Mabie Todd & Conklin Pen Co.

[BernieC]

I recently purchased a Mabie Todd pen from E Bay. The pen appears to new and unused. The box also has the name Conklin on the box. I am wondering if this is a modern version of the pen or could it really be new old stock.

 

I thought that Mabie Todd stopped manufacturing back in the 50's. I need some history about the company and the WWW wasn't much help. Any info is appreciated.

[pen2paper]

sounds like this is a mismatched box..(?)

Mabie-Todd would be New York/London

Conklin would be Toledo - sold to Chicago group - modern times bought by Yafa.

don't see a cross between the two, even in sub brands.

[barleycorn]

Mabie Todd and Conklin are two separate companies. Likely a random box with the pen. http://www.fountainpenhospital.com/ list new pens but they have little to do with the vintage pens. MT started in NY before 1900 and moved to England between the wars (1920?). Production continued into the 1950's then slowly diminished. The hard rubber pens were made up to that time and the plastic pens appeared after the war.

Most of the vintage pens have an imprint that states where they were made. A model number is usually stamped on the pen body somewhere. There are leverless models that fill by turning the end cap and lever fill models.

Hope this is helpful. If you find the model number, post it with a picture and someone will be able to decipher it for you. I hope this has been useful to you.

[Happy Harry]

Both Mabie Todd and Conklin have had the trademark recycled. A picture would be useful to ascertain if really old (pre 50's) or new old stock from the new MT ( which it appears has joined the old MT as part of history...) . I'm not sure if in the "new" incarnations there was a connection between who made MT and Conklin ( which has had a couple owners iirc).

[BernieC]

I know it isn't vintage so I assume it is NOS. The card in the box is where Conklin is mentioned. There is no model number but the cap ring says Mabie Todd. It's still a nice pen even though not an old one. Maybe there is a Mabie in my near future, from the old days. Thanks for the information.

[BernieC]

Both Mabie Todd and Conklin have had the trademark recycled. A picture would be useful to ascertain if really old (pre 50's) or new old stock from the new MT ( which it appears has joined the old MT as part of history...) . I'm not sure if in the "new" incarnations there was a connection between who made MT and Conklin ( which has had a couple owners iirc).

Finally got some decent shots of the pen and box. This is not vintage but still confused as to the actual age.

[SteveE]

I'm going from memory here, so my "facts" may be slightly distorted - but you may get the idea. About 8 or 10 years ago the Rosen family purchased the rights to the name of the Conklin Pen Co. They sold many re-creations of earlier Conklin pen designs, including the Nozac, Glider, Duragraph and Crescent lines. The elder Rosen (sorry, but I've forgotten his name) passed away and his son, Rob, took over the company. It seemed to be too much for him to keep under control and the company fell on hard times. Ultimately they sold the Conklin name to Yafa, who currently markets Conklin pens. Then, a short time later (a year or two?), Rob was said to have purchased the rights to the Mabie Todd name, to produce and market re-creations of earlier Mabie Todd pens.

 

I wasn't aware that there was any cross-over period where the Rosen family held the rights to both Conklin and Mabie Todd, and I am sure that the Conklin name was acquired by Yafa. Also, I was not aware of Yafa ever owning the Mabie Todd name. I'm just not sure where the current ownership of the Mabie Todd name lies.

Edited July 8, 2013 by SteveE

[BernieC]

I appreciate all the information from everyone. I did some web searching on this subject and could not nail down any good facts. The Yafa link may be useful for another search when time allows.

 

There was a reference to Fountain Pen Hospital and did see they sell MT pens, but none of the pictures come close to this pens design. I also found a dead link to the Mabie Todden site and found it was for sale.

 

Oh well, I will just ink the pen and enjoy using it.

Cheers

[demeter]

That is a modern knock off version of a Mabie Todd & Co. pen. The "iridium point" on the nib is the giveaway.

That particular model I do not know.

I bought a similar model, knowing what I was purchasing, but its balance and weight was a problem for me.

It was smooth however.

 

It really has nothing to do with vintage Mabie Todd & Co. pens except spelling.

I would highly recommend trying to find a vintage MT&Co pen....they are sweet.

 

Best to you

Andrew

[pen2paper]

I do stand corrected. There is a modern day connection, as was noted above. Thanks Gentlemen : )

Both modern day MT&Co. and Mabie, Todd & Co. are trademarks owned by the modern day Conklin Pen Co, Inc. since 2007. This info per Tradermarkia, (simply found online - can't vouch for their accuracy). Fountain Pen Hospital does show both separate lines of pens.

sounds like this is a mismatched box..(?)

Mabie-Todd would be New York/London

Conklin would be Toledo - sold to Chicago group - modern times bought by Yafa.

don't see a cross between the two, even in sub brands.

 

[richardandtracy]

It certainly looks like a Chinese pen to me. I know Cross is now made in China, so why not make Mabie Todd there too? China seems to have a great deal of manufacturing expertise at the moment.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[apkayle]

It certainly looks like a Chinese pen to me. I know Cross is now made in China, so why not make Mabie Todd there too? China seems to have a great deal of manufacturing expertise at the moment.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

An FPH (Fountain Pen Hospital) representative told me that the Mabie Todd pens are being made in Taiwan.

 

I totally agree with you about China's pen quality! The pens they're churning out are fantastic even when disregarding price.

 

I also own one of the "new" Mabie Todd pens.

 

http://24.media.tumblr.com/8185e7deeb056e49ae537d721d41851e/tumblr_mp0jkqZNb81rxfugso1_1280.jpg

 

http://24.media.tumblr.com/fb8c575e03cd1aac7e1d2b6756d2831e/tumblr_mp0jkqZNb81rxfugso4_1280.jpg

 

The nib is very smooth and very springy. The only complaint I have about this pen is that the cap is way too heavy for posting. Otherwise, the pen is comfortable to write with and performs about at least as well as my Sheaffer 440.

[SteveE]

MAJOR BRAIN CRAMP ALERT! ! !

 

I don't know where my brain was when I (wrongly) asserted that there was a connection between the new Conklin Pen Co. and Mabie Todd. My apologies for this mis-information. The correct reference would be to the new Chilton Pen Co. I realized this as I was digging through my pen accumulation (not a focused collection) and saw the modern Chilton pens.

 

Again, I am most sorry for the erroneous information I posted.

 

Sheesh! Don't get old. . .