How was a Waterman #52 without a clip on the cap carried in one's pocket? And was it considered a ladies pen if it did not have the clip since it would be carried in a pocketbook of some kind?

Hi,
In the earlier part of the 20th century not all pen makers offered pens with clips on the caps as the standard model, (hence the clip cap and patent marking on Waterman pens until the late 1920s) and some not at all, on many brands they were for years an 'at extra cost add on', so there were things called accomodation clips, slip on clips or similar names, the pen makers made them and there were companies who made unbranded and self branded clips for those who had bought pens without clips or had bought pens before clips were offered at all. Some of the strange patterns in the fading/oxidation on BHR pens have been caused by accomodation clips that are no longer fitted.

Swan and several other makers made pen holders, these were metal sleeves, sometimes with a softer lining, with clips that clipped onto the pocket edge and into which the pen fitted.

As to what was considered a lady's pen and what was not it seems to have been a matter of size and even model name, many people consider ring tops to be a lady's pen but several were advertised as vest pocket pens as the ring could just as well be attached to a chain that carried a pocket watch on the other end and in the other pocket of the vest/waistcoat as to a chateliane or neck ribbon or careried in a hanbag,purse or pocketbook.

hope this helps,

Cheers, John

The Waterman #52 was never advertised specifically as a lady's pen. Yeah okay, it didn't have a clip to start with. But neither did many other pens. As Oxonian said, clips came as extras. You wanted a clip, you had to pay for it. It wasn't until later, about the 1910s/1920s, that pen companies started selling pens with clips already attached.

Ringtop fountain pens must be looked at in the context of their day. Ringtops were common during the early 20th century because of the type of clothing that people wore. Women wore nice long necklaces and ringtops were designed to be tied or hanged onto these. Men wore a pocket-watch and chain, and smaller 'vest-pocket' pens were designed to be chained to a watch-chain. Even in the 1930s and 40s when the wristwatch really began to take off, ringtops were still being produced because sometimes change is slow, and some men (and women) still wanted them to chain to their watches or their necklaces.

So no, the 52 was never specifically designed to be a lady's pen, it's simply how pens were made at the time.

Just a comment and a couple of dates.

Prior to 1905, nobody put a permanent clip on a pen - Waterman invented the first permanent clip in 1905 and started the whole era of attached clips. However, there were lots of accomodation clips of many types and styles- non-permanent clips that clipped both to the pen and to the pocket.

As mentioned, even after clips were invented it was a while before they became standard. Partly this was because people didn't always carry their pens in their pockets - many stayed at a writing desk - and because people would often prefer the cheaper accomodation clips.

Ring tops were, as mentioned, not necessarily considered ladys pens. In the 19teens-1920s they were often termed "vest pocket" pens and worn on a chain in a gentlemans vest pocket. the term "Ladies pen" was sometimes used for pens that were more slender than other models.

However, I think this usage had faded by the 1930s. I really want to investigate this further, but one data point I have is the Sears Catalog. Sears advertised it's ring-tops and clipless pens up until about 1924 without reference to "ladies pens" - a term they reserved for a few small and slender clipless models. However, by around 1928 they were advertising nearly all of their pens in "Mens Version (clipped) and Ladies Version (with ring attachement)." So I believe that by the 1930s a ring-top was considered a ladies pen, but I would be interested in seeing more references from the time. It would be also interesting to look at menswear from the time and see what was happening to the vest and the shirt-pocket, among other things.

John

Thanks to everyone for helping me. I was trying to figure out which cap I needed to get to restore my BCHR #52. The nib will have to be repaired and the lever checked.