Caws Pen

[Flowerman]

I have recently acquired a Caws pen from a family member and would like to find out more about it. It is in excellent condition: black with two gold coloured rings near the top and bottom with fine pattern on the barrel; the nib retracts. It is numbered '303'. Thank you.

[Dave Johannsen]

I have recently acquired a Caws pen from a family member and would like to find out more about it. It is in excellent condition: black with two gold coloured rings near the top and bottom with fine pattern on the barrel; the nib retracts. It is numbered '303'. Thank you.

You are fortunate, indeed!

 

Take a look here: Ron Dutcher's article

or here: caws safety

or here: caws safety (scroll down)

or here: caws safety

 

Start with Ron Dutcher's article (anything that I would say would simply be paraphrasing) and then see some of the other links. I have been trying for a couple of years to find one of these pens (at a point in time when I could afford it); they are quite early and (consequently) scarce. Also, the PCA library has some Caws materials.

 

 

Dave

Edited August 9, 2010 by Dave Johannsen

[Flowerman]

I have recently acquired a Caws pen from a family member and would like to find out more about it. It is in excellent condition: black with two gold coloured rings near the top and bottom with fine pattern on the barrel; the nib retracts. It is numbered '303'. Thank you.

You are fortunate, indeed!

 

Take a look here: Ron Dutcher's article

or here: caws safety

or here: caws safety (scroll down)

or here: caws safety

 

Start with Ron Dutcher's article (anything that I would say would simply be paraphrasing) and then see some of the other links. I have been trying for a couple of years to find one of these pens (at a point in time when I could afford it); they are quite early and (consequently) scarce. Also, the PCA library has some Caws materials.

 

 

Dave

[Flowerman]

Thank you.That's really helpful. I'll have a look at the article. It sounds as though I have got something interesting. Kind Regards

[Dave Johannsen]

Thank you.That's really helpful. I'll have a look at the article. It sounds as though I have got something interesting. Kind Regards

 

I'm glad that the pointers were useful. Francis Cashel Brown and his company Caws were pretty big players at the dawn of the twentieth century. I certainly wouldn't regularly use a pen like the one that you've got, but it is really something to be treasured. I hope that it brings you many years of enjoyment.

 

 

Dve

[Flowerman]

I definitely won't use it but I might be interested in selling the pen.

[Luckyboy]

Greetings from Oz

 

I also have a CAW's pen picked it up the other day ( a lucky day) I need to move it on )new house to pay for) but don't know what to start it at, can you give me a ball park value? I have contacted a dealer and received nothing by way of information.

 

The pen has CAWs fountain pen (crow) Regd Nr 453

form 12 Feb' 95. 22 APR' 04 USA (Crow)intern. 22' May 22.25A

 

Pocket clip also marked Caw Pat Appld For (Crow in lozenge)

 

I know nothing about pens except that it has no cracks chips or marks but the gold has gone from the pocket clip and fill lever.

 

It also has what looks like a snake skin pouch.

 

Hope you can help me with a value est starting point (PM me if you like)

Regards L

[Dave Johannsen]

 

I also have a CAW's pen picked it up the other day ( a lucky day) I need to move it on )new house to pay for) but don't know what to start it at, can you give me a ball park value? I have contacted a dealer and received nothing by way of information.

 

The pen that you have is a much later Caws. I believe that there is some concensus that these plastic Caws pens were made in Europe (maybe the UK). I don't think that Francis Cashel Brown any longer had anything to do with the company at the point that these plastic pens were made. How the Caws name went dormant and then was resurrected much later in Europe seems to be anybody's guess. I don't feel entirely comfortable putting a value on any scarce pen, but I believe that I have occassionally seen these pens go for $40-60 on eBay.

 

 

Dave

[rhr]

Hi Dave,

 

These later Caw's pens were made by Waterman's, Burnham in the UK, and various other makers, and were sold by their European distributors. Francis C. Brown died in 1939, so there's no reason to doubt that he had something to do with the company at that point. The various incarnations of the Caw's companies had a consistent presence in NY, that is, an unbroken chain of NY business addresses, from 1878 to the 1930s, so again there's no reason to suppose that the name went dormant and was resurrected much later in Europe. (You'll have to wait just a little longer for the Penmakers book.) Either he, or his very business-minded wife, Marie, or his wife's aunt and major investor, Camille Quesnel, probably continued the Caw's company interests through their distributors in Europe, unless they sold to someone else. That's my guess.

 

By the way, where is the transcript of the Brown autobiography from the New York Historical Society that you promised to post online? ;~)

 

George Kovalenko.

 

Edited October 14, 2011 by rhr

[rhr]

According to the Francis Cashel Brown autobiography in the New York Historical Society, Brown lost interest in the Caw's company after the slow down in business after WWI. "With his extensive foreign markets in chaos, with materials scarce and uncertain in supply, Mr. Brown felt that he should not undertake the heavy burden of re-building his organization and gave his attention to other matters until his death in 1939." His wife died on Feb 18, 1923, and Camille Quesnel probably predeceased her, so the Caw's company interests in Europe were probably continued by his children, unless they, or their father sold to someone else. One thing is certain, though. Caw's did have an address in New York through to the early 1930s.

 

George Kovalenko.

 

Edited October 20, 2011 by rhr

[rhr]

Sorry, the link in my previous post is broken, and I can't fix it. Here's the correct link to the Francis Cashel Brown biography & autobiography. They are in the last two posts in the thread.

 

George Kovalenko.

 

[Dave Johannsen]

According to the Francis Cashel Brown autobiography in the New York Historical Society,... <snip>

 

Thank you George for the great stuff. Sorry that I have not followed-up on things, but I am pulled in too many directions right now. Also, you do a much better and more complete job of researching than I could ever aspire to, so it works out best for almost everyone when you track down all the answers for me. :embarrassed_smile: I eagerly await your Pen Maker's book and I sincerely hope that you are well.

 

 

Dave

[alessbon]

i love this pen

[Darcy1978]

While googling for info on Caw's I came across this thread. They seem to be rare indeed. I am looking at a (so it seems) very nice Caw 311, including box, and instructions in Dutch. It has to be an imported version. It's not exactly cheap (yet cheaper than a 1920s Duofold on eBay) and I would be be buying it to sell it on at some point - I wonder if there's still a lot of interest in these very early fountain pens, and also: what would you do?

[Vintagepens]

Caw's was very active in the export market. Their pens, while rare, do turn up all over the place. Northern Europe was a good market for them, it seems.