What brought on the sudden desire to rule an empire of pencil-subjects?

I've always liked pencils, never much liked pens. In 2011, good pencils don't really exist (unless they're artist pencils). Standard Chinese shit these days made with crappy composite wood, shitty graphite.

I thought: "Wouldn't it be ridiculous if I just started collecting regular pencils?"

Yes! So I did.

Those Venus Velvets are from World War 2. Six bucks.

:)