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Hardtmuth (or "L & C Hardtmuth"), more commonly known as "Koh-i-Noor Hardtmudt", is a historic producer of pencils and office supplies that was founded in 1790 by Joseph Hardtmudt, which in 1802 patented the first pencil made of clay and coal. Born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the company was transferred from the sons of the founder from Vienna to České Budějovice, currently in the Czech Republic. The company introduced in 1889 the line of pencils "Koh-i-Noor", called by the same name of the famous diamond to magnify their quality. To distinguish them, they were painted in yellow, a color that from then has become a classic for pencils.

The Koh-i-Noor brand became the hallmark of the company, that with Faber Castell was one of the leading European pencils producers and is still on the market in the field of stationery and drawing tools. It's not known until recent a production of fountain pens, but the company has marketed in more cases pens produced by others (particularly they marketed in Europe the Waterman's), sometimes even with their own brand.

Refererences: [1], [2], [3]