Back to the pencil, a lead-intensive status-symbol for men...

One of Faber-Castell’s more popular products is a pencil. But it is no ordinary pencil, it is the company’s Perfect Pencil, which will set you back about £180. Each!
It comes, admittedly, with a rubber on the end (tapping ipad?), protected by a little platinum cap. And the tip is also kept safe from breaking with a lid, which incorporates a hidden pencil sharpener. It is rather nifty. But it is still £180 for something that might only give you a few weeks’ writing.
Competition-wise, the availability of 20 bog-standard pencils for £1 at Poundland makes the Faber-Castell version stand out in a world where men’s status-symbols are limited to cuff-links and watches.
To add the numbers, the company, which is fully owned by Count Anton Wolfgang von Faber-Castell and his family, posted sales of €580m (£468m) last year, an increase of 19pc, and operating profits of €42m.
P.S. If you wish to push the boat out a little farther, Count Anton is holding their £60,000  'Pen of the Year 2012 Diamond Edition...
A lesson for all who believe that luxury cannot be added to the mundane….?