The picture shows a pen I picked up at Bermondsey Market last year. I have never seen anything like it, is it rare?
Barrel reads R Esterbrook & Co as a signature, then RELIEF 314, then MADE IN USA
The lever appear to hinge very near the end with the pin it rotates around showing in the barrel at each end where it comes out. One end is a plain oval shape, and the other looks like it bends into the barrel.
The cap has a single wide band right at the end - shortened? - unfortunately the band is broken and loose
The Clip is rivetted on.
Nib says 14CT, USA across it, and then lengthways R ESTERBROOK, RELIEF
Sorry picture is poor quality, the colour is a good bright green with white swirls with little discolouration - a couple of rings of darkening on the cap
Full Version: Relief 314 Lever Filler
don't see the pic.
It is a piece of junk not worth a penny. Just give it to me 
Seriously. Brian is the expert but in his site www.esterbrook.net you will see that 314 Relief are actually eyedroppers.
Strange specimen. Wait for Brian to chime in - and please do post a picture.
AZ
Seriously. Brian is the expert but in his site www.esterbrook.net you will see that 314 Relief are actually eyedroppers.
Strange specimen. Wait for Brian to chime in - and please do post a picture.
AZ
Yes, picture please, I have head of early Esterbrook self fillers, but never seen one. It is possible the relief 314 could have been made as a lever filler. Since many of the 314's were Wirt made, it is not to hard to picture them making a run of lever filers too.
Anxiously waiting....
Best-
Brian
Anxiously waiting....
Best-
Brian
Picture now there.
Technology not my strong point - hence I use a fountain pen (well penS really)
Technology not my strong point - hence I use a fountain pen (well penS really)
Exposure isn't bad, Simon. Just work on the focus and you'll be mostly there. 
You probably have a quite rare pen SimonG.
I do have questions and comments.
The clip does not seem to be "Esterbrookish" perhaps some other experts can detect the probable manufacturers. We know that early Esterbrook pes where made by others manufacturers (e.g., Wirt).
Timewise this pen is very strange. This is a presumably pre-V-clip pens. Esterbrook relief 314 eyedropper hard rubber pens (BHR and RHR are date in the first and second decade of the 20th century. The plastic of your pen - celluloid leads me to think that this is late 20s early 30s pen. Esterbrook pens in the mid 20's to early 30s are found in England. It is strange that it says 14CT and USA. It should be either 14K and USA or 14CT and Made in England (I think).
I just want to hear Brian about it.
I do have questions and comments.
The clip does not seem to be "Esterbrookish" perhaps some other experts can detect the probable manufacturers. We know that early Esterbrook pes where made by others manufacturers (e.g., Wirt).
Timewise this pen is very strange. This is a presumably pre-V-clip pens. Esterbrook relief 314 eyedropper hard rubber pens (BHR and RHR are date in the first and second decade of the 20th century. The plastic of your pen - celluloid leads me to think that this is late 20s early 30s pen. Esterbrook pens in the mid 20's to early 30s are found in England. It is strange that it says 14CT and USA. It should be either 14K and USA or 14CT and Made in England (I think).
I just want to hear Brian about it.
This is an interesting pen in a number of ways. The nib seems correct. Not counting the Conway Stewart made Relief 1-R eyedropper, early pre-V clip pens (eyedroppers and self fillers included) have a number of different nibs. I have three distinctly different eydropper nibs in my collection, including one I believe similar to the one Simon identifies, and i have seen at least one other variant. Hoban's speculation was these were made for export to the UK, thus the "14ct" designation. I don't know, but the natural question would be if there are any US manufacturers marking nibs in a similar way, and why they did it.
We do know Wirt was responsible for a majority of the early Esterbrook eyedroppers people see. De La Rue also made an overfeed Gold Relief eyedropper, and I have some suspicions that Aiken Lambert might have had their hands on production as well.
We could speculate (that's all this is, no proof to any of this yet) that during the first decade of the 20th century Esterbrook saw the need to have fountain pens manufactured in order to remain competitve. Also, this would be a normal extension of their business, but since the manufacture of nibs was their specialty, they might have been hesitant to start producing barrels and caps and other parts to make complete pens. So, Richard Esterbrook II goes to a number of manufacturers, Wirt, Aiken Lambert, De La Rue, Conway Stewart and perhaps others and says, "Make me a fountain pen, stamp it Relief 314 and I'll evaluate how well you do". Remember the Relief 314 designation refers to the nib style, not the model of the pen. Interestingly enough, it doesn't appear as though Esterbrook actually manufactured the nibs for these pens. So, a number of manufacturers come back with small runs of pens for Esterbrook to evaluate. Wirt wins the contract and starts producing eyedroppers and self fillers for Esterbrook.
Or...., Esterbrook has Wirt make some, then switches to ALCO, has De La Rue make them in the UK, along with CS, and their are a number of manufacturers making them at the same time.
Interestingly enough, as a mid to late 20's or early 30's pen, this is close to V clip production in 1932. I don't have the patent information with me, but Esterbrook had been planning the V clip design early 30's if not late 20's, so this jade self filler is definitely late production. I wonder why they didn't decide to go with this design instead of the steel re-new-point route.
Early Esterbrook history is fascinating and much of it is unwritten. So one can only speculate until actual proof can be found.
Best-
Brian
We do know Wirt was responsible for a majority of the early Esterbrook eyedroppers people see. De La Rue also made an overfeed Gold Relief eyedropper, and I have some suspicions that Aiken Lambert might have had their hands on production as well.
We could speculate (that's all this is, no proof to any of this yet) that during the first decade of the 20th century Esterbrook saw the need to have fountain pens manufactured in order to remain competitve. Also, this would be a normal extension of their business, but since the manufacture of nibs was their specialty, they might have been hesitant to start producing barrels and caps and other parts to make complete pens. So, Richard Esterbrook II goes to a number of manufacturers, Wirt, Aiken Lambert, De La Rue, Conway Stewart and perhaps others and says, "Make me a fountain pen, stamp it Relief 314 and I'll evaluate how well you do". Remember the Relief 314 designation refers to the nib style, not the model of the pen. Interestingly enough, it doesn't appear as though Esterbrook actually manufactured the nibs for these pens. So, a number of manufacturers come back with small runs of pens for Esterbrook to evaluate. Wirt wins the contract and starts producing eyedroppers and self fillers for Esterbrook.
Or...., Esterbrook has Wirt make some, then switches to ALCO, has De La Rue make them in the UK, along with CS, and their are a number of manufacturers making them at the same time.
Interestingly enough, as a mid to late 20's or early 30's pen, this is close to V clip production in 1932. I don't have the patent information with me, but Esterbrook had been planning the V clip design early 30's if not late 20's, so this jade self filler is definitely late production. I wonder why they didn't decide to go with this design instead of the steel re-new-point route.
Early Esterbrook history is fascinating and much of it is unwritten. So one can only speculate until actual proof can be found.
Best-
Brian
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