Koh-i-Noor
Likely one of the most prolific pencil brands in the world, Koh-i-Noor has a massively wide range of products, most still made in their home country of Czechia (why I call it this). They have at least six lines of finely-graded artist pencils, several other lines available in multiple medium/writing grades, and hoards of HB student lines with wacky printed designs and colours. They also make dozens of mechanical pencil lines and leads, as well as numerous art supplies.
The three “main” lines of artist pencils are the Toison d’Or or “Golden Fleece”, likely their most popular, the 1500 (the original Yellow Pencil) and the 1860. I was not personally able to tell any difference between the three in writing, though I did not examine the extreme soft or hard grades and I do know that 1860 does not have as many grade selections.
The 1860 in fact looked very much like the Renesans Schizzi from Poland, and several online sources I found do indicate that Koh-i-Noor has an interest (or is the owner) of the Renesans art supply brand.
As noted in a previous post about Austria’s Cretacolor, Koh-i-Noor is part of what was a single pencil maker before the emergence of the Austrian brand. Back in the early 20th century the two countries were one and the same, under the dictatorial rule of the evil Hapsburgs.
Then came the Great War and the subsequent great repartitioning of Europe, which led to Koh-i-Noor finding itself in the new country of Czechoslovakia. Aside from all the trouble that comes with a war and the carving up of a losing side’s territory, all was essentially as before.
That changed when the next war came, and with it the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia, and subsequent collectivization and nationalization of all the industries in the country.
No self-respecting pencil baron would stand for such a thing, so the Hardtmuth family moved to Austria and established another Koh-i-Noor there using the same brand and trademarks. Quite confusing, but rightly betting that the anti-capitalists were unlikely to lay claim on such a thing as intellectual property.
Whilst the original managers and IP holders continued to run a new company in Austria for quite a while under the Koh-i-Noor brand, pencils from the old Czech factory displayed the Bohemiaworks brand.
This changed as the renewed dictatorship of capitalism in Czechoslovakia and later Czechia brought with it a renewed interest in brand identity and the obscene wealth implied in the Koh-i-Noor name.
The Czech factory returned to using the brand and the Austrian factory was acquired by industrial and art supplies concern Brevillier Urban & Sachs and took on the name Cretacolor, which I’ll cover in a different post. Obviously I’ve had to simplify this history and I may have made some errors, but anyone wanting to correct me can get in touch.
Most of what I’ve acquired from Koh-i-Noor is from their very friendly direct shopping site. Quite a few of their products aren’t available there, but it’s a simple starting point for anyone wanting to familiarize themselves with their present offerings. I grabbed a few of the novelty printed school pencils, and what I could of their artist lines.
They also have some nice triangular pencils and this is also where I found my first ever set of square pencils. In various eBay auctions I’ve also managed to find some older Bohemiaworks pencils still bearing the Toison d’Or brand as well. Various other Koh-i-Noor products are scattered across the internet and I’ll continue seeking them out for quite some time, I’m sure.
