy of this pen stems back to one of the most exquisite palaces in Europe, near St. Petersburg: the Catherine Palace. Initially built in 1718 as a summer palace for Catherine I, the palace was expanded and gilded during the reign of Elizabeth I. The rooms were so decadent that the Amber Room was recognised as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”.
When the palace became the residence of Catherine the Great in 1763, she had many parts of the palace redesigned, with the help of Scottish architect, Charles Cameron. Combining his love of Greco-Roman antiques with the world of minerals, Cameron created the Agate Rooms of the Catherine Palace.
The Pen of the Year 2014 pays homage to the Agate Rooms, through its red-brown jasper stones, platinum-plated barrel, chain pattern, and Russian quartz.
Two sun yellow Russian quartz stones with a facet crown the cap and end cap of the plunger-type fountain pen. Both editions come with an 18-carat, bicolour gold nib that is ‘run in’ by hand. An end-cap protects the rotary knob of the plunger mechanism of the plunger-type fountain pen.
Technical Features
Barrel – Platinum-plated with three large jasper stones and engraved chain pattern
Cap – Grey Russian quartz with a shimmering facet finish
Nib – 18-carat bicolour gold nib in widths: M, F, B, BB
Filling mechanism – Plunger
Numbering – Individually numbered
Production – 1000 pieces
Pen of the Year 2015 – Sansoucci Potsdam
Symbolism and Material
Inspired by the stunning architecture of the Sanssouci, Potsdam, the Graf von Faber-Castell 2015 Pen of the Year revives the lustre from a fascinating era.
Frederick the Great, was a king and connoisseur of decorative natural stones and, as such, reserved all precious stones and chrysoprase for himself. This collection of stones with their emerald to apple green colouration is considered the most valuable variety of quartz.
The creation of the “Sanssouci, Potsdam” Pen of the Year demanded the highest standard of craftsmanship. The Herbert Stephan gemstone manufactory was commissioned for this task, creating the platinum-plated barrel and cap, adorned by four green Silesian serpentines and Russian smoky quartz – both ground and polished by hand
Technical Features
Barrel – Platinum-plated with four green Silesian serpentines
Cap – Grey Russian quartz with a shimmering facet finish
Nib – 18-carat bicolour gold nib in widths: M, F, B, BB
Filling mechanism – Plunger
Numbering – Individually numbered
Production – 1000 pieces (Rollerball 300 pieces)
Pen of the Year 2016 – Schloss Schönbrunn Vienna
Symbolism and Material
The Pen of the Year 2016 was inspired by the deep love between Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen. After the death of Francies Stephen, Maria Theresa had the Vieux-Laque Room in Schönbrunn Palace adorned with exquisite lacquer panels crafted from flamed maple and set in a gilded frame.
Lacquer art can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty (1600 – 1046 BCE) in China but also spread to Japan and further afield. The process involves covering wood, clay or metal objects with several wafer-thin lacquer layers before decorating with figures, ornaments, and inlays of pearl or ivory.
Technical Features
Barrel – Platinum-plated adorned by hand-ground plates of deep black onyx and individually grained flamed maple
Cap – faceted and hand-polished onyx
Nib – 18-carat bicolour gold nib in widths: M, F, B, BB
Filling mechanism – Plunger
Numbering – Individually numbered
Production – 500 pieces
Pen of the Year 2017 – Viking
Symbolism and Material
This pen is an embodiment of the mystery and adventure of the Viking era, with the design inspired by dragon boats and traded riches. The Pen of the Year 2017 harks back to the Viking age by capturing the elegance of longboats in its strokes and through its bold exterior. The pen is crafted from matt-grey smoked oak – the wood of choice for Viking ship timber.
The pen’s barrel encapsulates the curves of the boats with its delicate slivers of ‘curly’ birch, in the spirit of the masterly craftsmanship of the Vikings.
Technical Features
Barrel – Platinum-plated with five slivers of “curly” birch flamed maple
Cap – Glowing red carnelian. The end piece also has ‘Graf von Faber-Castell’ engraves in runes
Nib – 18-carat hand-inscribed bicolour gold nib in widths: M, F, B, BB
Filling mechanism – Plunger
Numbering – Individually numbered
Production – 500 pieces
Pen of the Year 2018 – Imperium Romanum
Symbolism and Material
Inspired by the Roman Empire, the 2018 Pen of the Year encompasses the splendour of the unparalleled legacy over the ancient world. The extraordinary variety of saturio Carrara marble is chosen for the white edition while Nero Marquina marble is selected for the black version, which beautifully juxtaposes the lighter variation. Both pens are decorated with laurel wreaths that symbolise fame and success – something the Roman Empire had in spades. Additionally, the caps of both pens are elaborately engraved with the Colosseum and feature a miniature Roman penny, modelled on a scarce silver coin from 44BC portraying Caesar’s head.
Technical Features
Barrel – Three segments of staturario marble from Carrara and platinum-plated rings with laurel wreaths
Cap – Engraved with the famous Colosseum, adorned by a miniature Roman penny
Nib – 18-carat hand-inscribed bicoloured gold nib in widths: M, F, B, and BB
Filling mechanism – Plunger
Numbering – Individually numbered
Production – 400 pieces
Pen of the Year 2019 – Samurai
Symbolism and Material
Miyamoto Musashi is considered by the Japanese to be the greatest swordsman of all time – the perfect samurai. Japanese Samurai swords, katanas, are sharp and robust, formed from tamahagane steel. The sword’s sheath and handle were made from untreated magnolia wood and covered with prized stingray leather before being decorated with artistic inlays. The characteristics of Samurai sword-fighting were likened to water’s clarity, ability to adapt, transparency, inspiring the wave-like pattern lasered into the end cap of the Black Edition of this pen.
The method, materials, look and feel of these swords is embodied by the 2019 Pen of the Year with its magnolia barrel and 24-carat gold finish.
Based on the Samurai belief that intuition Is as valuable as intellect, the Pen of the Year 2019 features a quote by Miyamoto Musashi, engraved in 24-carat gold varnish, saying:
“Today I win against myself of yesterday”.
Technical Features
Barrel – Dark-stained magnolia wood, adorned with an engraving in 24-carat gold varnish of the quote, ‘Today I win against myself of yesterday’ by Miyamoto Musashi.
Cap – Engraved with the gold plated character for samurai. The end cap is engraved with the symbol for the word ‘tsuba’ which means handguard
Nib – 18-carat hand-inscribed ruthenium-plated gold nib in widths: M, F, B, BB
Filling mechanism – Plunger
Numbering – Individually numbered
Production – 400 pieces
Pen of the Year 2020 – Sparta
Symbolism and Material
This year’s Pen of the Year 2020 is inspired by Greek heroes of Sparta. Moulted by the military, Spartan society’s fate was determined by the gods: Athena, Apollo and Artemis.
At the beginning of the fifth century BC, great wars were fought between Persia and Sparta. This is where the myth of the unbeatable warriors derives from, with their bronze helmets. The spring-loaded clip on the cap of this year’s Pen of the Year is based on this Greek helmet, polished to a high shine.
After these wars, the Spartans were highly esteemed in the middle of the sixth century. They continued to triumph, in part thanks to their large, round shields. These shields inspired the lacquered inlay in the end cap of the Pen of the Year 2020. The cap also features lambda, the 11th letter in the Greek alphabet, which was also emblazoned onto Spartan shields.
This showstopping pen also features uncut diamonds, set by hand, to embody the Greek values of pride, perseverance and dignity. The diamond is the hardest natural material, and its name comes from the Greek word Adamas, which means ‘invincible’. The milled, matt grip zone symbolises the breastplate while the milled decorations on the barrel are owed to the archaic patterns on the Spartan battle dress.
Technical Features
Barrel – Matt, sand-blasted, ruthenium-coated metal barrel with a milled pattern, set with seven rough diamonds
Cap – Lacquered inlay and Lambda character
Nib – Handmade 18 carat gold nib in widths: M, F, B, BB
Filling mechanism – Plunger
Numbering – Individually numbered
Production – 310
Check back in 2021 to see the next Pen of The Year! In the meantime, explore our range of Graf von Faber Castell pens.
