I guess that I am asking an impossible question here (or worse -a question that everyone here knows except me!), but here goes. How many Conway Stewart pens were produced in a typical year in their vintage era? Are there any estimates as to the total production of vintage 58s (my favourite)? Further, does anyone know how many of each colour were made? Now for the big question...any estimates of how many probably exist today in collections and old drawers?...and of these, how many would be in excellent condition?

Massive questions, parilla, any answers would be very interesting. One would imagine there must some records somewhere of production numbers but such is the chaos of the numbering system and the variations on design, production for other firms etc, that it wouldn't suprise me that there are none.

It would be very interesting though, even to have an idea on numbers (is it 10,000 58s? 100,000? Are there more 58s than, say, 14s?)

I wonder if the new CS firm has any records from the old company?

Greg

Thanks Greg. I have emailed Jonathon Donahaye and he is going to give the matter some thought and reply. When he does, I will see if he would like to put his views on the forum for everyone to see. I like your idea about the modern company having the records... I will email Mary to see if this is so.

I'm fairly sure the modern CS company has no records of the past production (or indeed any interest in the early history of the company). Steve Hull probably has some information gleaned from an employee of CS in the 1950s but that will have to wait for the publication of his long promised book.

However we do know that a typical post war production run was around 2000 pieces. The 58 was made for around 14 years and in 13 standard colours. We might assume they made one batch of each colour each year (yes I know the herringbones weren't introduced until 1957 approx. but we are only looking at an order of magnitude here) which gives you a total of 14 x 13 x 2000 = 364,000 pens.

I doubt they would have made as many as a million because I would have thought that they would have featured that in advertising and, as far as I know, they didn't, though it is just possible that oversight was as a result of shoddy record keeping! My guess would be somewhere in the range 100,000 to 1,000,000 58s were produced.

Andy

Guessing 50% lost/destoyed, 25% in circulation, an exciting 25% still to be uncovered!

Ok, I'm dreaming. However 1/3 million 58s is exciting, even though each of them has alluded me. java script:emoticon(':(')
smilie

Greg