On February 28, 1983, a wartime surgeon named Hawkeye said “Goodbye, farewell, and amen.” Ten years later, Mayday Malone straightened a picture on the wall and turned out the lights for the last time. In millions of living rooms across the country, viewers sat quietly through these final moments, saying goodbye together. The credits rolled, but no one moved.

Carried freely through the air, broadcast television invited participation without qualification. The same signal that arrived at a downtown apartment also reached a home on the edge of a country road. Broadcast television created a quiet cultural leveling, allowing audiences to form connections not just with stories, but with one another.

The Blackwing 343 is our tribute to broadcast television. Each pencil features a color bar finish inspired by the NTSC test pattern, and our extra-firm graphite. The model number 343, a reference to the 343 scanlines on early CRT televisions, is imprinted with a “TV snow” silver holographic foil.

• 12-pack of pencils in a gift box that doubles as a pencil cup
• Extra-Firm graphite pencil with silver ferrule and iconic square black eraser
• All Blackwing pencil products conform to ASTM D-4236.

About the Company: "Our story starts with a pencil, but it doesn’t end there. We're a team of writers, artists, musicians, designers, and DIYers who think the world is a little bit better when you slow down.

We believe that thoughtful interaction with the world around us leads to a healthier life. That interaction may come from scribbling a thought in your journal, flipping through the dusty pages of a familiar book, or listening to the warm tone of your favorite record. No matter what form it takes, there's something profoundly human about it that's in our DNA."