207 The PENNANT 2006 Summer Vol. XXIV, No.2
Transcription
207 The PENNANT 2006 Summer Vol. XXIV, No.2
T Palmer Perfection PENNANT The A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E P E N C O L L E C T O R S O F A M E R I C A , I N C . SUMMER 2006 $9.95 Sheaffers in the ’40s Post-War Auroras A Connoisseur of Connaiseurs Edward Todd Demystified Parker History pennant Inside The Summer 2006 Vol. XXIV No. 2 Features 4 History of the Parker Pen Co. Part II The Early Years In Fayette, Iowa, by Len Provisor and Geoffrey S. Parker 10 Pens for Kids, Eastshore Elementary School, Irvine, California by Richard Kaufman 13 From Farm Boy To Nation’s Scribe: A Palmer Method Retrospective by Kate Gladstone 17 The Mystery of Edward Todd by David Moak 10 21 Ink Color Trivia: Glorious! Green by Rhonda J. Foster 22 The Sheaffer Connaisseur 1985-1996 by Dennis Bowden 28 Aurora after WWII by Giovanni Abrate 32 Taxonomy Late 1940s Sheaffer Models: 1947 by Jim Mamoulides Departments 36 Cryptopenology IV: Myths Of A Lifetime by Daniel Kirchheimer 40 Tech Notes: The Cantor Lectures by Victor Chen 44 The Bookworm: A Book Review by Tom Rehkopf 51 From the Stacks by Dan Reppert 46 2007 Board of Directors Nominees 17 In Brief 2 From the Editor 3 Snippets 40 42 Coming In The Next Issue Of The Pennant P.C.A. resources 3 50 50 51 52 52 52 53 53 54 55 56 56 56 P.C.A. Pen Available From the President PayPal Now Available for P.C.A. Membership Local Clubs Upcoming Shows P.C.A. Supporters Back Issues P.C.A. Membership Corporate Sponsors 28 Contributors Pen Repair Directory P.C.A. Contributor Guidelines Board of Directors Marketplace 22 pennant From the Editor The Spread the word What brings new people to this hobby? For me, it began with a box of old pens that belonged to my grandfather. I kept them in a large tin box loaded with old ballpoints and mark- Publishers Pen Collectors of America P.O. Box 447 Fort Madison, IA 52627-0447 Phone: 319.372.3730 • Fax: 319.372.0882 Email: [email protected] Web: www.pencollectors.com ers. The prize was a beat up but still functioning gray marble Esterbrook fountain pen. It was the filling mechanism that fascinated me most. The pen was easy to take apart and The Board of Directors Craig Bozorth Dan Reppert President Vice President Victor Chen Recording Secretary Craig Bozorth Victor Chen L. Michael Fultz Joel Hamilton AnnMarie Hautaniemi Bert Heiserman Len Provisor Dan Reppert the simple lever filling system introduced me to how fountain pens work. I was captured by the Board members effortless way it laid words on the page, much easier than the ballpoint pens I usually used. I’ve always been a scribbler, filling in the margins in my school notebooks. Writing with that pen sparked an interest in calligraphy and I dabbled at it from high school and into college. I eventually purchased a Pelikan 120 and a Rapidograph set and experimented with my mother’s Speedball dip pen set. It was calligraphy that led me to fountain pen collecting. In this issue we continue with the histories we started in the Spring issue, visit with some more young inductees to the world of fountain pens, remember one of the writing methods that introduced many of us older writers to pen and ink, investigate an old pen mystery, and go in-depth on a recently retired modern pen with a vintage flair, all with a dash of color here and there. Administrative Roger Wooten Dan Reppert Treasurer Librarian Jim Mamoulides Rita Cangialosi Pennant Editor P.C.A. Webmaster Fran Conn Terry Mawhorter Art Director Advertising Manager Tom Rehkopf and Dede Rehkopf Associate Editors Melinda Adams Sam Fiorella Michelle Reed Copy Editing Staff Pennant Review Board Giovanni Abrate George Kovalenko Andy Lambrou Ernesto Soler Jim Mamoulides Membership While you are reading this issue, I’d like to point out the hard work of the all-volunteer team Pen Collectors of America U.S., one year, $40; three years, $105 Outside U.S., one year, $60; three years, $150 that brings it to you. All the writers and photographers contributed from their love of the hobby, and The Pennant you are holding would not be the quality maga- PENNANT The A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E P E N C O L L E C T O R S O F A M E R I C A , I N C . zine it is without Tom and Dede Rehkopf as well as Fran Conn, our magazine’s graphic designer and layout artist. Many thanks to them for their incredible hard work. Cheers, Jim Mamoulides 2 SUMMER 2006 $9.95 Sheaffers in the ’40s Post-War Auroras A Connoisseur of Connaiseurs Edward Todd Demystified Parker History Advertising Deadline: October 1, 2006 Inside front cover (full-color) $1,100 Inside back cover (full-color) $1,000 Back cover (full-color) $2,000 Last page (full-color) $800 Full page (full-color) $700 Full page (black & white) $300 Flyer insert $300 Half page $150 Quarter page $100. P.C.A. Repair Directory listing (3 issues) $75 Business card $50 Classified ads (per word) $.50 On the Covers Front cover: Sheaffer Sentinel Deluxe pen and pencil set c1947. Photo courtesy of Jim Mamoulides. Back cover: Palmer Method ephemera. Images courtesy of Sam Fiorella. summer 2006 The pennant snippets… P.C.A. Financials The first year will be different. Each P.C.A. member will vote for three Those interested in the P.C.A. financial report will find it on the P.C.A. people in the 3-year group, three people in the 2-year group and three peo- website: www.pencollectors.com ple in the 1-year group for a total of nine board members. Those with the highest number of total votes in each group will serve on the next Board. The candidates… Y Two-year term: Dan Carmel Joel Hamilton Bill Hong Chuck Stoops One-year term: Dennis Bowden AnnMarie Hautaniemi Dan Reppertv Three-year term: Melinda Adams The P.C.A. is entering a new era. Linda Bauer First, our organization status has changed. We are now a 501 (c) 3 Steve Corn educational entity, which means that all gifts and bequeaths to us are Stuart Hawkinson tax deductible. It means if the Sheaffer Pen Company, or Parker, or Bruce Mindrup Waterman or Pelikan, or Sailor wishes to donate 5,000 pens per year Rick Propas for the Pens for Kids program they will be allowed a tax deduction for the value of the pens. Three directors will be elected from each of the categories, so you Second, we have a new policy for electing Board of Director should vote for three candidates in each of the one, two and three year members. In the past, all nine members have been elected each two categories. Candidate bios begin on pager 46. Ballots (included with this years for a two year term. We are now going to a staggered term issue) should be returned in the envelope provided by October 15, 2006. of election. All members will be elected for a term of three years. Any ballots received after that date will not be counted. Winners will be However, three will be elected each year. This will hopefully allow announced at the annual P.C.A. members meeting at the Ohio Pen Show, for more continuity of program with fewer board members leaving announced on the P.C.A. website www.pencollectors.com and printed in each year. the Winter issue of The Pennant. P.C.A. Pens Now Available from Jim’s Fountain Pen Site Limited supplies of the Pen Collectors of America Limited Edition Pen are available and may be ordered directly from www.jimgaston.com or email: [email protected] Jim Gaston wish to thank Jim Gaston for handling Jim’s Fountain Pen Site the sales and marketing of this very spe- www.jimgaston.com • email: [email protected] The pennant summer 2006 The Board of Directors of the P.C.A. cial pen on their behalf. 3 History of the Parker Part II The Early Years In Fayette, Iowa 4 summer 2006 The pennant To understand the strengths George S. Parker was the seventh of eight children, and his mother, Jane, taught him to maintain a dedication to the principles of the family’s faith. She had founded the local and personality of George Congregational Church when they lived in Shullsburg, Wisconsin, so their religious principles were an important part of the family character. Both she and George’s father, Norman, educated S. Parker, it will be helpful to examine his family and formative years, which took place during the pioneer the children and taught at their local school and church in Fayette, Iowa. Norman was a staunch church supporter and one of the organizers of his church. In 1871 George Parker’s family arrived in Smithfield Township, about 8 miles south of the city of Fayette. They may have stayed with the Folsom or Doughty families for a few months through the first winter and then bought their own land in 1872. Their 160 acre farm was in the SW quarter section 33, Smithfield Township. Norman bought the land from an earlier pioneer, Mr. E. Glasgow. The land contained a log cabin, made from logs on the lower half and upright boards on the upper half, and was set upon 10 acres of small, broken field gardens. The Parker family initially lived in this cabin. settlement period in Iowa. The rest of the land would have been native tall wet-grass prairie with some shrubs, willows and small trees along the small waterways on the farm. This area of the county was almost One can trace the roots of entirely wide open prairie with rolling hills and deep groves of hardwood forests and happened to be located next to Norman’s married sister, Harriet Doughty. his character back to his In the spring of 1872, Norman established his nursery business, providing fruit, nut and decorative trees to the surrounding communities. George grew up as a farm boy, working with upbringing by his parents and his early education, from country school to Upper Iowa University in Fayette, which prepared him to meet the future his siblings to help his father with daily chores. There would have been no major barn structures during at least the first years and only a few small open log shelters for any cattle or hogs, and perhaps a small, enclosed log building used as a barn for oxen, cows and chickens. Young George walked about one mile to the one-room country school No. 3 in nearby Seaton. His teacher in the winter of 1872 was Sophia Z. Smith. Children of various ages and grades attended this small one-room school, which used split log benches for seating. The students’ basic education would have included basic reading, writing, arithmetic and spelling lessons, with students using wood framed slate tablets for their work. At that time the school year was divided into two terms, three and one-half months in winter, and three months in the summer. George apparently attended school only during the winter months. Girls and boys usually attended the Seaton School until age 12, or until they were advanced enough to attend the local challenges he would face. high school in Fayette. Pen Co. It was George’s mother who first suggested that he may not have been cut out for farm by work. With that thought in mind, he gave consideration to studying medicine, since, as a Len Provisor and younger member of the family, he had been the designated first aid person for injuries that Geoffrey S. Parker occurred on the family farm. At some point, however, George realized that he might be better off following his natural mechanical instincts, and he thought perhaps the railroad might offer Opposite: George S. Parker, 1890. The pennant summer 2006 him better opportunities. 5 In 1873 the railroad came to Fayette, and a few years later George was attending the local high school, located only a few blocks from the train depot in the middle of town. It is not difficult to imagine the excitement that the railroad brought to the young boy. After graduating from high school in Fayette, he continued his education by attending Upper Iowa University in 1882, when he was 19 years old. The university had been built in 1857 in Fayette as a Methodist school. The one university building housed classrooms, administrative offices and the president’s quarters, along with student rooms on the upper floor. George, however, did not complete his studies at the university, stating that “I attended school for some time, but I am sorry to say that I did not graduate," feeling that the classes were not preparing him for any particular career. While attending Upper Iowa University, George had to work for his room and board. He may have worked at the Davenport & St. Paul Railway depot, which was only a few blocks south of the school. One can well imagine the influence this would have had upon young George, talking to engineers and conductors, and observing the telegrapher operating the amazing machine that talked over the wires. It would have been his first experience learning about life on the railroad. Many years later, George Parker stated that he believed that it was the articles he had read in The Youth’s Companion that instilled his interest in and curiosity about travel. Articles about modern scientific inventions, stories of adventure in the American 6 summer 2006 The pennant Opposite page: Top, panoramic view of Fayette, Iowa, 1871; bottom, Fayette train depot, north view, 1885. This page: Top to bottom, Train depot, Fayette, Iowa, 1878; Fayette, Iowa, 1878; Fayette Main St., July, 4, 1910; Winter train crossing, circa 1878. The pennant summer 2006 7 West and the latest exciting U.S. and international news all served to between George and his parents over finding a future career in Janesville describe the opportunities beyond Fayette. America was barely 100 or Fayette, Iowa. His parents finally gave their blessings, and George years old, and it was easy for George to see that the greatest potential agreed to write upon his arrival in Janesville and stay in touch with the for adventure and business opportunity lay to the West with the newly family. expanding railroads. While still on the farm, George soon set his mind to go to Janesville. The advertising in The Youth’s Companion that attracted So finally, in 1882, in order to go west, George Parker traveled east to Janesville. It would mark a turning point in his life. Next Issue: Young George's early years in Janesville. ✍ his attention was from the Valentine School of Telegraphy in Janesville, encouraging readers to “Learn telegraphy and work on the All rights reserved by the authors. railroad, go out West and get big wages.” He promptly sent a letter to the Valentine brothers, who operated the school, requesting their free catalog. One of the Valentine brothers wrote back and sent literature describing the wonderful life of a telegrapher and how telegraphy was a stepping stone to bigger and better things. Tuition was $55 for the course, plus room and board. No doubt there must have been some lively discussions 8 summer 2006 The pennant Acknowledgements: Parker Family Archives, Geoffrey S. Parker Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, Wisconsin Rock County Historical Society, Janesville, Wisconsin The Janesville Gazette, Janesville, Wisconsin Barry Zbornik, Fayette, Iowa historian Fayette Iowa History Including Fayette County & Personal Genealogy, Portrait and Biographical Album of Fayette County Iowa, Chicago: Lake City Publishing Co., 1891. 1875 Andreas Plat Map, Fayette County, Iowa. Photo images of early Fayette, IA Opposite page: Top, College Hall, Upper Iowa University, Fayette, Iowa; bottom, Upper Iowa University campus, circa 1908. courtesy of Barry Zbornik This page: Top to bottom, street map, Fayette, Iowa, circa 1878; Fayette, as young George would have seen it approaching town. The pennant summer 2006 9 Pens for Eastshore Elementary School, Irvine, California by Richard Kaufman I was wandering around the Los Angeles Pen Show when I ran into Sam Fiorella from Pendemonium and thanked her for her assistance two years ago with the P.C.A. Pens for Kids program. At the time I was teaching 4th grade, and the students had been thrilled with the experience. Since that time, I have switched positions and am now an Elementary Science Specialist, teaching 4th–6th graders. Sam asked if I would be willing to participate in a Pens For Kids program again, and I jumped at the chance. She introduced me to Dan Reppert, who quickly sent me some Sheaffer student pens with an ample supply of ink. Considering that I have been a member of the P.C.A. for the past ten years, it is a special privilege to be able to make use of the great resources that the P.C.A. makes available to its members. I teach at Eastshore Elementary School in Irvine, California, and my students are aware of my passion for pens. Along with charts of the elements and pictures of cells and atoms are pictures of some of my favorite fountain pens. My students would often ask me about different aspects of pens. They were fascinated with the different filling systems, nib designs and the variety of inks. Questions about nibs helped foster discussions about the properties of different metals. We talked about the malleability of gold and how it holds up so well against corrosion. The difference between 14- and 18-karat gold ended up being a topic of great interest. Ballpoint pens were what students were used to, so we investigated the differences between those and fountain pens. We used our microscopes on low magnification to examine the differences in ink delivery systems. We talked about the rolling ball at the end of a tube versus a nib and feed. In addition, we demonstrated how an oil based ink behaves differently from a water based one. We learned this by seeing how each reacted differently to water damage. In presenting the fountain pens to the class, I focused on scientific principles and how they relate to a fountain pen. Capillary action, atmospheric pressure and evaporation were among the topics that were related to the fountain pen. In addition, we did some chromatography experiments that helped demonstrate that ink is made up of many different dyes. Each student put a dot of ink near the bottom of a strip of chromatography paper. They would touch the bottom of the strip to water and observe how 10 K summer 2006 The pennant D I S The pennant summer 2006 11 the water moved past the dot of ink and separated it into different dyes. The lighter the dye, the farther it would travel up the chromatography paper. After the paper dried out, students were able to observe the variety of dyes that made up ink colors. For fun, they wrote their names on the chromatography paper and placed them in the water which made for some pretty colorful designs. My 6th grade class is made up of 35 students, so I divided the writing session into two classes, held on successive days. The students were amazed at how smooth their pens wrote, as well as how effortlessly the pens glided along the paper. The pens were transparent purple with stainless steel caps and they all had medium nibs. Throughout the lesson students kept repeating “You mean we really can keep them?” which goes to show how thrilled they were. At the next class session, many of the students discussed with the rest of the class how their parents shared their own experiences growing up using a fountain pen. More than one parent thanked me in regarding to how quickly these fountain pens changed their child’s writing in a positive manner. After our two class sessions with the fountain pens, we continued with the rest of our science curriculum, but you could see that these pens had made quite an impression. From that point on at least 75% of the students used their pens in science class for the rest of the year. They took a great deal of pride in using them to fill up their lab books and write up conclusions to experiments that we had completed. Since geology is the main focus of 6th grade science, these pens got quite a workout in terms of illustrating different aspects of plate tectonics. By the end of the school year, I had a lot of students asking me where they could go to buy more pens. Like their teacher, they now had contracted the fountain pen bug. I would like to thank the P.C.A. for sharing its passion with a group of enthusiastic students who I hope will help protect the heritage of fountain pens for the future. ✍ All rights reserved by the author. 12 summer 2006 The pennant From Farm Boy The Palmer Method began with a farm boy — and Born December 22, 1860 on a farm at Fort Jackson, St. Lawrence County, made him a millionaire. Palmer advocates claimed the writing method conferred legibility, speed and even Palmer Handwriting Washouts: Failures In The “Golden Age” Some Palmer survivors remember the New York, Austin Norman Palmer moral excellence. Palmer had users worldwide, a dedi- Palmer Method fondly—some quite probably learned as a boy the elaborate cated tech-support staff, fiercely defended intellectual otherwise. cursive like a hybrid between conventional cursive and Italic. It seems likely that Palmer intended these for students property rights, and a money-back guarantee; yet it knew its failures, and after years of growth who wanted something plainer, and perhaps thereby faster, than the standard Palmer Method script. went into a long slow decline. by Kate Gladstone By the time Palmer died on November 16, 1927, his method had become by far the predominant handwriting curriculum in the USA and remained the most widely-used USA handwriting method well into To Nation's Scribe Palmer, then, strove to meet a need for effi- the student and by a teacher who had received the early 1950s. Many people look back on the ciency, and believed that his writing method Palmer training and met the company’s stan- Palmer days as a golden age of universal success could provide this, at least when properly dards for proficiency in writing and teaching in penmanship; however, the Palmer Method taught. To ensure proper teaching and qual- Palmer Method handwriting. did produce its failures. ity control, he set up a network of corporate This focus on quality control, and what we In my fifteen years as a handwriting teacher, trainers, whom he trained, and who annually today would call “tech support” for custom- I have so far met or otherwise heard from at visited schools that were using the method ers using the program, probably accounted least 100 people who reported having had years in order to evaluate the school’s teaching and for much of the educational, financial, and of Palmer Method handwriting with a Palmer- training of teachers and students. For schools media success of the Palmer Method during trained teacher during the Palmer “golden age,” taking part in this training, the A. N. Palmer its early-twentieth-century heyday. For a fair yet who reported and demonstrated that they Company guaranteed to refund any money number of students, though not for all, the had not achieved good handwriting as a result. that a school administration had spent on Palmer Method, a Palmer-trained teacher and Though as far as I know no evidence has yet any student who remained a poor handwriter a lot of hard daily work on penmanship did surfaced that the A.N. Palmer Company ever despite faithful use of the Method both by indeed result in competent handwriting. had to pay its promised refund for failure, A Palmer Method Retrospective The pennant summer 2006 13 that does not necessarily point to the unmitigated success of the Palmer America, and the entirety of humankind that they should live to see the day Method. Although I do not know whether Palmer reported any failures of when someone does this and calls it writing! This eye-offending scribbly scum his Method during his lifetime (he died November 16, 1927, a millionaire of so-called penmanship that besmirches your paper and fouls the very atmo- whose obituary made the New York Times), Palmer Method “washouts” sphere of this classroom ought by rights to be buried in the deepest, darkest certainly existed during the 1930s and 1940s, and they exist today among depth of the foulest rubbish cellar where it can never again come to the sight Palmer survivors. of decent people!...” …and on and on, until after minutes that seemed eternities she sneered Two “Golden Age” Palmer Washouts Whom I Happen To Know Well. out the crux of it all: My father, Ernest Gladstone and his cousin Larry (Goldberg) attended third the misfortune to teach, to meet, or to hear about ... except for (and here she grade together in the late 1930s in Brooklyn, New York, then a bastion of pointed) your cousin Ernie!” “In fact, Larry Goldberg, you write worse than anyone I have ever had Palmer Method in all schools from Day One of Grade One. Dad and Larry To A. N. Palmer’s credit, nowhere in his published work, as far as I can each entered third grade with two solid years of Palmer Method foul-ups determine, did he envision or countenance any such unkind and shaming under their belts (and had each gotten pretty harsh treatment for the same). treatment of any student. Oddly, though, numerous “Palmer washouts” do From Day One of Grade One, in every classroom, Ernie had written the worst report such treatment in childhood from teachers apparently trained in, and of all and Larry had written the second-worst. The required hand/arm posi- apparently claiming to follow faithfully, the Palmer Method. tion of Palmer Method produced, for Ernie and Larry, not good handwriting but cramped and painful hands. But, even more than cramped hands, Satisfaction Guaranteed, or… Ernie and Larry came to dread the motivational technique employed by Mrs. Such behavior by teachers may have reflected mounting frustration with stu- Murphy of the third grade. For, whenever that devotee of Palmer Method cur- dents not succeeding as the company had guaranteed. Despite the money-back sive saw the students’ handwriting, she would first pour out her wrath upon guarantee, the company rarely, if ever, had to pay off. Reportedly, if a teacher or the second-worst handwriter in the room: principal sent the Palmer Company the handwriting of a poor Palmer-trained “Larry Goldberg, your writing is a thing of disgust! It is an oozing sore handwriter and asked for the promised refund, the company would simply of poor penmanship! What sad disgrace to your family, your classmates, this rule that the student had not actually used the Palmer Method at the time fine public school, this great city, the state of New York, the United States of of making his or her mistakes. The rationale? The Palmer Method, like any 14 summer 2006 The pennant handwriting method, naturally did not consider the inky blots, wobbly letters, teaching a print style before cursive, using sometimes print, sometimes cursive or other handwriting errors. Therefore, by the company’s definition, any stu- writing, Palmer remained until the mid-1970s cursive-only. As educational dent making a handwriting error had not actually used the Palmer Method at theory, then popular culture, came to adopt the notion that children should the moment of making the error. learn two handwriting styles (printed and cursive), Palmer did not succeed in I first heard of the above policy from a source which makes it trust- countering this new notion, which made it difficult for the company to attract worthy: a Palmer Company employee who had joined the firm fresh new customers or retain old customers who had come to believe that they out of college in the 1960s, and who had remained a company man needed to teach two styles of handwriting. Palmer, therefore, lost customers until 1987, when the firm at long last passed into receivership after a to other firms, and then later aped them by instituting a printing style, but too long slow decline. He spoke of his Palmer days with pride and highly late to make a difference to the firm’s image or success. approved and admired the policy regarding refunds. He considered 2. Reputation of the method as harsh and overly rigid. “Palmer wash- the policy ethically and intellectually, as well as financially, defensible, outs” like my father and his cousin, often had bad memories of how their and he saw nothing wrong with that logic. The man still lives and still teachers had treated them. Teachers of “washouts” also had, at least at teaches Palmer privately — does it very well, too, by all reports — so times, bad memories of how the Palmer Company had responded to such I don’t want to give his name out, particularly as he uses fountain pens cases. A hard-working teacher or administrator who asks an educational and abominates ballpoints and markers. (After all, we pen folk do owe company to honor its guarantee, only to see the company wiggle out of some consideration to our own). it probably does not feel as kindly towards the company after that. The The Decline and Fall of the Palmer Empire Although Palmer passed on in 1927, his firm survived him by sixty years. However, from the 1950s onward it entered a long period of slow decline. Several reasons account for the decline: detailed drill and emphasis on uniformity in students’ handwriting also did not go over well in a society that increasingly emphasized individual choices and permissiveness. The A. N. Palmer Company’s fortunes started to decline, and the firm eventually went into receivership. Macmillan Books bought the company’s 1. Trends in educational theory - The Palmer Company, like other, smaller assets, and has continued to make existing warehouse stock available in a handwriting companies of its era, had arisen when educators and most peo- slowly diminishing trickle as it exhausts its supplies. Macmillan has con- ple generally believed in using a cursive style for all handwriting instruction. firmed that it has no plans to print any more Palmer Method materials When other, smaller firms bowed to popular educational trends that dictated after it finishes selling the existing stock. The pennant summer 2006 Continued on page 38 15 ? 16 The Myst summer 2006 The pennant ery of Edward Todd When I first began the research for Mabie in America, one of my primary goals was to clear up all the confusion about the formation of the various Mabie companies, L by David Moak et’s begin by comparing John Mabie’s preparation for a life as an instrument manufacturer with Edward Todd’s. John Mabie was apprenticed to Thomas Addison, one of the premier pencil makers of his day, at about the age of 13. When his apprenticeship ended at the age of 21, he continued as a journeyman for three years. A journeyman is someone who is fully trained, but is continuing to work under a Master. Mabie then worked for another pencil maker, John Rauch, and became foreman of his shop.1 By the time Mabie entered into his first partnership in 1853, he had either trained or worked as a pencil manu- who the principals were, and the facturer for over 20 of his 34 years. In the following year he obtained a patent on timing of their relationships. I was a pencil and pen-holder that was a standard for the industry. fortunate to be able to complete for his brother-in-law in his mercantile business, which was located in Pittsburgh, Pa. this task. However, one of the joys He was also an agent for the jewelry manufacturers Churchill & Stanley, which and frustrations of the researcher is By contrast, Edward Todd’s start in business was as a peddler. He later worked was based in Todd’s home state of Connecticut. Todd’s first specific relationship with a pen manufacturer was his stint as traveling salesman for Bard Bros. & the discovery that answering one Co., of New York City.2 We don’t know the exact year he was hired, but Bard question often leads to many oth- Bros. & Co. didn’t open in New York until 1848. Assuming Edward Todd was ers. After establishing that Henry worked for them only 3 years, because the company failed in 1851.3 At the age Todd replaced his brother Edward as partner in Mabie, Todd & Co. when Edward left to start his own pen company, I couldn’t help but wonder how Edward Todd was able to learn enough about making pencils and pens to establish his reputation as a manufacturer. The main reason for my confusion is that there is really very little evidence that Edward Todd ever personally made a pencil or pen in his life. Opposite page: clockwise from top right: Edward Todd; New York Daily Times public notice of the formation of H. H. Houghton & Co.; New York Daily Times public notice for the dissolution of A. G. Bagley & Co. Right: A. G. Bagley gold-filled pencil and pen holder, patented January 1, 1850. The pennant summer 2006 with the Bards from the beginning of their time in New York City, he could have when Edward Todd began as a traveling salesman, John Mabie had completed a 7 year apprenticeship and was continuing his work as a journeyman. I think it can be reasonably assumed that a traveling salesman has little time to learn the highly skilled task of making nibs (the Bards made only nibs, not pencils). When Bard Bros. & Co. failed in 1851, two of their employees, William P. Smith and Edward Todd, bought out the company and formed Smith & Todd.4 As one would expect, Smith & Todd, like the Bard Brothers, were in the business of producing nibs only. In 1856, Mabie, Smith & Co. was formed. Todd was one of the partners. Eventually he became a partner in the first formation of Mabie, Todd & Co. in 1860. This is a very simplified account of the beginnings of Mabie, Todd & Co. The point is that Edward Todd was a successful businessman whose primary experience was in selling. You don’t make someone a senior partner and then spend years teaching him to make pencils. It would be a colossal waste of time, not to mention a waste of Todd’s talent. Todd evidently had a good head for business. In May of 1852, the R. G. Dun Company (later to become Dun & Bradstreet) reported of Smith & Todd: “…at present they consider to worth themselves 7 to 8m$ ($7,000-$8,000) and are doing a good business of 30m$ ($30,000) a year…are careful, prudent, saving young men.”5 So how did Edward Todd have time to learn how to make beautiful writing instruments? I don’t think he did. A few months ago, I found a reference to a small piece in The Jeweler’s Circular Weekly of February 5, 1919, which states, among other things, that Edward Todd bought Newton Kurtz & Co.6 Phil Schatz was kind enough to go to the library and furnish me with a copy of the article. 17 One must bear in mind that the article was written some 50 years after the afore-referenced Above: unmarked gold-filled sale reportedly took place. Similar articles from the same source, written from the distance of some pen holder with a Newton, Kurtz years, have been shown to be in error.7 There are errors of name and date in this account as well, but there is enough information to follow the trail. Simply put, the article states that C. F. Newton was successor to E. G. Bagley, and that Todd purchased C. F. Newton & Co. The Bagley in question would have been A. G. Bagley, not E. G. Bagley. Bagley and John Mabie were arguably the first American pencil makers whose work moved beyond well-made utilitarian writing instruments into the realm of artistic design. Public announcements from contemporary newspapers and entries in New York City directories further document the progression of events leading up to the formation of Edward Todd & Co. in 1871: & Co. nib. Kurtz & Monaghan 14K retractable toothpick and earspoon. Opposite page: top, Magnificent 14K hand-engraved Edward Todd pencil and pen holder; Center, close-up of pens on this page; bottom, Red hard rubber Newton, Kurtz & Co. pencil and pen holder, from the collection of George Kovalenko. • December 31, 1855 marks the dissolution of A. G. Bagley & Co. The following day a new partnership is formed, in which C. F. Newton joins as partner in a new business venture: Bagley, Houghton & Co. The senior partners are A. G. Bagley and H. H. Houghton. • Four months later, in April of 1856, H. H. Houghton buys out A. G. Bagley but keeps C. F. Newton as partner. The business is now named H. H. Houghton & Co. • In 1859, C. F. Newton & Co. makes its first appearance as a pen maker in the New York City directory. Kellar Kurtz and Joseph Monaghan are also listed as working at that address and, in the manner of the making of these directories, could be assumed to have been employed by the company. In 1867, C. F. Newton & Co. is no longer listed, but Newton, Kurtz & Co. 18 summer 2006 The pennant appears. In 1868, Edward Todd leaves Mabie, Todd & Co. The 1868 directory no longer lists Newton, Kurtz & Co., but Kurtz & Monaghan does appear. In 1871, Kurtz & Monaghan no longer appears and Edward Todd first appears on his own.8 A portion of Mabie in America that has received a good deal of comment is a map showing the location of many early New York City pen and pencil manufacturers. They were all within a few blocks of each other. At that time, the formation of simple partnerships required no filing of legal documents or public notices (though the later step was sometimes taken). It so happens that Bagley, Houghton & Co.; H. H. Houghton & Co.; C. F. Newton & Company; Newton, Kurtz & Co.; Kurtz & Monaghan; and Edward Todd & Co. were all located at 1 Maiden Lane. As one listing disappears from the city directory, it is replaced by the following. The building that now stands at 1 Maiden Lane and Broadway, known as the Cushman Building, was completed in 1898, the year Edward Todd & Co. first incorporated. The chronology for the address at which Edward Todd first appears is as follows: The pennant 1856 Bagley, Houghton & Co. 9 1 Maiden Lane 1856 became H. H. Houghton & Co. 1 Maiden Lane 1859 became C. F. Newton & Co. 1 Maiden Lane 1867 became Newton, Kurtz & Co. 1 Maiden Lane 1868 became Kurtz & Monaghan 1 Maiden Lane 1871 became Edward Todd & Co. 1 Maiden Lane summer 2006 19 The supposition that some of Edward Todd & Co.’s pencils were made by William S. Hicks and by his former partners at Mabie, Todd & Co. has References: been put forth in the past, due to the similarities in design, which at times 1. Clayton, W. Woodford, Comp. History of Bergen and are indistinguishable from each other. It may well be true. That this group of Passaic Counties, New Jersey, with Biographical Sketches of pen manufacturing competitors was very well known to each other is further many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men. Philadelphia: illustrated by the fact that George W. Mabie is listed as a witness on Joseph Everts & Peck, 1882. 255-256. Monaghan’s only patent. Whether or not Edward Todd was a maker of pens 2. R.G. Dun & Co. Collection, Baker Library, Harvard and pencils himself remains speculative,10 but it is at least clear that, with the Business School. New York, Vol. 368, p. 417 purchase of an existing pen and pencil case manufacturer, he had only to sup- 3. R.G. Dun & Co. Collection, Baker Library, Harvard ply the complete understanding of that business and the leadership necessary Business School. New York, Vol. 368, p. 417 to make it a continuing success. This in no way diminishes his contribution. 4. R.G. Dun & Co. Collection, Baker Library, Harvard There was an unbelievable amount of competition in this arena of commerce. Business School. New York, Vol. 368, p. 417 In the late 1800s, pen manufacturers were springing up everywhere. Newspapers 5. R.G. Dun & Co. Collection, Baker Library, Harvard of the day contain many, many notices and advertisements referring to pen and Business School. New York, Vol. 368, p. 417 pencil manufacturers whose names mean nothing to us today. As a shrewd busi- 6. Deb Crosby, in Victorian Pencils, Tools to Jewels. nessman, rather than a craftsman, Edward Todd stands in the company of L. E. Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 1998. 204-207, covers some of Waterman, Walter A. Sheaffer, and others. Edward Todd & Co. produced some this same information. Her book represents the first beautiful writing instruments. Todd’s business acumen is further illustrated by attempt to provide solid historical information on his role in the founding of the Brooklyn Life Insurance Co. Announcements in the early pencil makers. At the time of its publica- the New York Times list him as a board member of that institution (1863) as well tion, much of what we now know of the history of the as of the Croton Fire Insurance Company of the City of New York (1863). Once Mabie-related companies was unavailable. I believe again, this brief bit of information points to the need of following up on several some of her conclusions and information may be ✍ in error in light of the subsequent research that her avenues of research. Just when I thought I was safe… book helped to spark. All rights reserved by the author. 7. In 1895, George Mabie felt the need to print a small leaflet correcting historical information about Mabie, Todd & Bard which had appeared in The Jeweler’s Circular Weekly earlier that year. 8. Trow’s New-York City Directory. H. Wilson compiler. (New York: J. F. Trow publisher) (1859-1871). According to Deb Crosby (see above reference), Edward Todd went to Europe with his family for an unknown period of time after leaving Mabie Todd & Co. Perhaps he was weighing his options. Although his resignation from the partnership was publicly announced in 1868, he was listed in city directories as working at the Mabie, Todd & Co. location as late as 1870. 9. The Maiden Lane address was the final address for Bagley. Previously, the company was located on Broadway. Two Mabie Todd handengraved 14K combination dip pen and pencil holders. Left, engraved “Gratitude” and right, “Golden Wedding.” 10. Mabie, Smith & Co. apparently represents the first foray into nib making of any of the Mabie companies. I have no proof that Edward Todd could not make a nib, it just seems unlikely. In fairness, there are three patents granted to Edward Todd, two for pencil cases and one for a stylographic pen. 20 summer 2006 The pennant green Ink Color Trivia glorious! by Rhonda J. Foster Thick ink, thin ink. Red ink, blue ink. There is always some controversy about which is the best ink, which flows the most smoothly, which is the most attractive shade. But what can we discover about green colored ink? After a recent internet discussion on the lore and symbolism of green ink, I set out to discover what the facts were. What I discovered was a compendia of green ink trivia that would win you a place on any television quiz show—if they asked questions about ink, that is. How many times have you paid for a purchase, counting out the currency without a second thought? Even though debit cards and checks seem to be more often in use, old-fashioned cash still has a place in our economy. Continued on page 45 The pennant summer 2006 21 THE SHEAFFER CONNAISSEUR 1985-1996 By Dennis Bowden introduction History Readers of The Pennant do not normally Sheaffer filed for trademark protection of the expect to find an article on a pen made within the "Connaisseur" name (the French spelling for those of last 20 years. The Sheaffer Connaisseur, too new to you who wonder about the odd spelling) on August 20, be “vintage,” yet despite being a cartridge converter 1985, claiming first use in commerce on March 8, 1985. pen, not quite “modern,” is the exception explored Trademark registration occurred March 18, 1986.4 The here. A pen Walter A. Sheaffer would be proud to Connaisseur first appeared in the Sheaffer catalog in 19865, find bearing his name, the Connaisseur is “Purely tra- with a monotone 18K nib, housed in a silver colored Sheaffer ditional. Purely classic. Purely of the 1920’s”1, right. gift box. Accessories included a squeeze-type converter and a Sixteen years before the appearance of the box of five Sheaffer cartridges (below). The list price for the Connaisseur line, Sheaffer reintroduced classic flat Connaisseur, available only in black, was $100. A matching top styling in the lower cost NoNonsense pen, a steel twist action ballpoint was available at a list price of $45.6 nibbed cartridge converter pen still in production today.2 My love affair with the Connaisseur began two years later. The 1980s ushered in a renewed interest in fountain Up to then, I had only one fountain pen, a sterling silver Parker pens and the major manufacturers moved to capitalize 75 that had been my daily workhorse since 1975. Although I had on that interest, Sheaffer with the Connaisseur, Parker never before seen a vintage Sheaffer, it was love at first sight, the with the Duofold and Waterman with the Man 100 line; main attraction being its appearance and styling. The Connaisseur fountain pen and ballpoint arrived as a Christmas gift and became all were designed to evoke classic fountain pen styling. my daily users for many following years. The Connaisseur, and the later Grand Connaisseur, models offer the collector an opportunity to assemble a collection encompassing all the colors, finishes, materials Above, vintage Sheaffer Flattop (left) with Sheaffer Connaisseur. Below, Connaisseur in gift box. and design variations without taking a second mortgage on the family home. Connaisseurs are new enough to still be found with a fair degree of ease and old enough to provide an interesting collection. As anyone who has used a Connaisseur knows, the added bonus is a great writing pen that performs superbly. Credit for the conception of the Connaisseur is claimed by former Sheaffer employee and current P.C.A. Librarian, Dan Reppert. 3 Around 1983, Dan, then a Sheaffer employee, proposed the concept of an upgraded NoNonsense pen as a higher line writing instrument. According to Dan, the idea was not well received, at least on the surface, and shortly thereafter, Dan left Sheaffer for two years. On his return to Sheaffer employment, Dan found he had missed the birth of the Connaisseur and that it was already on the shelf, ready to be shipped. 22 summer 2006 The pennant On the other hand, 1989 was a year of major change in the line. Perhaps prompted by Parker’s release of the Duofold in the previous year, Sheaffer introduced the more prestigious (and costly) Grand Connaisseur pens.8 Standard Connaisseur list prices increased to $125, a 25% markup. New packaging featured a gray leather-like gift box with a new insert. As before, a converter and box of cartridges were included as was a lifetime guarantee card (left ). The major news was the introduction of the Grand Connaisseur pens in Black Laque and Tortoiseshell Laque, with a new, larger, Palladium masked nib. Unlike the standard plastic barrel and cap pens, the Grand models were constructed with a lacquered brass sleeve over the inner plastic barrel, adding considerable heft to the pen (below). The Grand pens came at a considerable premium, priced at $275, more than double the standard Connaisseur price. Connaisseur with converter, box of cartridges and guarantee card. By 1991, the price of a standard Connaisseur had increased to $200, and the Cobalt Blue was no longer a catalog color, leaving black and burgundy.9 Also appearing in that In May, 1988, two new colors, burgundy and blue (later named Cobalt catalog, priced between the standard and Grand Connaisseur models at Blue), were introduced to the Connaisseur line, joining the original black. $250, was the Black Herringbone. A very attractive pen with “chasing” List prices were maintained at previous levels. reminiscent of the chased hard rubber pens of earlier years, the Black 7 The Grand Connaisseur, introduced in 1989. The pennant summer 2006 23 Herringbone is probably the most elusive longer listed.11 No further price increases came during the remaining of the standard Connaisseurs and com- three years, and the Tortoiseshell Laque Grand Connaisseur was gone mands a premium of 50% or more over the from the catalog by 1995.12 As far as can be determined to date, 1996 other standard models when found (left). was the last year any of the Connaisseur pens appeared in the Sheaffer Two additional Grand Connaisseurs catalog. Table 1 summarizes the Connaisseur models. also were shown in the 1991 catalog. Joining the original Black and Tortoiseshell Model Color Years Laque pens, now priced at $375 each, were 810-0 Black 1985-96 a fluted sterling silver and a 23K gold elec- 811-0 Burgundy 1988-92 troplated pens, priced, respectively at $550 812-0 Cobalt Blue 1988-90 and $450. Connaisseur packaging was 813-0 Ivy Green 1995-96 again changed, to the familiar Sheaffer red 815-0 Herringbone 1991-92 820-0 Black Laque 1989-96 821-0 Tortoiseshell 1989-93 822-0 23k Gold EP 1991-96 823-0 Sterling Silver 1991-96 instead of the earlier gray. Joining the black and burgundy colors in the standard Connaisseur line in 1992 was the last new color to be introduced: Ivy Green. Prices remained unchanged on the standard line and the Black Herringbone. Grand Connaisseur prices Where’s the Beef? were again increased, with the top-of- If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably wondering what could possibly line sterling silver model increased be so interesting about a modern technology fountain pen, albeit one with In 1993 there was another classic era styling. Along with being excellent, reliable performers, during round of price increases, with the black its brief ten-year life span the Connaisseur underwent minor revisions that and Ivy Green models going to $210 and provide a number of variations for the collector to seek out. Nibs, sections, the sterling silver Grand Connaisseur clips, and cap bands all show changes and in the following paragraphs I increasing to $600. The burgundy and will try to describe and illustrate these varieties and how they help place a Black Herringbone models were no Connaisseur in its proper place in the timeline. to $575. The Black Herringbone Connaisseur. Table 1. Connaisseur Models, 1985-1996. The 81x series was the Standard Connaisseur line, while the 82x series designated the Grand Connaisseur models. 10 Nibs and Sections At the business end of the pen, Sheaffer utilized four different nibs and sections (front ends) in the Connaisseur Collection as shown at left, and the type may be key to determining the relative age of a particular Connaisseur. Types I and II were utilized in the standard Connaisseur pens while Types III and IV are unique to the Grand Connaisseur models. The Type I and III front ends have a threaded metal sleeve at the end that encloses the installed cartridge or converter while Types II and IV do not, leaving the nipple exposed. The threads were moved to the plastic portion of the section on Types III and IV. The Type I and III front ends are often seen with a number stamped into the metal sleeve (left). Whether this was a sequential Connaisseur nibs and sections, types I through IV. Metal sleeve, right. 24 serial number or a control number of some sort is unknown. The Type I secsummer 2006 The pennant “1920” imprint disappeared at the same time. It is logical from an economic standpoint to standardize on one nib and section, with the Grand Connaisseur version being distinguished by its twotone mask. It appears that 1991 saw the appearance of the Types II and IV section. The various Sheaffer catalogs list available nib sizes as extra-fine, fine, medium, broad, stub and oblique, although not all sizes are listed each year.13 Finally, it should be noted that the Sheaffer Royal Selangor Asia Series Bamboo, introduced in 1996 at the end of the life of the Connaisseur, uses the same front end (Type IV) as the later production Grand Connaisseurs. And, although the nibs are different, the Balance II sections also fit the Connaisseur and Grand Connaisseur barrels, and have been used by Sheaffer as replacements for damaged Connaisseur Connaisseur cap bands and clips. sections. tion shown in the picture, is from an early standard Connaisseur that I Cap Bands and Clips acquired with the box and papers, including the $100 retail price tag, indi- Moving up to the cap, three cap band variations have been observed on cating pre-1989 production. The nib width was indicated by a screened the standard Connaisseur, while Grand Connaisseurs have a common cap letter on the plastic portion of the section as is commonly seen in contem- band, except for the country of manufacture marking (page 26). porary Sheaffer pens. One sure test to determine whether the original sec- In the course of collecting and researching the Connaisseur, I have tion in a standard Connaisseur is a Type I is to try threading one of those seen only one example of the Type I cap band, although others undoubt- types into the barrel. The pens originally equipped with a Type II front edly exist. The Type I banding consists of one 3 mm gold plated band and end will not accommodate the Type I unit. The same does not seem to be one 1 mm gold plated band, separated by an approximately 1mm band true with the Grand Connaisseur models. that looks to be black lacquer. The bottom band stops just short of the cap The first two Grand Connaisseur models, the Black and Tortoiseshell lip. Unique to this type is the absence of an imprint of any kind. The one Laque pens introduced in 1989, seem to have been fitted with the Type example seen is coupled with a clip bearing the "SHEAFFER" imprint in III front ends, while the later two, the 23K gold plated and the sterling small block letters. silver models came equipped with the Type IV units. What has been designated as the Type II cap band is identical in size Three nib variations exist in the Connaisseur pens. The all-gold and shape to the Type I but has “SHEAFFER” imprinted on the upper 18K nib is found in the standard Connaisseur pens in both Types I and band in block letters directly below the clip and “U.S.A.” 180 degrees away. II front ends. The original Grand Connaisseur nib (Type III) is larger The Type III is distinguished from the Types I and II in two ways. First, and bears a different imprint and a Palladium mask to give a two-tone the size of the Sheaffer imprint has been reduced and the font changed effect; “1920” was added to the nib imprint, though I’m not certain to a cursive using both upper and lower case letters, thus it appears as what significance that year would have to Sheaffer. With the addition "Sheaffer." The U.S.A. was also changed to a cursive font: "U.S.A." Second, in 1991 of the 23K gold plated and sterling silver Grand Connaisseurs, the band was lengthened and sloped to the edge of the cap lip. the Grand Connaisseur nib shrank back to the same size nib as the The Type III band appears on all Grand Connaisseurs and many standard Connaisseur nib, identical except for the two-tone mask. The standard Connaisseurs. When the Type III band appeared on the Grand The pennant summer 2006 25 other two caps shown below are from the lower line NoNonsense pens, one silver-colored and one gold-plated. Note the similarity with the Connaisseur clip shown on the far right. All the clips measure 3.8 cm in length. Exactly when the Type I clip and cap band were used is not known, but a piece of camera-ready line art dated 5/89 (see photo, far right), intended for Connaisseur advertising, illustrates the Connaisseur clip with what appears to be the “SHEAFFER” imprint (opposite page). All available catalogs, however, have photographs of pens with the plain clip without any imprint. Sheaffer/Levenger Models Although Sheaffer dropped the Connaisseur collection from the lineup, the Connaisseur style lived on for several years in the form of the Sheaffer/Levenger (“Seas”) Connaisseur. Featuring 14K instead of 18K nibs, the pens were offered in a variety of translucent colors and at least two Grand Connaisseur models were offered with lacquered barrels and Palladium caps. The Sheaffer/Levenger pens offer enough variety that to cover them here is not practical. Type III cap bands showing country of origin. Connaisseurs in 1989, I had thought that it also replaced the standard Connaisseur cap band at the same time. Subsequent observation however, shows that, like many changes made to fountain pen design, there was apparently no hard line for the change. Instead, the Type II band was used at least as late as 1991. The herringbone pattern standard Connaisseur was introduced in 1991 and has been observed with both the Type II and Type III bands. The value in dating a standard Connaisseur by the cap band type is therefore limited. The presence of a Type III band indicates production in 1989 or later, while a Type II band can be found on pens produced until at least 1991. Grand Connaisseurs were produced in both the United States and England, and the country of origin is imprinted on the Type III bands opposite the clip (page 25). Moving up the cap, only two clip types have been observed. Identical in size and shape, the most common is the plain clip without any imprint of any kind. Less common is the clip shown with “SHEAFFER” imprinted in small block letters (right). I have seen only one of these, and it was coupled with the plain unmarked cap band designated as Type I, above. The 26 NoNonsense clips (left and center) and Connaisseur clip (right) with "SHEAFFER" stamp. summer 2006 The pennant The information in this article is current as of May 2006. As with the study of any brand or model, new information may surface at anytime that may contradict what is written here. I welcome any correction of factual errors. Special thanks to Dan Reppert who took the time to research his personal collection. References: 1. Sheaffer White Dot Writing Instruments and Desk Accessories catalog, p.10, 1995. 2. See http://www.penhero.com/PenGallery/ Sheaffer/SheafferNoNonsense.htm for a history of the NoNonsense. 3. Conversations and emails between the author and Dan Reppert in 2005 and 2006. 4. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, http:// w w w.u s p t o. g ov / m a i n / t ra d e m a rk s . ht m , Registration number 1386776. 5. Sheaffer Eaton Fine Writing Instruments & Accessories catalog, printed 12/85. 6. The author is in possession of the original sales receipt for his first Connaisseur fountain pen and ballpoint. The price paid on 12-07-87, was $29.97 for the ballpoint and $59.97 for the fountain pen, a discount of nearly 40% off list. 7. Sheaffer “ White Dot” price list effective May 1, 1988. The burgundy and blue standard Connaisseurs are marked “NEW.” 8. Connaisseur Collection “sell sheet” and White Dot Writing Instruments catalog dated 5/89, courtesy of Dan Reppert. This is the only use of the name “Grande” Connaisseur observed. Camera-ready line art showing clip with "SHEAFFER" stamp. 9. Sheaffer White Dot Writing Instrument Collection 1991, Retail Price List, 4/91. Collecting the Connaisseur 10. Sheaffer 1992 Retail Price List, 3/1/92. With the variety of colors, patterns and materials, the Sheaffer Connaisseur and Grand 11. Sheaffer 1993 Retail Price List, 3/1/93. Connaisseur pens offer the collector the opportunity of acquiring a complete collection, 12. Sheaffer Retail Price List, 1/1/95. including the minor variations in clips and cap bands, without mortgaging the family 13. Sheaffer catalog for 1991, for example. home. As modern pens with classic styling, the Connaisseurs have the added bonus of However, the 1988 catalog, printed 11/87, lists being great writers. The challenge of completing the set is not so great as to be over- only the EF, F, M, and B nibs. whelming, and the basic black standard Connaisseur can often be had for less than $100, complete with box and papers. Even the most elusive model, the herringbone pattern, can still be found for less than the price of many other, more common pens. So, whether you are just looking for a dependable writer with classic good looks or enjoy the collecting of varieties, the Sheaffer Connaisseur fills the bill. ✍ All rights reserved by the author. The pennant summer 2006 27 after WW II by Giovanni Abrate Part II In the last issue, Aurora emerged from WWII with the introduction of the timeless 88. This concluding installment continues the story of Aurora’s growth in the post-88 era up to 1970. The Auretta School Pen sions of the nozzle (mouth) to avoid legal action by Aurora. The Auretta looked streamlined and modern and reprised some of the styling motifs of the 88P. Made entirely of plastics, the Auretta was a sturdy pen that could withstand the daily abuses of schoolchildren and was fitted with a semi-hooded steel nib that wrote smoothly and reliably (Fig. 1). The section was reminiscent of the one used in the 98, a pen which had recently been launched and that was to be, in Aurora’s plans, the new flagship and a valid competitor for the new Parker 61. The barrel sported an end jewel similar to the one used in the DuoCart. Just one look and people knew they In the 1950s, Italian students had to use a fountain pen until were looking at an Aurora pen, and the build quality did not disappoint. The they reached high school. The fountain pen that was most sought Auretta was immediately successful and sold in huge quantities. The original after by Italian students at the time was the classic Pelikan 120, Auretta of 1964 was made in grey or black polystyrene, with chrome trim. green and black, totally reliable and filled from a bottle. Pelikans After a few years the Auretta was given a face-lift. The shape remained practi- were so popular in Italy that a production line was set up in cally unchanged, but the pen was made a little shorter and was made of a new Milan by the parent company. Those students who could not plastic material, more durable and scratch resistant and dubbed by Aurora as afford a Pelikan could choose a LUS Atomica, practical and very “Crack-proof.” With the new plastics, the Auretta introduced many new and inexpensive (you could buy 80 LUS Atomica pens for the cost bright colors. The pen was sold ready for use, with a cartridge already in place. of one Aurora 88), which used practical plastic cartridges. There This second variant of the Auretta remained in production for over fifteen were also several inexpensive piston-fill brands made in the town of Settimo Torinese, fitted with cheap, but workable nibs and using generally low grade components. These were assembled in huge numbers in many family-run workshops and sold in street markets, cheap department stores and small stationery shops. This scenario changed radically with the arrival on the scene of the Auretta. The Auretta was Aurora’s student pen, offering excellent writing qualities, modern styling and affordable pricing. The Auretta used plastic cartridges, with two cartridges held back-to-back in the barrel, in a configuration that was derived from the DuoCart (but the Auretta did not use a metal holder). This design was later adopted by Pelikan and several other manufacturers. The Auretta cartridges were smaller than those of the DuoCart and looked very similar to today’s “international size” cartridges, which were developed for the Pelikano and were clearly based on the design of the Auretta cartridge; Pelikan changed the dimen28 Fig. 1. The Auretta school pen. summer 2006 The pennant years. In the mid-1970s a new school pen was launched by Aurora and barrel. By pressing down on the metal “jewel” located at the top of the bar- was given the Auretta name, even though the pen was of a completely rel, it could be extracted and rotated to operate the piston filling mecha- new design and used a different nib (Fig. 2). The nib was designed to nism. After the filling operation was completed, a press of the thumb make it easier for ballpoint users to move to using this fountain pen: would retract the button to its stowed position. the tip of the nib was in the center of the cross section of the pen, like 2. The 98 offered the so called “Riserva Magica” (Magic Reserve) feature. the ball of a BIC stick pen. The plastic piston used to fill the pen featured a small receptacle that A New Flagship Pen is Born: Enter the Aurora 98 Riserva Magica. was used to trap a drop of ink. When the ink reservoir was empty, The early 1960s were eventful years in Italy and the world: Italy celebrated drop of ink trapped inside the receptacle in the piston came into con- the centenary of its unification with a World’s Fair in Turin, an occasion tact with the ink feed. This allowed the nib to draw enough ink for an to look back at the past of the city and the country and forward to the extra page or two of writing. The feature was quite successful, at least future achievements of science and technology. In the Soviet Union, Yuri as a marketing gimmick, and Parker adopted a similar device when it Gagarin’s space flight sparked a new interest in the cosmos and in space designed its ink cartridges for the Parker 45 (and all following Parker exploration. Fountain pens, in 1961, were already old fashioned. Struggling cartridge pens, to the present day). pen makers made an all-out effort to update their designs and project an image of forward-looking technology and futuristic design. Parker intro- the writer could lower the piston all the way down the barrel until the 3. The ink reservoir was made with a tapered cross section, which was wider at the section end and slightly narrower at the filler knob end. This enabled the pen to keep a very tight seal when Fig. 2. The Auretta Mk2 and Mk3. the piston was fully retracted, even after the piston had suffered some wear. This greatly extended the useful life of the plastic piston seal: it is not uncommon to find 98s these days that are still operating perfectly and show no signs of a leaking piston. The 98, appreciated for its balance and writing qualities, was a good pen and sold in good quantities. Unfortunately, Italy, like most of the Western world, was moving away from fountain pens and was embracing the many new ballpoint pen models, which offered maintenance-free writing in slender, practical pens that by the 1960s had become reliable and long lasting. Aurora introduced a stylish retractable ballpoint pen, which sold duced the Parker 61, the pen that “filled itself,” thanks to its capillary reservoir. Italian pen maker LUS presented the “Magica”, a pen that was filled with water and wrote with ink, thanks to an ingenious reservoir of ink pellets. Aurora started the design of its new flagship pen, the 98, in 1962, and the new pen was officially launched in 1963. It was an elegant pen, thin and slender like the Parker 61, and it could be filled, if not by itself, at least without the need to remove the barrel (Fig. 3 ). The 98 retained the general look of the 88, with a more streamlined and modern appearance due to its thinner barrel and its slightly more angular curves. The 98 introduced several innovative features: 1. The pen could be filled without having to remove its The pennant summer 2006 Fig. 3. The 98 Riserva Magica. 29 The Hastil In 1969 Aurora needed a new pen, in fact, a new image. The world was changing, man had reached the moon and society was going through an evolutionary turmoil. Nobody bought fountain pens anymore. The next Aurora pen had to be something new, exciting and revolutionary: a new flagship pen for the new decade. All experts advised Verona to produce a high-end ballpoint pen. After all, how could a fountain pen, an object considered passé, generate excitement in the buying public of 1970? If it failed, it might be the last Aurora fountain pen. Franco Verona took his inspiration from the Fig. 4. Cartridge version of the 98. way Aurora had developed the 88 in 1946 and decided to hire the top Italian industrial designer of well in spite of tough competition from such pens as the Parker Jotter, the time: Marco Zanuso. Zanuso had been a disciple of Marcello Nizzoli’s Ballograf Epoca and low priced pens from Pelikan and from local pen and had developed a personal style which was elegant almost to the point maker Universal, among many others. of minimalism (Fig. 6 ). His creation was a trendsetter; he called it the For Aurora, it was the beginning of a dark period, with dwindling Hastil (Italian for “endowed with style”) (Fig. 7). fountain pen sales that hurt the bottom line. Only the Auretta, with its The Hastil’s introduction had an incredible impact in Italy. It is steady sales at the beginning of each school year, kept Aurora afloat. The said that 98% of all Italian pen retailers bought the new pen. The pen 88 was still being produced, even while the 98 was being made. The 88 immediately became an objet d’art and it became the pen of choice of retained a core of passionate fans that preferred its stately looks to the newer, sleeker lines of the 98 (Fig. 4 ). A new variant of the 88 was introduced in the mid-sixties: it was made of a new, resilient plastic material and sported a “frosted” look. Both the plastic parts and the cap had a surface treatment that gave a non-reflective appearance to the pen and provided a pleasant, non-slip feel to the writer. A very similar finish was later adopted by the Lamy 2000 from Germany, a pen that was clearly inspired by the Italian pen (Fig. 5). Pressed by a rapidly shrinking market, Aurora modified the 98, simplifying its design and lowering its production costs. The new 98 was a cartridge pen, made of the same Fig.5. Late 88 and 98s with “frosted” finish. plastic as the frosted 88 and it was offered in a great number of different finishes. The workmanship suffered somewhat, architects, designers, successful executives, intellectuals and all those and the 98s of the late 1960s were not in the same class as the original Italians who loved simple lines and innovative design. The Hastil was “Riserva Magica” model of 1963. the first modern cylindrical pen. Like the Nizzoli 88 before it, the It looked like the end was approaching. Aurora was in trouble, and design concept of the Hastil extended beyond the pen, to its container. after 69 years of successes, the company was facing bankruptcy. The The cylindrical case was designed to complement the lines and capture owners, the Enriquez family who were related to the founder of Aurora, the essence of the pen. The design of the Hastil took Marco Zanuso decided to sell the company. The new owner was Franco Verona. and the Aurora project office over two years. The pen was so innova- 30 summer 2006 The pennant The nib was made of white gold and was offered in six different widths. The cap could be posted without causing scratches to the barrel thanks to a unique system of spacers and retaining tabs. The ink collector was oversized and designed for safe operation on aircraft. The pen used cartridges or a converter, which Aurora named “trik-trak.” The Hastil became a trendsetter and was probably the most copied pen of the ‘70s and ‘80s (Fig. 8). From the original Hastil, Aurora, over the years, would develop several variants, including gold guilloche’ pens, pens with lacquer over precious metals and other finishes that, frankly, go against the pure and essential sprit of the Zanuso design. The only exception, in my opinion, is the beautiful and understated “Flighter” version in steel with gold accents that was sold exclusively on board transatlantic flights of the Italian airline Alitalia. After the success of the Hastil fountain pen, Aurora introduced a ballpoint version of the same pen, with a telescopic retractable point. From the original 88 to the Hastil, from 1946 to 1970 Fig. 6. Some Zanuso designs. – twenty-four years, during which Aurora recovered from a tive that the New York Museum of Modern Art requested a pen from war that left it without even a factory, designed a classic pen, Aurora to place on permanent display. Aurora called the bright satin finish “Ecosteel Diamantato.” The clip, which was hinged and controlled by a spring mechanism, was made entirely of selenium steel, forged and hand finished. The clip mechanism was ultrasonically cleaned after assembly. The barrel and cap were first treated with a process called “Chromolight” by Aurora, then diamond etched (diamantatura), polished and finally given a satin finish. These three last operations were done entirely by hand. Fig. 8. The Hastil's timeless design. Fig 7. Zanuso's Hastil. the 88, which remained in production for over 20 years, invented the modern plastic cartridge and finally introduced a pen, the Hastil, which revolutionized the precepts of pen design. Aurora not only survived the postwar years but managed to produce innovative, groundbreaking pens that will influence writing instrument design for years to come. ✍ All rights reserved by the author. The pennant summer 2006 31 Taxonomy Late 1940s Sheaffer Models: 1947 by Jim Mamoulides The last issue chronicled Sheaffer’s transition from wartime to peacetime production, and described the 1946 pen line. This installment describes the 1947 line. 1947 – New Products Nineteen forty-seven was the year of the ballpoint. While Eversharp and Reynolds were fighting almost literally to the death over the Biro ballpoint, Sheaffer introduced the Stratowriter capped ballpoint across the entire line of pens, with its unique screw in cartridge. Almost every pen model had a complementary Stratowriter ballpoint, giving birth to the “threesome” pen, pencil and Stratowriter sets. Stratowriters were expensive, costing nearly as much as the pen, and were positioned in the line much as today’s 32 xxx summer 2006 The pennant capped rollerball pens are. The top of the line Stratowriter was the solid gold or gold-filled push button model, using a push-and-turn latching mechanism. Given simply the Stratowriter name, and it hinted at future pushbutton type ballpoint pens. The rest of the Stratowriters complemented the pen line with identical trim models, including the Triumph Stratowriter For Your Autograph, Triumph Tuckaway Stratowriter For Your Autograph, Crest De Luxe Stratowriter, Crest De Luxe Tuckaway Stratowriter, Sentinel De Luxe Stratowriter, Sentinel Tuckaway Stratowriter, Valiant Stratowriter, Valiant Tuckaway Stratowriter, and the all-gold-filled Stratowriter Tuckaway. Interestingly, Stratowriters were initially only offered in black. Another new development in the 1947 Sheaffer line was the Sentinel model. The 1947 Sentinel was Sheaffer’s first stainless steel cap pen, and the model name would stick with stainless steel cap pens through the Snorkel era. This Sentinel had a brushed stainless steel cap with a polished gold filled cap band and a gold filled clip. The Tuckaway Sentinel was essentially the same, except for the Tuckaway clip. The 1947 lineup was: White Dot pens No pencils have White Dots. Stratowriters are black only. All lever-fill pens are black only. The following models have 14 karat gold two-tone Triumph nibs: • Masterpiece—Solid 14 karat gold cap, clip and barrel, lever fill only, $100.00; matching pencil, $50.00; matching push-button solid 14 karat gold Stratowriter, $67.50. • Crest Masterpiece— Solid 14 karat gold cap, black Radite barrel, lever and vacuum-fil, $50.00; matching pencil, $25.00; matching push-button solid 14 karat gold Stratowriter, $67.50. • Triumph For Your Autograph—Black Radite cap and barrel, solid 14 karat gold clip and 9/16 inch cap band, lever and vacuum-fil, $20.00; matching pencil, $15.00; matching Stratowriter, $15.00. • Triumph Tuckaway For Your Autograph—Black Radite cap and barrel, solid 14 karat gold clip and 9/16 inch cap band, lever and vacuum-fil, $20.00; matching pencil, $15.00; matching Opposite page: top, Sheaffer Admiral and Valiant in gray striped celluloid; bottom left, Sheaffer Sentinel pen and pencil set; bottom right, Sheaffer Stratowriter Gold Filled and Sheaffer Masterpiece. This page: Sheaffer 1947 Catalog Images. The pennant summer 2006 Stratowriter, $15.00. • Crest DeLuxe—Gold filled cap and black or brown Radite barrel, lever and vacuum-fil, $17.50; matching pencil, $6.00; matching Stratowriter, $12.50. • Crest Tuckaway DeLuxe—Gold filled wavy line engraved cap and black or brown Radite barrel, lever and vacuum-fil, $17.50; matching pencil, $6.00; matching Stratowriter, $12.50. 33 • Sentinel DeLuxe—Brushed stainless steel cap with gold filled clip and 3/8 inch cap band and black, green or grey Radite barrel, lever and vacuum-fil, $15.00; matching pencil, $5.00; matching Stratowriter, $10.00. • Sentinel Tuckaway—Brushed stainless steel cap with gold filled clip and 3/8 inch cap band and black, green or grey Radite barrel, lever and vacuum-fil, $15.00; matching pencil, $5.00; matching Stratowriter, $10.00. • Valiant—Radite cap and barrel in black, brown, green, carmine, and grey (chrome trim), gold filled clip and 9/16 inch cap band, lever (black only) and vacuum-fil, $12.50; matching pencil, $5.00; matching Stratowriter, $10.00. • Valiant Tuckaway—Radite cap and barrel in black, brown, green, carmine, and grey (chrome trim), gold filled clip and 9/16 inch cap band, lever (black only) and vacuum-fil, $12.50; matching pencil, $5.00; matching Stratowriter, $10.00. • Statesman—Radite cap and barrel in black, brown, green, carmine, and grey (chrome trim), gold filled clip and 3/8 inch cap band, lever (black only) and vacuum-fil, $10.00; matching pencil, $4.00. • Tuckaway—Radite cap and barrel in black, brown, green, carmine, and grey (chrome trim), gold filled clip and 3/8 inch cap band, lever (black only) and vacuum-fil, $10.00; matching pencil, $4.00. The following models have open two-tone 14 karat gold nibs: • Sovereign— Radite cap and barrel in black, brown, green, carmine, and grey (chrome trim), gold filled SHEAFFER’S stamped clip and 3/8 inch cap band, lever (black only) and vacuum-fil, $8.75; matching pencil, $4.00. 34 Sheaffer 1947 Catalog Images. summer 2006 The pennant • Lady Sheaffer (Tuckaway)—Radite cap and barrel in black, brown, green, carmine, and grey (chrome trim), gold filled SHEAFFER’S stamped clip and 3/8 inch cap band, lever (black only) and vacuum-fil, $8.75; matching pencil, $4.00. Non White-Dot pens The following pen has a 14 karat gold twotone open nib: • Admiral—Radite cap and barrel in black, brown, green, carmine, and grey (chrome trim), gold filled SHEAFFER’S stamped clip and 1/16 inch cap band, lever fill only, $5.00; matching pencil, $3.00. The following pen has a 14 karat gold #33 open nib: • Craftsman—Radite cap and barrel in black, brown, green, carmine, and grey (chrome trim), gold filled SHEAFFER’S stamped clip and 1/16 inch cap band, lever fill only, $3.50; matching pencil, $3.00. There were three Stratowriter models. The push button pen came in solid 14 karat gold and gold filled ($15.00). There was also a clipless Tuckaway type gold filled model ($15.00). Next Issue: Sheaffer’s 1948 models. ✍ All rights reserved by the author. References: 1946 Sheaffer Catalog, Sheaffer Pen Corporation, Fort Madison, Iowa, USA; 1947 Sheaffer Catalog, Sheaffer Pen Corporation, Fort Madison, Iowa, USA; Sheaffer’s Review, January 1948, Sheaffer Pen Corporation, Fort Madison, Iowa, USA; Sheaffer’s Review, March 1948, Sheaffer Pen Corporation, Fort Madison, Iowa, USA; “But I Was Just Getting Used To It At The Top,” Daniel Kirchheimer, The Pennant, Sheaffer 1947 Catalog Images. The pennant summer 2006 Spring / Summer 2004. 35 CryptoPENology Iv: Myths of a lifetime, Part I by Daniel Kirchheimer The Conventional Wisdom demolition team goes to work on some widely-held beliefs regarding Sheaffer’s Lifetime Pens In last issue’s Cryptopenology column, I alluded to one of the most Here’s another example: entrenched ‘facts’ in the lore of fountain pen history: the striking down “In 1921 [sic] Sheaffer startled the writing instrument world by of Sheaffer’s Lifetime Guarantee by the United States Federal Trade introducing a pen priced at $8.75 – three times as much as the price Commission on the grounds that the company couldn’t possibly back up of competitive products.” such a wild promise. In this two- Online sources offer similar charac- part series, I’ll explore that issue, terizations; here is a sampling: along with a couple of other bits of “Sheaffer took a bold step in questionable knowledge surrounding 1920 when it released the $8.75 Lifetime pens. Lifetime model – more than The Lifetime Legend twice the price of other compa- Here, in a nutshell, is the conven- rable pens on the market.” tional wisdom regarding the Sheaffer “ The ‘Lifetime’ pen, as it was Lifetime guarantee: In 1920, radi- called, went on sale in about cally departing from established 1920 for prices starting at $8.75 industry norms, Sheaffer intro- -- twice or more what Sheaffer duced a pen that was guaranteed for asked for comparable non-Life- life from top to bottom, and they time models ….” priced it at triple what the equivalent Coupled with the widely- non-guaranteed pen cost. Sheaffer held belief that the new pen was exploited this industry-leading policy guaranteed for life from stem to until 1947, when the Federal Trade stern (more on that later), the Commission ruled that the Lifetime clear impression one forms is that guarantee was deceptive because Sheaffer doubled or tripled the Sheaffer could not possibly back it price of an otherwise-comparable up, and the company was ordered to item in recognition of the value – cease offering their famous policy. and cost – of that unprecedented The reality, as we often discover, is guarantee they were adding. quite a bit different… The reality is rather different. Myth #1: The “Groundbreakingly In fact, the least expensive clip pen High Price Point” Myth sold under the Sheaffer name at the Kind of a mixed metaphor there, eh? Sheaffer 1921 advertisement Sorry, but I’m on deadline. Regarding time – the model 2C, where ‘2’ represented the nib size – cost $2.75, the subject at hand, this much is not in dispute: Sheaffer introduced their according to the 1920 catalog (though, admittedly, that item might also Lifetime pen in 1920, and the price of the first model to appear in catalogs and have been their most popular). However, larger models cost more, and at ads that year was $8.75. With respect to this price, many sources, both online the upper end, size-wise, was Sheaffer’s model 8C with a generous No. 8 and in print, make statements similar to the following, found in a book about point (the ‘C’ indicated that the pen was chased). This model, which was fountain pens: identical to the $8.75 Lifetime pen save for the nib and guarantee, was “In 1920 the first Lifetime pen was introduced. Prices for the range priced at $8.25, but if a buyer wanted the pen fitted with a manifold nib, were quite high, the lowest selling at $8.75, about three times as there was a $0.50 surcharge, bringing the price up to that very same $8.75. much as competitor’s products.” This is no coincidence, as the Lifetime nib was, for all practical purposes, 36 summer 2006 The pennant just a manifold nib with a ‘LIFETIME’ imprint. this myth; they certainly propagated it, as it shows black chased model 26-1/2, for example, was Sheaffer even used the same model number for up in materials the company disseminated in the $6.75 when equipped with a gold filled clip, and the equivalent model of the new pen, desig- 1970s. However, identifying the genesis and spread the larger pens in the model 28 series were even nating it the 8C Lifetime. Indeed, at least one of this falsehood is beyond the scope of this col- more costly than the Duofold. In fact, Parker period advertisement for the Lifetime pen used umn (deadline, remember?). advertising plays up not the high cost of the its non-lifetime twin (see illustration on page By the way, Sheaffer’s Lifetime is not the new pen, but it’s relatively low cost; one 1921 ad 36). Sheaffer did not attempt to associate cachet only pen to be subject to a characterization of makes a point of explaining why the pen is so with, or offer a justification for, the pen’s high this sort; similar assertions are also seen in ref- inexpensive: price (as did Montblanc during a campaign in erence information regarding the marketing of “Measured by fountain pen standards the 1970s, when they facetiously asked, “A foun- Parker’s Duofold: this Over-size beauty is a $10 pen for $7. tain pen for $75? Who needs it!”), Our price is possible only because the and 1921 Sheaffer ads gave the price Duofold’s boundless popularity has as “only $8.75.” afforded us large quantity production, Far from pricing the new model at thus scaled down the cost per pen.” “twice or more what Sheaffer asked Far from being ‘over twice the going for comparable non-Lifetime models” rate for pens at the time’, the new Duofold to subsidize their guarantee cover- was actually less expensive than Sheaffer’s age, Sheaffer actually priced the pen Lifetime pen that had appeared the year exactly the same as the comparably- before. configured item from their non-Life- Myth #2: time line, in effect charging nothing Guaranteed” Myth extra for the Lifetime coverage. As alluded to above, it is widely believed “ The Whole Pen Is As with many myths, this one may that Sheaffer’s Lifetime guarantee delivered have sprouted from a kernel of truth. It bumper-to-bumper coverage. One online is not unreasonable that Sheaffer did reference page says, succeed in altering the pen market (for “Sheaffer determined to address this all makers) in a quantum way by estab- perception head on [that pens did not lishing a sharply higher price level for enjoy a surpassingly good reputation mainstream offerings, and that market for reliability] by creating a pen that shift was permanent. Therefore, it may was even more expensive, but that car- be accurate to say, as Time magazine ried a nearly unconditional lifetime guarantee.” did in 1935, that the Lifetime “was the first standard high-priced fountain pen Sheaffer 1945 advertisement In truth, when the Lifetime pen was introduced, only the super-stiff manifold launched on what had always been a low-priced market,” and even Sheaffer themselves “Parker priced the new pen at over twice point was guaranteed, and that limited level advertised in 1926 that “the world pays more for the going rate for pens at the time: US of coverage did not change for half a decade. a Sheaffer fountain pen than for any other,” but $7.00 ….” Again, there is an identifiable reason why this that is a far cry from the picture usually painted of Again, an examination of Parker’s line at the myth evolved; in 1925, according to FTC doc- the Lifetime pen appearing at double or triple the time of the introduction of the Duofold shows uments from 1945, Sheaffer did expand the cost of equivalent non-guaranteed pens. Sheaffer’s that they offered pens of similar size and trim promise to cover the whole pen due to its per- own publicity machine may even have launched for about the same price. Their similarly-sized ceived increased durability, as it was now made The pennant summer 2006 37 of Radite (celluloid) rather than of hard rubber. One 1926 ad proclaims, “For the first time a device has been absolutely guaranteed for a lifetime. No cost for repairs.” Another declares, “No repair costs for the pen that has Palmer, Continued from page 15 The Palmer Method Today the little white dot.” In fact, it may just be this quiet move that is the most The A.N. Palmer Company folded almost two decades ago; it no longer trains teachers, and its method no longer pervades classrooms, but materials and style samples remain available, here and there, for the convenience of those who admire this style and wish to perpetuate it. Today, and for a couple of years more at least, one can still occasionally purchase 1970s/1980s Palmer Method materials through Macmillan. On eBay and other Internet auction houses, one can also purchase recent or earlier Palmer Method materials, new or used. The 1970s/1980s materials differ from the earlier editions mostly in a few details of letter formation and in the inclusion of a print style for younger children, which earlier Palmer editions did not use or approve using. Additionally, one can now purchase Palmer computer fonts for printing one’s own Palmer-style workbooks from Educational overlooked marketing innovation by Sheaffer, and it certainly forced eventual Fontware (educationalfontware.com), which makes handwriting imitation by all their top-tier competitors. It may also have ultimately proved fonts to match a variety of school handwriting styles past and the source of a financial strain – after all, pens break, and the guarantee was present. Educational Fontware makes two Palmer Method cur- unconditional and even covered accidental damage. Thus may have started sive handwriting fonts: one to match the earliest editions of the a series of moves and responses by Sheaffer (and other manufacturers), and Palmer Method, and one to match the 1970s/1980s editions. their Uncle Sam, to contain the costs associated with these comprehensive guarantees while staying within the bounds of the law. Some individual teachers, and a tiny and fast-diminishing few school districts, continue to teach the Palmer Method from In the next issue we will bust the biggest and probably the most widely accepted the above materials and/or from the memories of the occasional myth: “The Federal Trade Commission Abolished the Lifetime Guarantee as staffer old enough to have learned handwriting from a graduate Unfulfillable” Myth. of one of the last few training courses the company gave before it ✍ closed. In some cases, schools or teachers describing themselves All rights reserved by the author. as “teaching Palmer Method” turn out to have learned it secondhand from someone whose teacher had once had a Palmer-trained References: 1. Time Magazine 1935 teacher at school. Ironically, though, Austin Norman Palmer and the A. N. Palmer http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,711715,00.html Company might not have considered much of this teaching “Palmer 2. Collectible Fountain Pens, Glen Bowen Method” at all! Palmer himself, and later the A. N. Palmer Company, pg. 109 (materials provided by Sheaffer per attribution at the end of the did not permit people who had not passed the company’s training piece). program, initially administered by Palmer, to say that they taught the 3. 1925 FTC Documents Palmer Method; only those certified by Palmer or his trainers could According to the “Findings as to the Facts” section of the May 3, 1945 FTC claim to teach it. Since the firm no longer exists, its training and certi- decision on Sheaffer’s Lifetime guarantee, Sheaffer extended the guarantee fication program no longer exists. The few survivors of that program from just the nib to the whole pen with the introduction of celluloid pens in will, inevitably, themselves soon pass away. 1925, though I am not certain this is accurate, as some 1926 ads do not state that the whole pen is guaranteed. Interest in handwriting has revived and increases, as Pennant readers well know, but that interest increasingly tends to involve italics, script and variations, rather than Palmer and similar styles of cursive. Styles that looked adequately, or even starkly, simple and efficiently practical in Palmer’s day look and feel much less than Continued on page 43 38 summer 2006 The pennant Practicing Palmer Perfectly The pennant summer 2006 39 TECHNOTES THE CANTOR LECTURES by Victor Chen In January, one hundred and one years ago, James P. Maginnis the dipping. The last part of this lecture devotes some six pages to describing delivered a series of three Cantor lectures on “Reservoir, Fountain and the attempts to increase the ink capacity of the nib by creating a larger reser- Stylographic pens.” A century later, Geoff Roe of the Writing Equipment voir in the nib. Society (WES), celebrating the 25 years of its organization, offered a Nib reservoirs can be created by piercing, folding (such as wings) or bookend lecture on “Ink-Reservoir Writing Instruments, 1905–2005.” adding material (Fig. 1). Increasing the surface area of the nib, will create These historical surveys about pens got me thinking about why the more surface tension to hold ink. Such tinkering eventually leads to the Cantor Lectures were important, and that a summary of the lectures may creation of the idea of a feed. Mostly, over- and under-feeds and some- be of some interest to our members. The three part lectures, covering some 67 pages, were printed in the Journal of the Society of Arts, Vol. LIII in October, 1905. The lectures were reprinted serially in a number of issues in the Pen Fanciers newsletters beginning in November 1980. Lecture I covered early writing implements through steel nib dip pens, Lecture II covered stylos and the making of gold nibs, and Lecture III covered fountain pens. What Maginnis offers us is a snapshot of the state of knowledge about pens in 1905. Doing his research decades before anyone decided that pens were worth collecting or of intellectual interest, Maginnis examined the available literature, museum displays, took field trips and most important to him, researched the British Patent Office records. Throughout these lectures there was a sense of exultation about the grand advances made in the world of writing implements, a world where anyone could own and write with one. Add the advent of inexpensive and accurate timepieces, and there is something about 1905 that is not unlike our digital age. Maginnis begins his first lecture with an overview of early writing implements. Many of us, are familiar with this part because it covers the same territory as many later books on writing instruments. But Maginnis was probably the first one to pull much of the information together. Starting with the stylus and tabula, he reviews the reed pens and quills. After a section on Japanese brush pens and portable ink sources, he returns to the manufacture of quill nibs used in holders, and then to Charles Goodyear’s attempt to produce a hard rubber nib. Finally he returns to the topic of the lecture: steel nibs. There are records of metal nibs going as far back as the fifteenth century, yet the successful manufacture of steel nibs takes place in England during the period 1780–1830. Several pages of Lecture I are Fig. 1. A variety of dip pen nibs showing nib resevoir designs. devoted to the manufacture of steel nibs during Magninis’ own time, taking a times both were attached to steel nibs. During the 1880–90s, while steel paragraph or more to describe each step of the process. In Maginnis’ day, the nib makers were attempting to increase the ink capacity of the nib, stylo city of Birmingham used 28 tons of steel each week to produce 36,000,000 makers and fountain pen inventors were coming up with their feeds, as (that’s right, 36 million) nibs. While steel nibs are far superior and longer last- well. We don’t know who influenced whom, or how inventions in one area ing than any earlier non-metal nibs, the problem with dip pens is, of course, triggered developments in another. In the many clever designs covered by 40 summer 2006 The pennant applied to the needle that extends slightly beyond the end of the sleeve. Thus, Cross became the first of many commercial stylo manufacturers. The next phase of stylo design came quickly in two areas: first tipping material for the needle and sleeve, and, second, regulating air flow. Precious metals like gold and platinum were added to the tips and in 1885, iridium. A ball point was tried in 1888 and 1891, with the result that the large size of the ball prevented using these pens for fine writing (Fig. 3). The other issue was air flow: ink blobbing would occur if Fig. 2. Mabie Todd & Bard and Cross stylos. air could only enter the reservoir through the needle sleeve. Lacking an air channel feed, stylo inventors tried either automatic or adjustable air valves of one kind or another. By 1905, Maginnis could describe ten or so stylographic pens that were commercially on the market (some are shown in Fig. 4). In introducing those models along with their individual merits, Maginnis makes the claim that stylos are the wave of the future. Stylos at that time were much cheaper than fountain pens, and the fine lines allowed the ink to dry quickly. What he really liked was that they were much smoother than nib pens. He likened Fig. 3. Loud's design for a ball-pointed stylo, 1888. them to writing with pencils; hence, the name that was Maginnis (including one that looks very much like a rudimentary foun- certain to be common during his time, ink pencils. It would not have tain pen feed), is a Parker-look-alike, a dip nib inside a hood. In the end, surprised Maginnis that beginning in the 1950s, the same argument as industrial societies created greater daily mobility and portability, and it would be made about the ballpoint and in the end, the Bic pen would seemed that self contained ink instruments were going to carry the day. triumph over fountain pens. A week later, Maginnis delivered his second lecture on stylographic Like any techie, Maginnis enthusiastically describes the mechanical details in pens and gold nibs. He noted that a very simple idea for a reservoir the Stylos of his day, although a few of them were, at best, clunkers. For example, pen would be to draw out a glass tube to a fine hollow point, fill it with the Wilson Stylus was first made in 1880 using hard rubber for the body and ink and cork the larger end. The difficulty in such a design is that any change in air pressure inside the tube, such as body heat, would cause ink to flow out. Moreover, writing with such a pen (assuming a well insulated design) would result in a gradual loss of ink flow followed by a blob when air enters the tube to replace the expelled ink. Pen designers in 1905 were aware of the flow problem with reservoir pens, a problem that would continue to plague pens using sacs, pistons and (today) cartridges. However, a pen with sufficient insulation and well designed feed will solve the flow issue. According to Maginnis, the first of the stylos was indeed a tube, and in 1875 Mackinnon designed a wire feed that used a valve. So began the era of the ink pencils. A.T. Cross designed one in 1878 (US patent, 1879 for England) with a metal needle attached to a floating valve, seated inside a section with a metal sleeve (Fig. 2). A spring keeps the needle/valve in the shut off position until pressure is The pennant summer 2006 Fig. 4. Stylograph pens by, from the top, Wilson, Muttner, Cross and Perry & Co. 41 Coming in the next issue of The Pennant Fig. 5. The Livermore and Riverside stylos. nickel or gold plate for the metal parts. In its day, it sold for about 50 cents, or The Art of Maki-e Maki-e, an Artist’s Perspective roughly $10 today. While cheap for a pen of such quality, the problem was that it tended to leak (we all know about that problem) and the tip wore out quickly. Maginnis used a Cross stylo for many years and one of his favorites was the Pen Collecting in Japan Livermore, which was designed and made by C.W. Robinson in 1868, and made in the 1880s with a gold needle inside a gold sleeve set in platinum (Fig. 5). The Nota Bene, made by De La Rue, is important because it incorporates an air channel in Cryptopenology IV, continued the section, not unlike the later technical drafting pens (Fig. 6). An air vent with ink shut off valve is incorporated at the top of the pen. The result is that air pressure inside the reservoir is always at a constant level. Despite his enthusiasm for History of Parker Pen Co., III the stylo, Maginnis realized that the purpose of his lectures was not to advocate a specific kind of pen. Besides that, the stylo writing without any line variations goes against the writing style of his time. Maginnis then turns to the making of the gold nib. Quill nibs wear out quickly, steel nibs corrode and while gold does not corrode, it is relatively Sheaffer Taxonomy 1948 A Brief History of Writing soft. According to Maginnis, John Issac Hawkins attached a piece of iridium to a gold nib in 1822. If I read Maginnis correctly, attaching iridium did not immediately create a working nib. After some 30 years of experimenting with a Swanee Pen Shop variety of hard materials, Hawkins discovered a means of shaping the iridium using diamond dust on a high speed lathe. Toolmaker’s Journal II …and much more Fig. 6. De la Rue's Nota Bene stylo. The commercial manufacture of gold nibs was developed in the U.S., with the result that by 1905 many of the gold nibs in the world came from America. At the invitation of Evelyn De La Rue, Maginnis visited the nib making facility of Mabie Todd. The concluding section of Lecture II is a Contributors Wanted! Have you been thinking about writing an article about vintage fountain pens? Have a great photograph you'd love to share description of how gold nibs are made. Maginnis devotes all of Lecture with your fellow pen collectors? III to fountain pens, and I will cover that in the next issue of The Pennant. We'd love to hear from you. Meanwhile, good pen hunting. Contact the Pen Collectors of America at [email protected] All rights reserved by the author. 42 summer 2006 The pennant Palmer, Continued from page 38 simple, much more elaborate rather than practical, to many a writer The Palmer Method rose to prominence because of its simplicity, relative of our own time. Even those who endorse Palmer, use Palmer, love to other methods of the time, and because it provided thorough training and Palmer, and want to teach Palmer till their dying day must, if they customer service. The Palmer Method fell from prominence because it did really do claim to follow Palmer and his standards for handwrit- not remain responsive to the needs of its students, teachers and administra- ing, face the fact that Palmer wouldn’t have regarded their teaching tors. Many today, like Palmer in his day, aim to promote better handwriting. as Palmer Method unless they had taken and passed a course either Those who share this desire may wish to emulate what led Palmer to hand- from Palmer himself (long impossible) or from his corporate trainers writing success and avoid what led the company to its eventual failure. ✍ (almost impossible within the near future, absolutely impossible once the last surviving Palmer Company staffer lays down his or her pen). All rights reserved by the author. Times change and the world moves on. Though handwriting will never die, to the once-vast enterprise of Palmer and his Method we Photos by Jim Mamoulides. must soon expect to write a (graceful and legible) “R. I. P.” Vintage advertising images provided by Sam Fiorella. Palmers For everyone The pennant summer 2006 43 The Bookworm A Book Review by Tom Rehkopf Parker Duofold David Shepherd and Dan Zazove Surrenden Pens Limited, Brighton, UK, 2006. $80, 362 pages. If you were going to write a book about what is argu- very much a family-owned and family-run business during the ably the quintessential iconic pen of the fountain pen Golden 1920s and 1930s, and the fortunes of the company, epitomized by Age, a good strategy would be to pick a successful author and the Duofold, depended largely on the actions of the family mem- give him access to the company archives and personal papers of bers who ran the company at the time. There is a wealth of never- the manufacturer. That is exactly the approach used in creating before-seen material in this chapter, including a section on George’s the just-released Parker Duofold. David son Russell, who died in 1933 at the age Shepherd (co-author of Parker “51”) of 39. In this chapter, as well as through- teamed with fellow Parker collector and out the book, are excerpts from Kenneth author Dan Zazove to produce what Parker’s journal chronicling key events in has to be considered the definitive book the company’s history (Sample: “May 5- on the Parker Duofold. 6, 1931 – Flew to Ft. Madison. Long talk The Duofold catapulted Parker from a small regional pen manufac- having very tough going too…”). turer to a leading national and inter- In addition to comprehensive cover- national enterprise, a position it still age of the many versions of the Duofold, holds today. Since its introduction the book clears up (well, almost clears up) in 1921 there have been hundreds of some of those questions that always seem variations on the Duofold design, and to come up in Duofold discussions. Was the pen is still in production today. there really a Pompeian Brown Duofold? Shepherd and Zazove begin by (Not really – Parker manufactured a small describing the early years of the number of Duofolds with a lower concen- Parker Pen Company, including the tration of red pigment that advertisers development of the Lucky Curve feed, called Pompeian Brown). How did the the Black Giant, the Snake Pen and the Jack Knife Safety Duofold get its name? (Nobody knows for sure). Was there ever a pens. Then follow two major chapters on the design and two-tone Duofold nib? (Yes, but only for a short time). Were any development of the various Duofold models from 1921-1935. Duofolds ever made with transparent Bakelite barrels? (Yes, but Curiously, the 1939 Geometric (“ Toothbrush”) Duofold, the only as salesmen’s demonstrators). 1940 Striped Duofold and the 1970 Big Red ballpoint pens This is a very visually-oriented book, liberally illustrated with are covered in the “Duofold 1921-35” chapter rather than in a pictures, graphics, ads and reproductions of a wide range of mar- separate section. Next follow chapters on the Duofold market- keting materials. The layout and design are excellent, and it is ing program and the English Duofolds made from 1941-1963. possible to pick up the book and turn to just about any page and The book closes with two chapters on “Late Duofolds,” start- begin reading without feeling you need to have read the previous ing with the 1987 Centennial and finishing with the newly 20 pages. Parker Duofold is thorough and well-researched, and the released Ace Duofolds, which include the Duofold Check col- material is presented in an engaging, informative style. If you are lection and the solid gold Presidential Esparto. a Duofold collector (and what collection is complete without at One interesting feature of the book is a complete chapter devoted to the Parker Company and the family itself. Parker was 44 in AM with Sheaffers Sr. and Jr. They are least one Duofold?) this book will quickly find a home on your bookshelf next to your most valued pen books. summer 2006 The pennant Green, Continued from page 21 Consider the green ink used since 1862 to print U.S. dollars, often termed • For cover letters or taxpayer correspondence ... “Sponsors will be issued a number that must be written on every application in green ink “greenbacks.” Recently a new currency design has been issued in some denomi- on the upper left...” nations, but the ink formula invented in 1857 by Thomas Sterry Hunt has • Multiple check payments “are identified by writing in green ink the let- been in use for over a century. At the time, Hunt was the staff analytical chem- ter "M" and the total number of checks involved on the top left corner of ist of the Canadian Geological Society and a professor at McGill University the check…” in Montreal. The green ink of his invention (chromium sesquioxide, aka Now, when we get to the subject of tattoos, it really gets interest- chromium trioxide), made counterfeiting largely futile because this green ink ing, at least more so than taxes. Remember those tattoos with “Mom” could not be ruined by acid, base or other agent, or copied by photography. I inside the heart, often seen on the most grizzled military types? If do remember hearing of some enterprising high school students who made you contemplate getting one of these and might consider removal at a unsuccessful use of a scanner to reproduce these greenbacks. future time, make sure that it’s a nice red heart with a blue arrow. The I found that baseball mitts with green ink markings played a role in lasers that break up the ink into tiny particles are especially effective on literature. In Shoeless Joe, by W. P. Kinsella, the main character used a left- black, blue and red inks. Green and yellow will require another laser, handed fielder’s glove with green ink on it. In J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher and purple is probably the most difficult color to remove so beware! in the Rye, the character of Allie Caulfield had poems written in green ink on his baseball mitt (also left-handed). For those of you involved with politics or the media here is a green ink The late L. Ron Hubbard, of Scientology and Dianetics fame, directed his Communications Office Policy letters were to be in green ink on white paper. idiom you will recognize. The term “green-ink letter” or “green-ink brigade” Who at some point in their life hasn’t wanted to be an international spy is sometimes used to describe a letter writer who feels he or she is a victim along the lines of James Bond? Then you had better decide right now on of some injustice or wishes to complain about an organization or political your signature ink color. Sir David Spedding, once the head of Great Britain’s entity. The eccentricity of individuals using green ink is referred to in Carl famous MI6 and head of the service in Whitehall, would sign his secret Sagan’s book The Cosmic Connection (1973) and Kingsley Amis’ Lucky Jim memos to the Queen with a single letter in green ink – “C.” The legend claims (1953). Among the British Press, legend has it that fanatics tend to write that C was the only person permitted to write secret memos in green ink. in green or purple ink. I often write with both green and purple, avail- Proceeding further back in time to ancient Greece, we discover that in able with exotic names and in numerous brands. I suppose we fanatics are Athens, if the emperor was underage, his guardian used a green ink for writing quite the consumer group. his signature. Evidently there were specific rules for red ink as well. Imagine an Did you ever wonder if a famous person you admired favored the same ink color for your signature alone that no one else would be permitted to use! ink as you? Auctions for manuscripts and letters with famous signatures Even in the Harry Potter books mention is made of ink color. In the first abound in cyber-space. I found it interesting to note the various ink colors of volume Harry Potter gets a letter with green lettering and a purple seal. (It signatures in recent auctions, but here are a sampling of the ones in green: could have been written by the emperor’s guardian.) • Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire's dancing partner and Oscar winning Interested in the modern versions of green? Noodler’s has a “Hunter actress: Signed contract and addendum in green ink; typed letter from Green” ink which is labeled as “bulletproof,” meaning that it is waterproof and 1953 signed in green ink. permanent, for those words you want to endure forever. This is a conserva- • A letter by author Jack Lindsay to Patrick Greenland discussing the tive deep green, not bright or brash. There is also a formula designed to keep release of his new books: “Yours sincerely” and the author’s signature in piston fillers operating smoothly, in the exceptionally bright “American Eel full, written in green ink at the bottom of the page. Gruene Cactus” shade. And for highlighting, there is “St. Patty’s Eire.” • Lord Richard Mountbatten: A letter signed in green ink, 1957. Private Reserve has recently released a green ink produced for the 2006 • Martin Heidegger: A full page letter in green ink, 1947. Washington DC Fountain Pen Super Show. This ink has a Neutral Ph and • George M. Cohan, 1942, American actor, playwright, composer, and aptly enough is labeled “Washington DC Supershow Green.” The other producer:Typed letter, signed in green ink. shades range from the deep Sherwood Green to the light, airy, Foam Green. • Dashiell Hammett, the crime novel author (The Maltese Falcon, The Thin Both brands, along with numerous others, can be viewed on online ink color Man): A set of love letters to his lady love written in 1921 in green ink. (These charts at www.pendemonium.com. were not available at an auction, but belong to a family member). As you can see, a simple search turned up all sorts of useful information • A Rare Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong four page typewritten letter dated to impress friends with at social gatherings. This same time-dissipating, yet February 9, 1952: signed in the green ink Satchmo favored. educational experience may be repeated by substituting the green with red, or Let us return to a more serious usage of our chosen color. If you were reviewing the Internal Revenue Manual you would anticipate only mention of blue, or even purple. For fans of obscure knowledge, ink color trivia can be a rewarding project. ✍ red or black, but I actually uncovered specific instructions regarding the use All rights reserved by the author. of green: The pennant summer 2006 45 PCA 2 0 0 7 B OD E l e c t i o n Board of Directors Voting instructions can be found on page 3. Melinda Adams of other brands of pens, such as the Sheaffer PFM, Wahl Doric I have read the conditions related to becoming a Board member, and Conklin Crescent. I love Parker ephemera — I have items and I have no problem with them. I understand that the position that range from an 1930s art deco Parker display case to a slab is voluntary, and I would be happy to work with any member in a of Parker Pen chocolate. My pens come from every era, from committe or board position. eyedroppers to modern pens. I attend two pen shows each year, I have been a pen collector/accumulator for over 25 years. I have and may be able to attend more. thousands of pens buy my joy beyond collecting them is related to I am married with two grown children and a granddaughter. the stories that always arise from a find or a purchase. I have made so I live in Illinois and work as Technical Support Manager for many good friends. a software company. I previously worked in media and public I am currently editing articles and issues of The Pennant, and I am relations for 30 years, including 18 years with the local news- quite comfortable with getting the work finished on time. I know that paper. I implemented their Newspaper in Education program was a serious issue in the past. I am hoping to remedy that. for the public schools. I have experience coordinating events I am, or was, an Assistant Professor of English at Ball State University. My doctorate is Twentieth Century British Literature. and working with volunteers. My experience includes teaching, fundraising, sales, and serving in public office. I earned it in 1991. I taught there for 14 years, mostly fresh- As you can see I have a variety of experience to bring to the man comp and rhetoric and 101 Literature. My skills are editing PCA board. I look forward to filling whatever role best fits my and writing, and I think I may have some ideas for focusing The own interests and the needs of the organization. I am especially Pennant. Having worked at a university, I am familiar with com- interested in the Pens for Kids program. Earlier this year, I was mittees. I can be outspoken, but never mean. If I have ideas that showing my six-year-old granddaughter pens from my collection will help make the PCA outstanding, I will speak them. and was thrilled when she asked to write with one of them. We I am familiar with most of the current Board members, and need to grow our future collectors, and this is a great way to start. I enjoy them all and their ideas. I would hope that they feel the same about me. Thank you for considering me. Linda Bauer I am delighted to be considered for the board of the Pen Collectors of America. I believe I could make a contribution to the organization by helping to promote pen collecting and cultivate new collectors. I have been collecting fountain pens for more than 20 years, but my love of fountain pens dates back to the 1960s. I used a fountain pen in high school because ballpoint pens of the time skipped and blobbed. I loved the smooth, even flow of ink from my fountain pen on paper. I always had ink stains on my middle finger. In the 1980s I got a couple of new fountain pens as gifts. I started buying new pens. Eventually I had about 14, so I guess that was the start of my collection. Then one day I saw some old pens in an antique store. I didn’t know such things existed. That did it — I began to collect vintage pens. I primarily focus on Parker and Esterbrook, though I have representative models 46 DENNIS BOWDEN I like to describe myself as retired (U.S. Postal Inspector); Semi-retired (Criminal Defense Attorney); and just plain tired (owner/operator of Parkville Pen on the web selling fountain pens). I have long been a fountain pen lover and user, but only became involved in collecting about 4 years ago. My collecting interest centers around vintage hard rubber pens, primarily Waterman, and more recently Kraker pens and the history of the Kraker Pen Company and the life of George M. Kraker. I recently authored an article on my favorite modern pen, the Sheaffer Connaisseur (included in this issue of The Pennant). I have been a member of PCA for 3 years. My wife and I live in Parkville, MO, a Kansas City suburb, where I run Parkville Pen from our home. My reason for agreeing to stand for the Board is to be able to give back to the hobby and hopefully to aid in the growth and development of the PCA. summer 2006 The pennant PCA 2 0 0 7 B OD E l e c t i o n 2007 Nominees Dan Carmell Since retiring from state government in 1999, I’ve been operat- Member of the Pan Pacific Pen Club since 2002, Club President ing, along with sister Sherrell, Inkpen (and its Eastern Subsidiary). in 2005 and 2006. Volunteer at the San Francisco Pen Show In addition to fountain pens, my interests include model trains, in 2003 and 2004. I’ve worked Susan Wirth’s tables at two San bridge, pocket billiards, poker, auto cross and rallies. Francisco shows and 2006 in Los Angeles, so I’m battle hard- Why do I want to serve on the PCA Board? It seems to be ened! While I love hard rubber eyedroppers, my main collecting a part of my make-up to pitch in where and when I can and focus seems to be on post-WW II Parkers, especially the Parker a part of this is serving on boards and committees. I have no 45, which is the only model I’m currently systematically collect- illusions that this is a plush position that will bring fame and ing. I live in San Leandro, in the San Francisco Bay Area and accolades. All boards are work, and I feel that I can contrib- am an office worker, a database administrator, by profession, but ute energy and a background that incorporates the ability to I am also responsible for some volunteer and fundraising coordi- hear and be heard while representing the interests of others. nation. I have a background of involvement with volunteer and I intend to be active and to hear the membership and trans- non-profit organizations. late the wishes of the collective body into doable projects. The PCA Board has done a great job of moving the organization Stephen H. Corn forward since I began my term of office and I’d like to lend a I have been a collector all my life from stamps and coins start- hand and continue promoting and executing its goals. ing at six years old to fountain pens starting in the fifties. I’ve served on nonprofit local, state and national boards and I collect Parker Vacumatics and button fillers, coral col- committees throughout my adult life, holding offices in most ored Mont Blancs and Pelikans. Plus a smattering of whatever of them. I continue to be active with the Associated Marine else hits my fancy. I have over 500 pens in my collection plus Institute, a national nonprofit organization that operates rehabili- many “mistakes” that are for sale. tative facilities throughout the U.S. I have also served as a con- My profession is a General Contractor which I have been sultant to the National Institute of Justice.In addition to running since I got out of the Navy. I also, on the side, designed jewelry, Inkpen, Sherrell and I also consult in human resources and small had a retail jewelry business, cabinet business and have been a agency management. director on many local and some state and national Boards such as an insurance company, building associations and hospital AnnMarie Hautaniemi board. I feel my experiences in life will allow me to assist in I strongly believe that you should give back to the community guiding the PCA to even more success. that supports (or has supported!) you. Although I have closed Ink Palette, the pen community is still near and dear to me. Joel R. Hamilton EDUCATION The PCA is an intregal part of that community. In November of 2004 when we were “sworn in” as it were as B.A. Psychology the current board, I volunteered to take over the responsibil- M.A. Psychology, Counseling and Guidance ity for the PCA table at the pen shows. Since I am no longer EXPERIENCE attending all the shows, Terry Mawhorter has taken on the “on I worked for the state of New Mexico in corrections, crimi- the ground” responsibilities, and I continue to coordinate with nal and juvenile justice for 25 years. During that time, I was him. I have also been working with Roger Wooten (Treasurer) a probation/parole officer, deputy warden of an adult facility, on the maintenance of the membership list. Both of these and deputy director of operations for juvenile justice services areas are works in progress, and although a great deal of prog- in the state, and managed the daily operations for 33 proba- ress has been made, I think continuity is important until we tion/parole offices and 10 facilities. have easily transferable systems firmly in place. The pennant pennant summer summer2006 2006 The 47 PCA Ohio Pen Show Board of Directors I worked for Art Brown and then Koenigs in the late 80’s, completing arrays of a specific make, model or type of fountain then Michaels in San Francisco through most of the 90’s (where pen. Perhaps the term “accumulator” still applies—I buy what I I picked your brain for vintage knowledge). In 1997 we started like at the time, whether or not it fills a certain niche in my pen Ink Palette, closing it in 2005 due to personal reasons. As a holdings. And I have always gravitated toward the less expen- retailer and collector dealing with both vintage and modern sive to moderately priced (and sized) pen lines, whether vintage pens, I think I have a broad view of the interests of our com- or modern. So I think of myself as someone who is typical of a munity. I would be honored to continue to serve on the PCA segment of the pen community that isn’t always immersed in pen Board of Directors. Arcanum, and doesn’t have big bucks to spend on fancy limited editions or Waterman 58s. Stuart Hawkinson For these reasons, I do see a need for the PCA to reempha- Stuart Hawkinson, Portland, Oregon, has been a PCA member size its value to the “middling” or even the budget pen person, for 14 years, attending his first pen show in Los Angeles in 1992. one who enjoys using them and may or may not have an interest Stuart is a regular exhibitor at many of the US pen shows. Besides in classic vintage pens as we know them, but is potentially open restoring and selling vintage pens and pencils, his collecting inter- to widening their horizons. The PCA might find it worthwhile ests include Eagle Pencil Company writing instruments and related to support those who purchase modern pens (which will eventu- products, R. Esterbrook pens of any sort, demonstrator pens and ally become ‘vintage’) and to continue encouraging those of the pencils, pens with interesting filling mechanisms, and early ball younger generations that pens are “cool” in their own way, even point pens. Stuart has been active in the local Portland PDX pen if they lack an embedded IC chip! Hence, I would be inter- group, teaching informal pen-repair classes, and supporting the ested in serving on the Education and Pen Shows committees Portland Pen Show each year. as a part of Director duties for a period of the next year or two, but would welcome suggestions for further activities and ideas Bill Hong to pursue. With respect to qualifications, I’ve been an active vintage pen 48 collector/user for more than a decade, and a modern pen col- Bruce Mindrup lector/user for more than twice that many years—though in I am truly flattered and honored to have been asked to submit fact I’ve used fountain pens since grade school days with no real my name as a candidate for the P.C.A. Board of Directors. I interruption. So they are a truly a habit as well as a hobby! have been a PCA Member since 1997. Two years ago, with the With regard to the PCA, I’ve been a member since the late help of several other ‘pen enthusiasts,’ helped to form The St. 90s, and have contributed a couple of short articles in that time Louis Pen Club. The Club meets four times a year to promote to The Pennant.I’m also a regular (if not always active) mem- the social and collecting aspect of both new and vintage pens. I ber of internet mailing groups such as the Zosslist, and have regularly attend the Chicago and Ohio Pen Shows, and hope to also written for online magazines such as Stylophiles. I’ve done attend more shows in the future. some behind the scenes repair work over the years, and still My initial introduction to ‘pens’ were those 1960’s era “car- do, though mostly for myself and for friends rather than as a tridge” pens. My first ‘real pen’ was a ‘dinged’ and well used money-making enterprise. Parker ‘51 that saw action during World War II with the 8th As a materials engineer by training, I’ve always been inter- Airforce in England. The pen was a gift from a very special ested in the decisions companies make in what materials to use friend on my 16th birthday. It continues to be one of my most to craft their pens, and how that affects a pen’s characteristics special pens.When not talking pens, I spend time with my wife and writing qualities. Nevertheless, I don’t consider myself a pen Kathy and my children. I am in private practice and provide “collector” in the classic sense, in that I have not concentrated on Counseling, Evaluation, and Mediation services to children, summer 2006 The pennant PCA 20 7 iB P OD ec n M i a0m e nE lS htoi ow 2007 Nominees families and adults. I also serve as an Adjunct Professor for board and as vice president, he is Librarian for the PCA. In a previ- The Union Institute and University where I teach courses in ous life he worked for Sheaffer Pen Company for 12 years, ending his Psychology and Social Work. career as Manager of Sales/Marketing Support Services. A plodder If elected to the Board, I will work to promote ‘service’ to all Members of the pen community. In addition, I will work to con- more than a spark plug, Dan wants to stay around this one last year to help establish a full fledged program for Pens for Kids. tinue to promote school and community activities that will help to promote a new generation of people who love and appreciate pens. Chuck Stoops Whenever I join a club or organization I usually volunteer to be Rick Propas on a committee or run for office. I do not have a “Let George I am honored to have been nominated to the Board of Directors do it” attitude. of the Pen Collectors of America. Particulars. I am a 73 year old retired chicago police officer. I have used fountain pens for more than forty years and My wonderful wife, Rosie and I have been married for 50 years have collected pens since 1984. My collection focuses primar- (anniversary occurred in middle of the Chicago pen show may 6th) ily on vintage Parkers and Pelikans. I have been active in the she insisted that attend the party rather than the pen show on pen community since the 1990s, having helped found the Pan Saturday only. Pacific Pen Club. I also served as editor of The Pennant and We have seven great kids and fourteen grandchildren. am proprietor of The PENguin, selling new and used fountain As to qualifications. I have been the president and treasurer pens. When not collecting, I teach American history at San José of a Chicago area fly tying and fly fishing club, an affiliate of the State University. I have written on pens at both the popular international Fly Fishing Federation (F.F.F.) I do believe that and scholarly levels. this experience will be very useful to the PCA, should I become I believe that the PCA should play the leading role in our community. In addition to the publication of The Pennant and maintenance of the Library, PCA should actively serve the com- elected. I get along with the computer, but sometimes it is recalcitrant, seems to have a mind of it’s own. mon interests of all who love pens, from seriously committed I have been a pen accumulator for a couple of years now but collectors to casual hobbyists, as well as those who buy, sell I find my interest turning to pencils. I would like to be able to and trade pens at all levels. Acting with balance and perspective repair them. Good instruction books on pencil repair are almost PCA can and should be all things to all people. non-existent. I will keep after the pencil work as they are what To do this, PCA needs an activist board, one that is willing to put aside personalities to work in harmony for the good of the hobby. In addition, the organization should in all aspects be open and transparent. If elected to the Board, I will operate in accord with these principles on behalf of those who have entrusted me and my fellow board members with the present and future of our hobby. started a life long love affair with all things writing related back in the 40s when I was a high school student. I have never joined a club that I did not eventually become an officer, usually president. I have experience in running things, serving on committees, organizing shows, speaking before an audience, making reports etc. At an international level. I have found that if you look at it as fun, it usually is. If you can use me I am here to help. Dan Reppert Dan Reppert, current vice president of Pen Collectors of America, is seeking one last one-year term. It is his hope to really get the Pens for Kids program up and running. Dan collects off-brand Sheaffer products such as Craig, Univer and WASP. In addition to his duties on the The pennant pennant summer summer2006 2006 The 49 PCA Notes From the President A new year, new people, new friends I I’m very pleased to be sending this message about the P.C.A. and what’s in store for the years to come. New Board members will be elected soon and I urge all of you to vote. A new P.C.A. President will be chosen at the Board of Directors meeting during the Ohio Pen Show in November. I look forward to helping with the transition. I can’t say enough about Jim Mamoulides, our new Editor of The Pennant. Jim took on a difficult job and began getting things done from the moment he started. I hope all of you are enjoying the content and pen knowledge that The Pennant is bringing to you. After more than thirty years of pen collecting I can’t get over how much I still have to learn. We’ve lost several good hobby friends during my time in office. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing each of them. Now they’re off to a new realm of collecting. The Internet continues to be a source of great and not-so-great bargains. Despite this, pen shows continue to be a wonderful source of great pens for me and I’ll bet for you too. Absolutely wonderful things continue to turn up at shows, including never before seen pens and ephemera. If you’re not there you’ve missed your chance. Shows are also the place to meet some of the nicest and most knowledgeable people on Earth. Enjoy this issue of The Pennant, and next time you’re at a non-pen get together, casually bring out a pen and place it in front of you. Somebody will want to hear a story about that 100 Year, Coral Gold Bond or 14k cap band Sheaffer, I promise you. Enjoy the rest of your summer, Craig I PayPal Now Available for PCA Membership It is now easier than ever to join the P.C.A. You can make Gift subscriptions are also available for that special pen per- your choice of a one or three year membership and simply click son. Indicate this is a gift subscription in your comments and we on the PayPal button to make your membership payment. Go to will include a gift card at no additional cost. Your recipient will the P.C.A. website (http://www.pencollectors.com), click on “Join receive all three issues for 2006 plus two of the most recent back PCA,” then “Join Today.” issues. Whether you are in the U.S. or anywhere worldwide, you may With all new membership applications you should complete now conveniently submit your membership without the expense of the application form and mail to Pen Collectors of America, international money orders or bank drafts. Roger Wooten, Treasurer, P.O. Box 174, Garden Prairie IL In an effort to attract new, younger members to the P.C.A., we 50 61038-0174. are also introducing a new Youth Rate. If you are 18 or younger, New members joining now will receive all three issues of Spring, your rate is one-half the normal membership: $20 for one year. This Summer and Winter for 2006 plus two of the latest back issues of rate is available for U.S. membership only. The Pennant. summer 2006 The pennant PCA PCA Local Pen Clubs Join a club Looking to network with fellow pen collectors? Check out a local pen club. Not listed here? Email your club information including contact name, email and phone number to: [email protected] D.C. Metro Pen Club Contact: Harry Shubin • [email protected] • Ph: 703.812.5306 Florida Pen Collectors Club Contact: Giovanni Abrate • www.tryphon.it/fpc • [email protected] Kansas City Pen Club From The Stacks LIBRARY ADDITIONS One eBay® gem by Dan Reppert, PCA Librarian Well, it’s summer, and what can I say? All the pen people are either out flea marketing, yard selling/buying or barbequing Contact: Dennis Bowden • [email protected] on their fiberglass boats. They sure aren’t in the house study- Las Vegas Pen Club ing the complexities of the 1908 Waterman. Contact: Chris Burton • [email protected] Ph: 702.610.4045 Long Island Pen Club Contact: Nancy Handy • [email protected] Michigan Pen Collectors I’ve got two interesting stories and an update, so it will be short and sweet for this issue. First, John Chapman tried to buy some catalog stuff on Contact: C. Eric Fonville • [email protected] • www.michpens.com eBay. Didn’t get it. So he emailed the high bidder and asked New Orleans Pen Club if he might borrow the catalogs to scan them. Going one step Contact: Thomas Bickham • [email protected] Ph: 225.677.9448 better, the successful bidders, Joanne and Robert Schwartz, North Texas Fountain Pen Collectors did the scanning, burned them to CD and sent them to John. Contact: Lowell Lindsey • [email protected] Definitely a wonderful gesture on their part. So as a result, we Ottawa Fountain Pen Society have a new entry for a set of Baird-North catalogs from 1898- Contact: George Cornwall • [email protected] www.ottawafountainpensociety.org 1933, which shows the progression from selling Waterman Philadelphia Pen Collectors Group pens to pens bearing their own name. There is some very Contact: Robert Mand • [email protected] www.philadelphiapens.com interesting stuff here, and I do thank the Schwartz family. Portland Pen Club Once in a while I get a request for a single item with only a Contact: Carla Mortensen • [email protected] couple of pages, typically three–six pages. To me it is real silly Research Triangle Pen Club to march down to the copy shop, get the copies made, spend Contact; Ross McKinney • [email protected] • www.rosspens.com/tripen htm • Deb Kinney • [email protected] Richmond Pen Club Contact: Sam Marshall • [email protected] St. Louis Area Pen Club Contact: Bruce Mindrup • [email protected] or Jake Leventhal • [email protected] Seattle Pen Club $.45 for postage and then have the buyer spend $.39 to send me a $.60 or $.90 check. So I scan them, attach the scans to an email and suggest the recipient just send an extra dollar when he renews his membership. Usually what I get is, “Okay.” From one grateful member I received “I don’t know how to thank Contact: George Long • [email protected] Ph: 206.365.5998 you adequately.” Makes the job sort of nice. Southeast Pen Collectors Club tures have kept me from doing much to the outside of the new Contact: Glen Cheatham • [email protected] Southern California Pen Collectors Club John King Tarpinian • [email protected] Fred Krinke • [email protected] Tampa Bay Pen Enthusiasts Contact: Ray Roewert • [email protected] Ph: 727.743.8890 The pennant pennant summer summer2006 2006 The P.C.A. Library building update: 100-degree plus tempera- little building. First chore will be to remove the white paint. After that comes some repair to the sunshine gutters and surrounding wood, followed by replacement of one window and a new trim paint job. At the rate I work, October 2008 ought to see it done. 51 PCA Upcoming Shows Location and dates may be subject to change; please contact the show organizers to verify information below. The P.C.A. keeps an up-to-date listing of current and pending U.S. pen shows on the P.C.A. website: www.pencollectors.com, courtesy of Susan Wirth. Little Rock Pen Show September 16, 2006 Contact: Sam Highsmith 501.231.1005 Dallas Pen Show September 30, 2006 Holiday Inn, Richardson Contact: P. Kirby, 972.529.6364 or Walker 214.943.5675 Ohio Pen Show November 3-5, 2006 Clarion Dublin 17a & I-270 Contact: Terry Mawhorter 740.454.2314 Philadelphia Pen Show Raleigh Pen Show LA Pen Show Miami Pen Show Chicago Pen Show DC Supershow January 18-21, 2007 The Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel Contact: Jim Rouse 410.539.7367 February 22–25, 2007 Manhattan Beach Marriott Contact: Boris Rice 281.496.7152 May 3–6, 2007 Westin O’Hare (Rosemont) Contact: Don Lavin 847.272.2745 June 7–10, 2007 Embassy Suites, Cary Contact: Terry Mawhorter 740.454.2314 July 5–8, 2007 The Biltmore, Coral Gables Contact: Jim Rouse 410.539.7367 August 9–12, 2007 Sheraton Premiere Tyson’s Corner Contact: Bob Johnson 874.963.3834 Show organizers are encouraged to submit show details for this column to the editor. P. C . A P e n S h o w S u p p o r t e r s The P.C.A. expresses its gratitude to the sponsors of the following pen shows for graciously donating table space. Thanks for your generosity! Philadelphia • Bert Oser and Jim Rouse Miami • Bert Oser and Jim Rouse Los Angeles • Boris Rice, Stan Pfeiffer, and Chris Odgers Portland • Carla Mortensen Great Southeastern • Jimmy Dolive and Boris Rice San Francisco • Harvey Raider and Detlef Bittner New England • Rob Morrison Ohio • Sonya and Terry Mawhorter Chicago • Michael Fultz, Daniel Zazove, Donald Lavin Michigan • Michigan Pen Collectors Club Raleigh • Sonya and Terry Mawhorter Pennant Back Issues Back issues of The Pennant are available. Most are photocopies. All are $10 each + $5 postage and handling in the U.S. per order, overseas postage will vary. All requests for reprints should be addressed to: Dan Reppert, P.C.A. Librarian, P.C.A. Library, P.O. Box 447, Fort Madison, IA 52627-0447; e-mail: [email protected] 52 1993—March, July, October 2000—Spring, Fall, Winter 1994—February, May, August 2001—Spring, Fall, Winter 1995—Spring/Summer, Fall/Winter 2002—Spring, Summer, Winter 1996—Spring, Summer/Fall 2003—Spring, Summer, Winter 1997—Spring, Winter 2004—Spring/Summer, Winter 1998—Spring, Fall 2005—Spring/Summer, Winter 1999—Spring, Fall, Winter 2006—Spring summer 2006 The pennant PCA Membership Special MEMBERSHIP LEVELS President’s Circle Level Members at special sponsor levels will receive certificates redeem- $150 per year able for classified ads and library reprints at time of redemption. Six issues of The Pennant (two of each issue) Certificates will be included in Sponsor Packet. The P.C.A. membership year runs from January–December. Two free classified ads Complimentary P.C.A. Lapel Pin Membership renewal notices are sent each November to those due to Fifty pages of reprints from P.C.A. Library renew. If you join the P.C.A. between October 1 and December 31, Acknowledgement of sponsorship, your membership is automatically extended through the following year. each issue of The Pennant As a current member, don't forget to send any updated personal Certificate Of Sponsorship information to [email protected]. If you've moved, changed Sponsor Level your name, changed your email, added a FAX line, or made any $75 per year other changes, it will not be correct in the listings unless you tell us! Three issues of The Pennant We are pleased to offer membership levels with added benefits. As a Two free classified ads non-profit, all-volunteer organization, the P.C.A. is only as good as Complimentary P.C.A. Lapel Pin the support it receives. Your contributions keep The Pennant arriving Ten pages of reprints from P.C.A. Library on your doorstep three times a year, help support the P.C.A. proj- Acknowledgement of sponsorship in ects and enable the P.C.A. to continue to grow and improve. When each issue of The Pennant you renew your membership this year, we hope you’ll consider one Certificate Of Sponsorship of our special new membership levels, which are detailed at the left. Regular Membership, U.S. Even if your membership is not up for renewal, it’s easy to upgrade $40, 1 year; or $105, 3 years to one of the special membership levels—simply drop us a line or Three issues of The Pennant email us at: [email protected]. Thanks for your support! One free classified ad Access to library, $.15 per page Regular Membership Outside U.S. $60/1 year or, $150/3 years 3 issues of The Pennant 1 free classified ad Access to library, $.15 per page Corporate Sponsors BEXLEY STYLUS magazine 2840-B Fisher Street, Columbus OH, 43204 614.351.9988 Fine Life Media Suite 2-E, 363 Reef Road Fairfield, CT 06824 203.259.8100 Fax 203.259.0847 Sanford North America Parker, Waterman, Rotring, Sensa 2711 Washington Blvd Bellwood, IL 60104 800.323.0749 Levenger 420 South Congress Avenue Delray Beach, FL 33445 561.276.2436 The P.C.A. invites pen manufacturers and wholesale pen distributors to be a Corporate Sponsor of the Pen Collectors of America. Contact Craig Bozorth for details: [email protected]. The pennant pennant summer summer2006 2006 The 53 PCA Oo C hn i ot rPi beunt oSrhso w Giovanni ABRATE grew up in Richard Kaufman has been Italy in the '50s, when all a teacher for the past 31 eldest great-grandson of students used fountain years and has taught 2nd George S., grandson of pens. He moved to the U.S. through 7th grade for Kenneth S., and son of from the UK where he was Irvine Unified School Daniel S. Parker. Growing a test pilot. His first vintage District. His only joy up near Janesville, he pens were Italian celluloids greater than a new pen worked summers at from the '40s and '50s, for is having a student find Parker. The most com- which he still has a predilection. He is a V.P. for success in the classroom. Other interests mon dinner table conversations were: pens, an Italian aerospace company, and markets pen include architecture and spending time in pens, pens, and the weather. He is currently the repair products and modern pens. the solitude of the desert. acting official unofficial Parker family historian, Dennis Bowden, a retired U.S. Daniel Kirchheimer has organizing and managing the family’s extensive Postal Inspector and mostly been collecting pens for archives of photos and memorabilia. retired criminal defense about 32 years and doing Len Provisor, an active pen col- attorney, makes his home professional repair work lector since the ‘70s, a with his wife in Parkville, for 30 years. He primar- P.C.A. Moard member, Missouri. In addition to ily specializes in dent and a U.S. rep for the Sheaffer Connaisseurs, he removal for Parker “51”s, Writing Equipm ent collects hard rubber pens and he also crafts pur- Society UK, attends with an emphasis on Waterman eyedroppers pose-built pen repair tools as the proprietor many pen shows and is and Safeties. of Kirchheimer Toolworks. He really likes a frequent reporter for Victor Chen recently retired from Sheaffers, and he really hates misinformation. Pentrace and various pen publications and his position as Professor of Jim Mamoulides was initially books. He collects vintage ink blotters, designs History at Chabot College. drawn to fountain pens modern advertising blotters and manufactures Chen continues his Tech through his interest in cal- pen company aircraft models. He started the Notes column, a regular ligraphy, but didn’t become Chicago Pen Club in 2001. feature in The Pennant. an avid collector until he tom rehkopf is a computer sys- lost a Montblanc ballpoint tem architect in Atlanta, and began a search of pen Ga . He has written Rhonda Foster has always stores and the internet to several articles for The loved pens and writ- find a replacement for it. His interest in the his- Pennant, and has been ing. A Peoria flatlands tory of fountain pens led him to focus on vin- collecting pens for over attorney, she considers tage pens and his articles and photography can ten years. “My collection law her job, writing to be found on his website PenHero.com. be life. Her collection david moak remembers Sheaffer cused,” he says proudly, “except of course for of pens is eclectic as is cartridge pens from his brown Parker “51”s, which you can never have her personality, marking remains largely unfo- school days. His re - enough of.” special occasions or achievements. acquaintance with foun- Dan reppert collects off-brand Kate Gladstone teaches and tain pens came when Sheaffers such as Univer, remediates handwriting h i s w i f e M a r y Ja n e W.A.S.P., and Craig. internationally, working taught him a simple cal- He is vice president and and traveling from her home in Albany, NY. ligraphic hand. His col- librarian of the P.C.A. lection gradually centered on Mabie, Todd He worked for Sheaffer (& Bard). He researched and produced for over 12 years, and is Mabie in America, the definitive work on currently involved in his- the U.S. company. 54 Geoffrey S. Parker is the toric building renovation in Fort Madison. Spring 2006 The pennant PCA Pen Repair Pen repair directory BROADWAY PENS BRAD KNAPP 456 S. Broadway Lebanon, OH 45036 Home: 513.932.2220, Work: 513.932.6070 FAX: 513.932.9988 [email protected] www.broadwaypens.com Repairs most brands including Parker Button Fill($20) and Vacs($25); Sheaffer Snorkels($25); Sheaffer and Wahl Plunger Fillers($30). FOUNTAIN PEN HOSPITAL 10 Warren Street New York, NY 10007 800.253.7367 • 212.964.0580 FAX: 212.227.5916 Website: www.fountainpenhospital.com Email: [email protected] Repairs and restorations for all pen makes, models and filling mechanisms. THE FOUNTAIN PEN RECYCLER MIKE CARTER MAIL: P.O. Box 28083 Store: 7000 57th Ave. N., Ste. 103 Crystal, MN 55428 Home: 763.434.7921 Work: 763.535.1599 FAX: 763.535.1892 Email: [email protected] Repairs to all makes and models.Repairs on most vintage pens, including Sheaffer vacs–fast turnaround, excellent communication. INKPEN VINTAGE FOUNTAIN PENS JOEL R. HAMILTON 1602 Arizona Avenue Alamogordo, NM 88310 Phone: 505.437.8118 Email: [email protected] SHERRELL TYREE 10009 Roe Avenue Overland Park, Kansas 66207 Phone: 913.642.3216 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ink-pen.com Repairs on most vintage pens, including Sheaffer and Parker Vacs, PFM’s, etc. Excellent communication and all work is guaranteed. “Your Pen Is Our Priority” The pennant pennant summer summer2006 2006 The PEN HAVEN BERTON A. HEISERMAN Louis wofsy 3730 Howard Avenue Kensington, MD 20895 Home: Berton, 301.365.4452; Louis, 703.323.1922 Work: 301.929.0955 Fax: 301.365.4750 Website: www.penhaven.com Email: [email protected], or [email protected] Specialties: Total restoration to all models. Plastic crack repairs. Replace bands, rings and crowns, Waterman 100 Yr. barrel ends and cap-tops. Plating. PENOPOLY ROGER CROMWELL & VICTOR CHEN 1271 Washington Avenue, PMB 598 San Leandro, CA 94577 Email: [email protected] Website: www.penopoly.com Restoration and repairs on all makes and models. RICHARD BINDER 31 Fairmount Street Nashua, NH 03064-2523 Phone: 603.882.5384 Email: [email protected] Website: www.richardspens.com Expert, respectful repairs on modern and vintage pens, including celluloid and safe reblackening of hard rubber. Nib adjustment and repair, retipping and regrinding, custom modification including adding or increasing flex. THE SOUTHERN SCRIBE RICK HORNE 1868 Mt. Meigs Road Montgomery, AL 36106 Home: 334.263.4169 Work: 334.263.4169 FAX: 334.263.4169 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST Monday thru Friday Email: [email protected] Website: www.thesouthernscribe.com Expert repair on Eyedroppers to Snorkels, difficult & unusual repairs including cracks, goldplating, black hard rubber color restoration, mother of pearl and abalone panel replacement. Now re-tipping nibs. Y Advertise your pen repair service in The Pennant’s Pen Repair Directory. Your listing reaches nearly 2,000 members three times annually. $75 for three consecutive issues. Mail, fax or email your listing. Please include your name, address, phone number, e-mail and a brief description of your repair services. P.C.A.—Pen Repair Directory P.O. Box 447, Fort Madison, IA 52627 Fax: 319.372.0882 or email: Terry Mawhorter, AdvertisingManager, [email protected] 55 P. C . A . PCA Contributor guidelines Board of Directors The Pennant invites you to submit articles of interest to the P.C.A. membership. Contributions should be submitted as email attachments, on floppy disk or on CD, using standard word processing software. Articles: We welcome articles dealing with pen collecting, writing instruments, pen manufacturers, ephemera, news about your recent finds, and Letters to the Editor. The Pennant Author’s Guidelines document is available upon request, and members of the editorial staff and P.C.A. Board are available to assist you. Submit your article in your Microsoft Word. Please do not use auto-numbering or imbed your images in your text file. Illustrations/Photos: When submitting images, be certain that they are scanned at no less than 300 pixels per inch. Photos look best on a non-reflective white background (lucite is good and foam board works well). Images may be submitted as email attachments or on CD as JPG images. We cannot use images imbedded in text documents or spreadsheets. Deadlines: for submission of articles are February 1, June 1 and October 1. Contributions are subject to editorial review and should be sent to: P.C.A., Attn: Editor, The Pennant, The P.C.A. Board Craig Bozorth Joel Hamilton Dan Reppert AnnMarie Hautaniemi Victor Chen Bert Heiserman 305.858.5635 [email protected] 505.437.8118 [email protected] 319.372.3730 607.257.8502 [email protected] [email protected] 510.444.4119 [email protected] 301.590.7111 [email protected] L. Michael Fultz Len Provisor 312.642.7968 [email protected] 847.566.4206 [email protected] PO Box 447, Fort Madison, IA 52627-0447 or via email to: [email protected]. _______________ All opinions expressed in The Pennant are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the P.C.A., its directors, or members. M arket place Wanted: POLITE COLLECTOR would like to buy pens, pencils, advertising material, display cases or other information regarding the Hartline Pen Co., that was located in Tampa, Florida, and for a short time in Michigan. Please contact me at 786.275.0394, collect is fine. Or e-mail me: [email protected]. Thank you, Craig Bozorth. buy/sell: www.Parker75.com, Buy/Sell Parker 75, Premier, T-1, Parker Ephemera, Lee 404.285.5564… [email protected]. Wanted: Rare+ regular Aerometric PARKER 51’s-complete pens all models(excellent, mint) sets, parts, + sep. STUB, OB nibs. Email [email protected] or call 516-921-5989 (noon-5pm). Wanted: High quality combination pen-pencils, including Conklin, Waterman, Schnell, Wahl, Mabie Todd, Diamond Point and Diamond Metal. Jon 949-786-1980 • [email protected]. Wanted: Always looking to buy vintage Burnham pens. Please contact Akiva at [email protected]. ANNOUNCING: The first Long Island Pen Show, Friday & Saturday, November 17/18, 2006, at Hofstra University, Hempstead, LI, NY, www. LIpenshow.com; contact [email protected]. Buy • Sell • Trade in The Pennant Marketplace. Your classified ad reaches over 2,000 pen enthusiasts. P.C.A. members are entitled to one or more free classifieds annually based on membership level. Free ad may be up to 25 words in length. Marketplace ads $.50 per word. Deadlines for publication: February 15, June 15 and October 15. Mail to: P.C.A. Marketplace, P.O.Box 447, Fort Madison, IA 52627 or FAX to 319.372.0882 or email: Terry Mawhorter, Advertising Mgr. [email protected] 56 summer 2006 The pennant DEHAVILLAND 1930 DH80 Puss Moth G-AAXV Kensingtonpens.com MONTBLANC Fine Vintage Writing Instruments 1922 LVG C VI All Brands, specializing in the Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft mbH Rare and Unusual The name MONTBLANC and the star logo are copyrights of MONTBLANC INTERNATIONAL GMBH Cliff Harrington and Mark Hoover, Historically accurate reproduction models Proprietors Visit www.inkblotters.com for ordering information 4090 A Howard Ave. Kensington, MD 20895 Telephone 301.530.1183 Email: [email protected] Len Provisor email: [email protected] The pennant summer 2006 We Exhibit At All Major Pen Shows 57 The Zoss Pens List is a free internet service. Subscribers are part of a dynamic online community of people interested in collecting pens, pencils and other related paraphernalia, vintage and modern. Many subscribers are PCA members. You choose how to participate - learn about pens, buy sell or trade, or just watch and read the messages. It’s fun and it’s free! ™ Tuesday–Friday, 9–4. Most Saturdays 10–3. Call to Verify. For information go to: http://www.zoss.com/pens/ Or write Tom Zoss at [email protected] © 2006TWZ Collector wishes to buy pens by Cincinnati makers John Holland Collins / Pick / Royal / Star Weidlich / Weidlich-Simpson Contact: Jack Leone [email protected] 513.732.2038 PENant Ad.pub page 1 Wednesday, February 01, 2006 12:50 Composite Tel. 757.425.2162 • FAX 757.425.2165 Toll free: 888.340.7367 1560 Laskin Rd. #158, Virginia Beach, VA, 23451 58 summer 2006 The pennant The Writing Equipment Society Journal is published in England and covers the history and development of writing equipment. For just $65 a year you will receive three colourful issues of the Journal packed with information and gain easy access to the 600 members who are collectors and dealers in the U.K. and Europe. To become a member of the Society, contact: [email protected] [email protected] www.wesonline.org.uk Ohio pen show A premier vintage Pen show November 2, 3, 4, and 5, 2006 Exceptional Pre-Show Buying n 30+ Tables Thursday, 100+ Tables Friday Vintage Pen Auction n Seminars & Parties Featuring Long Time Exhibitors n Many Exclusive To The Ohio Show! 150 Tables Saturday and Sunday Vintage and modern pens, inkwells, and a full range of pen related items Clarion Dublin Hotel • Columbus, Ohio $87/Night ( Toll free, 1.866.372.5566) Weekend Registration: $50.00 (Includes Significant Other And/Or Child) Terry and Sonya Mawhorter, Show Organizers 614.619.5025 n www.ohiopenshow.com Show Patrons Bexley Pen Nibs.com The pennant summer 2006 PenWorld Magazine Inkblotters.com Pendemonium pentrace.com 59 Pen Haven 3730 Howard Ave • Kensington, MD 20895 The Southern Scribe Expert Pen Repair Photos on my Website • Vintage Pens Sold Single Pieces & Collections Purchased & Appraised Now re-tipping nibs in-house with 4–6 weeks 9–5 CST • Monday–Friday turnaround www.thesouthernscribe.com Rick Horne • 334.263.4169 1868 Mt. Meigs Road • Montgomery, AL 36107 Open: Sat–Sun, 12 p.m.–5 p.m. 301.929.0955 Fax 301.365.4750 Professional Repair & Restoration Vintage Fountain Pens & Accessories Berton A. Heiserman 301.365.4452 Louis Wofsy • 703.323.4452 Email [email protected], or [email protected] www.penhaven.com www.thewritefill.com email: [email protected] Fourth Raleigh Pen Show June 2007 Vintage Parts Exchange Thursday 30+ tables Thursday (beginning at 10 a.m.!) • 90+ tables Friday vintage pen auction, Friday 90 Tables Public Days Vintage and modern pens • Full range of pen items • Seminars Embassy suites hotel • Cary, north Carolina call 1.800.embassy or 919.677.1840 free hot breakfast and evening reception included in room rate free airport shuttle weekend registration: $40.00 (includes spouse, significant other and/or child) Terry & Sonya Mawhorter, show organizers www.raleighpenshow.com 614.619.5025 Show Patrons 60 Bexley Pen PenWorld Magazine Pendemonium Swisherpens.compentrace.com Inkblotters.com Triangle Pen Club summer 2006 The pennant Wanted! Writers for The Pennant Please Contact Jim Mamoulides [email protected] Vintage Writing Instrument Repair, Restoration and Appraisals One Week Turnaround! Lever / Button Fill $30 • Parker Vacumatic $35 Sheaffer Vacuum Fill $35 • Conklin Nozak $40 All others call All work warranted. Large parts inventory. We buy! Aaron A. Svabik PO BOX 2866 • Youngstown, OH 44511 330.507.pens [email protected] The Pen Mechanic Repairs, most makes of vintage fountain pens & pencils Specializing in Waterman’s Rivet Clips and 100-Year Pen Barrel End replacements. Reasonable rates and fast turnaround. Bill Enderlin 301.585.0600 P.O. Box 197, Kensington, MD 20895 Todd Nussbaum P.O. Box 32166 Mesa, AZ 85275 Email: [email protected] Website: www.isellpens.com E-mail: [email protected] Are You Looking for the Perfect Gift for a Favorite Pen Collector? Consider a Gift Membership in the P.C.A. Now you can give a gift that will inform, delight and remind someone you know that you are thinking of them everyday of the year! Complete all of the requested information below, print clearly and send this form, along with your check or money order, made payable to: Pen Collectors of America, Attn: Roger Wooten, P.C.A. Treasurer P.O. Box 174 • Garden Prairie, IL 61038-0174 Please send a Gift Membership for (check one): Inside the U.S.: Outside the U.S.: n One year $40 U.S. n One year $60 U.S. n three years $105 U.S. n three years $150 US Send membership to: Name of Gift Recipient_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Mailing Address_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ City _ _________________________________________ State/Province ___________ Country _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Postal/Zip Code_ ________________________________ Email _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Phone (______)_ ________________________________ FAX (______)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Gift card message _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Check this box if this name should be omitted from publication as a P.C.A. member. n Your Name_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Mailing Address_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ City___________________________________________ State/Province___________ Country _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Postal/Zip Code_ ________________________________ Email_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Phone (______)_ ________________________________ FAX (______)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The pennant summer 2006 61 The Pen & Pencil Gallery Restoration of Vintage writing equipment Sales of quality old items As well as Fountain pens CUSTOM NIB MODIFICATIONS SPECIALIZING IN VINTAGE AND LIMITED EDITION PENS We offer competitive prices on Pelikan, Omas, Namiki and Sailor pens Pencils Inkwells Quill knives Quills Dip pens English pen repair Parts Parker 51,61,65 Contact www.awigallery.com www.penpencilgallery.com Email [email protected] Phone UK 44 1768484300 • Re-tipping (any size) • Flow adjustments • Re-grinding • Crack repair • Straightening • Original Replacements* *A large stock of vintage nibs is available especially Waterman’s and Parker Stub, italic, oblique, calligraphy and flexible tips made to custom specifications •Re-tip on nib only............................................................... $60 (extra charge for Stub, Oblique, Xbroad, or Xfine)................ $10 • Nib Removal and Resetting (Whole Pen Charge)................... $20 • UPS Third-day insured for $100............................................ $6 (Any amount of insurance is available. Please add $.50 per $100 over $100) Limited service from mid–June to mid–September. John Mottishaw P.O. Box 46723 Los Angeles, Ca. 90046 Telephone: 323.655.2641 Fax: 323.651.0265 e-mail: [email protected] Visit our web site at www.nibs.com TIRED OF DEALING WITH THE UNKNOWN ON THE INTERNET? How about internet prices on a vintage pen list? If you're not on our mailing list, you should be! THE FOUNTAIN PEN RECYCLER • OLDEST CONTINUALLY PUBLISHED VINTAGE PEN LIST IN THE U.S. • FULL-SERVICE RETAIL PEN STORE • VINTAGE PEN REPAIR & RESTORATION Mike Carter, owner Celebrating our 17th year! 7000 57th Ave North, Ste 103 • P.O. Box 28083 Crystal, MN 55428 Tel. 763.535.1599 Web: fountainpenrecycler.com Email: [email protected] 62 Email: [email protected] summer 2006 The pennant Inkpen Vintage Fountain Pens ™ Sales • Search • Purchase Repairs on most vintage pens including Parker and Sheaffer vacs. Excellent communication All work guaranteed Joel Hamilton 505.437.8118 [email protected] Sherrell Tyree 913.642.3216 [email protected] Visit our website www.ink-pen.com “Your Pen is Our Priority!” Announcing the First Long Island Pen Show November 17–18, Hofstra University Hempstead, LI, New York Pre-show Friday 8–noon for exhibitors & weekend traders Public show Friday noon–8 p.m. • Saturday 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Admission $10/day, weekend discounts available For tables and other information visit www.LIpenshow.com • [email protected] Featuring onsite nib work by Richard Binder and repairs by Ron Zorn The pennant summer 2006 Fine Fountain Pens & Writing Supplies Norman G. Haase [email protected] www.hisnibs.com 63 Society of Inkwell Collectors Join Us! Newsletter Convention Books & Accessories Networking P.O. Box 324 mossville, il 61552 Phone: 309.579.3040 [email protected] WWW.SOIC.COM 64 summer 2006 The pennant Aurora, Bexley, Delta, Libelle, Monteverde, Parker, Pelikan, Recife, Retro 51, Sheaffer, Stipula, Visconti, Waterman NEW! Private Reserve Ink Private Reserve Fountain Pen Inks are among the best inks available today: purchase from one of our dealers - you’ll be happy you did! 28 Vibrant Colors • Neutral ph Excellent coverage Smooth flow • Non-clogging Fast drying • Made in the U.S.A 50 ml classic deco bottle - $7.60 Private Reserve Ink is now available in standard (universal or international) cartridges, each color packaged in a unique plastic recloseable case containing twelve cartridges. Cartridges come in 23 colors! Private Reserve Ink P.O. Box 704, Zionsville, IN 46077 (317) 733-1970 • www.PrivateReserveInk.com Visit our website for dealer listings. Dealer inquiries invited. FOUNTAIN PEN HOSPITAL The Showcase of Fine Writing Instruments Since 1946 World’s Largest Selection Visit our newly expanded showroom for an experience unlike any other. The world’s largest selection of contemporary, limited edition and vintage pens. CALL OR EMAIL FOR FREE PEN CATALOG 10 Warren Street New York, NY 10007 800.253.PENS T. 212.964.0580 / F. 212.227.5916 [email protected] www.fountainpenhospital.com Just click www.fountainpenhospital.com