Hi,

First of all, I'm not an expert on these pens. Living in the U.K., I don't come across that many of them!

However, one did turn up in a recent batch of items I bought - it is marked on the barrel Esterbrook with 'MADE IN ENGLAND' printed beneath. Looking at the Esterbrook website, it appears to be a J series Double Jewel but the clip is missing. Little surprised to find an English pen as I thought this was a N. American brand. Would be interested in more information - can anyone help?

The pen incidently is an attractive blue with darker bands - can post photos if anyone is interested.

G.

Esterbrook produced pens in a number of countries, including: England, Canada, Mexico, and the US.
Hmm - A question for the pen history experts: Did Esterbrook have factories in other countries besides those I've listed?

Todd

G.

Is the clip broken off or has it been removed? Esterbrook did make a series of clipless purse pens that only had a smooth trim ring below the jewel. The English colors tend to be a bit different than the US version. Do post a picture, for some of us, you may have a pen that the rest of us now need to find....

FarmBoy (Todd)

I've got another question about this English manufactured Esterbrook. Did Estie actually have a factory in England, or did they subcontract to a local vendor?

Thanks for the replies. Here are the pics.

All of the pens in the batch I bought were without clips although none of them were particularly worn.

I have taken a photo of the end of the cap. There is a small 1mm rim to the top outer but I cannot see any threads on the inside of the cap.

The nib is marked Esterbrook, 2314-M, Relief, Medium, Made in USA.

Looks like a double jeweled J with the top clip/jewel/rivet missing.

With a new cap this pen would be complete.

And the nib is a nice one .. My personal favorites are the 2314M and 9314M stubs ... great little writers.

Todd

The main reason I bought the batch of pens was for a beautiful Duofold Maxima (English 1950s). But this certainly looks an attractive pen - I'll have to get in working and see how it writes + try and find myself a missing clip and two jewels (the barrel one is chipped too). Is the clip just held in place by the end jewel which acts as a rivet?

G.

[On hols. for week from June 6]

G.

This looks like a cap that had a threaded jewel. There would have been a small bushing in the cap and the jewel threaded into the bushing and held on the clip. The other style is as you mention, a rivet that holds the clip with a jewel pressed into the hollow rivet.

I don't have any good pictures for the cap construction--I guess I should take some--but your best bet would be a replacement cap.

I looked and I have zero blue caps that don't have the same problem as yours.

Todd

I want to say they subcontracted since Esterbrook did not make fountain pens in the US until ~1934. Prior to that they were strictly making nibs. Mr. Esterbrook and his sons came from England so I would say they had contacts and after said date, both plants (US and England) made pens for a while until the Camden N.J. plant took full production. The New Jersey plant was open 1858 - 1964, moved to a new location and remained there until 1972.

"In 1940 war had come to strike a blow at the Esterbrook company. On November 19th 1940 their England location was hit by an incendiary bomb destroying half of the location! To make matters worse, when putting out the fire using a human water bucket chain, someone accidentally grabbed a bucket of paraffin and set the place further ablaze. Oddly enough, the company was able to rebuild the structure during the war. However, the government had placed a stipulation that 50% of its capacity was to be used for government related purposes. "

Credit here => http://www.whiteapplemultimedia.com/history.html

Todd,

Esterbrook did eventually have a factory in England starting in the 1930's when UK had restricted imports from the US. It got bombed during the war but was rebuilt.

-penariffic

Yes, the esties were made in Brazil too. I think the were produced in the sixties, just in LJ size, pastel colors and lever and aerometric filling systems.
Cheers.

Luciano, from Brazil.