Tombow MONO 100 pencils were first sold in 1967, to mark the occasion of Tombow Pencils 55th anniversary. Today, MONO 100 remains the jewel of Tombows product line and one of the best-regarded traditional pencils in the world. This professional-grade pencil embodies everything Tombow has learned in over a century of manufacturing.The heart of each MONO 100 is the graphite core. The name MONO 100 is actually a reference to the particle density of this ultra-refined core: 10 billion particles per cubic millimeter, or 100 times 100 million, as Tombow originally advertised. These pencils are extremely smooth and dark, and offer a writing or drawing experience miles ahead of almost any other pencil in the world.Of course, the other famous feature of MONO 100 is its stunning midcentury design. Tombow hired legendary designer Takashi Kono, who also worked on the 1964 Olympics and Japans pavilion at the 1970 Worlds Fair. His black, white, and gold design has been left largely unchanged over the last 55 years, and for good reason. Its sleek, impressive but not showy, with a timeless look that connotes seriousness and professionalism.Like almost all premium pencils, MONO 100 is made with incense cedar from California, which sharpens cleanly, smells lovely, and has an attractive reddish color and grain.This item is a single Tombow MONO 100 pencil. To get the space-age MONO 100 case and a better price per pencil, buy one of the sets of 12 instead.