Faber-Castell is a company with history. Not only were they the ones who came up with the idea of making pencils hexagonal, to make them less likely to roll off of a tabletop, but they've been around for more than two and a half centuries, having started up in Germany in 1761.

Interestingly enough the company was started by a cabinetmaker, Kaspar Faber, who made his own pencils. His DIY pencils must've really kicked ass, because at some point he stopped making and selling cabinets to fulfill all of his pencil orders.

By the 1880s the company was being run by the fourth generation of the family. Then-boss Lothar von Faber apparently had an eye for presentation, as you can see by this elaborate pencil case he had created as a retail display:

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Lothar von Faber always placed very high importance on an exclusive presentation of his quality products. He designed and equipped his sales rooms and display windows with great attention to detail, sparing neither effort nor expense. This presentation chest has several drawers and is elaborately decorated with inlays and cast figures. The two cherubs at the ends are engaged in writing and pencil-sharpening.

In 2011 the company turned 250 years old (amazingly, it has been run by the Faber family for the duration). To celebrate, they commissioned another elaborate pencil case that looks more like a freaking suitcase. Take a look at this thing:

This art and graphic case combines the best from a couple of centuries of experience in developing and producing exclusive artists' products. Inside the case awaiting your creative use are 120 Polychromos artists' colour pencils, 120 Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils, 120 Polychromos artists' pastels, 60 Pitt pastel pencils and 15 Castell 9000 black-lead pencils in all grades, plus high-quality accessories--a spectrum of essential items for the professional artist: a watercolour brush, porcelain water pot, eraser pencil, art eraser, and much more besides.

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The practical construction means that individual drawers can be pulled out and set up for specfic types of creative work.

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The company only made 1,761 of them (a callback to the year they were founded) and they retailed for around US $1,700. I spotted one on eBay that sold for slightly less, at $1,574.

Faber-Castell isn't the only one playing this game, by the way. Last year Swiss competitor Caran d'Ache—decidedly younger, as they've "only" been around since 1915—released their Treasure Chest of Colour 100th Anniversary Set, made from actual mahogany:

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Like it? Well, it's still for sale, and the shipping is free. It better be—the darn thing retails for $6,047.83.

My question: Do you reckon that anyone who ponied up for either of these actually uses all of the contents?