Happy Birthday Noris

It’s 2021 and the Staedtler Noris, Staedtler’s pencil with the article number 120, is 120 years old this year.

One of the new anniversary sets from Staedtler’s web site, released for this occasion, looks extremely desirable: it contains a new sharpener that will be available soon. The article number will be 511 120, a nice nod to the Noris’ number.

Image © Staedtler

Staedtler’s keeps trying to allow your pencil case to stay mess-free: Similar to the 512 60C from 2017, the new sharpener can be closed to prevent graphite and wood shavings from falling out.

Are you sitting comfortably? Good: the 511 120 will display when the pencil is sufficiently sharpened and will have a ratchet function to make it suitable for left-handed users. I am not left-handed but like how Staedtler cares for all users – like they did when they introduced the 562 300 PB ruler. The sharpener will be suitable for pencils with a diameter of up to 8.2 mm. I can’t wait for the 511 120 to hit the shelves in the UK …finally some good news in these sad times.

On a more sombre note: if you are from the UK you might find the following article about Paperchase going into administration interesting.


Thanks to Ms Förster from Staedtler for providing additional information about the 511 120.

6 thoughts on “Happy Birthday Noris”

  1. I do love a Noris. As I’ve said more than once in the comments on your blog, it was ‘the’ school pencil in the late ’80s/early ’90s in the UK. Utterly ubiquitous and a pleasure to use.

    I’m intrigued by the sharpener, but disappointed there isn’t a fancy tin as they did a while ago for Traditions, Lumographs, and Norises. I can’t find the link and I don’t remember if it was an anniversary, but they were nice. I regretted not buying one of each!

    A shame about Paperchase. I’ve always found myself strangely out of sync with the shop’s focus. I love some of their basic staples (the yellow A4 pad made by Silvine; the Miquelrius-made section notebooks in A4 and A5), but their main focus was always too kitschy and didn’t appeal much. They do have some nice cards, though.

  2. Stephen, I agree. Not sure though what I should think about the symbols printed on the side of the pencil, i.e. whether I like the look, but I am not the target audience ;^) I am quite sure Staedtler already used these geometric symbols when they still owned the Eberhard Faber brand
    Koralatov, I sent you a private message in Twitter. A tine would have been nice! Paperchase had some nice items, or at least some shops did, like some nice Kaweco stuff, but like you I found most items there too kitsch.

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  4. I’d forgotten that Paperchase sells Kaweco stuff. They also had some nice Caran d’Ache items too – mostly 849 ballpoints, but also the odd fountain pen. Never a Fixpencil, strangely. Perhaps they thought the neon 849s would appeal to their customers but the Fixpencil wouldn’t?

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