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Famous people's pens


SweetieStarr

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The recent thread of Ian Fleming's fountain pen prompted my idea for this thread.

 

Does anyone know what fountain pens were used by famous historical figures or entertainment figures?

 

I think this could be a really interesting thread.

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Penmakers got there long before you. Have a look at Conklin and Conway Stewart, just to start.

Thanks

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So Mark Twain used Conklins and people like Winston Churchill, the Queen, Presidents Clinton & Bush and Rick Wakeman (Yes!) use Conway Stewarts. Anyone else?

 

What about old Hollywood stars like Humphrey Bogart?

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So Mark Twain used Conklins and people like Winston Churchill, the Queen, Presidents Clinton & Bush and Rick Wakeman (Yes!) use Conway Stewarts. Anyone else?

 

What about old Hollywood stars like Humphrey Bogart?

 

I think we have to keep in mind that prominent figures have often been given pens by penmakers seeking to gain exposure thereby. So while Presidents Clinton and Bush may have been presented with (modern) Conway Stewarts, it's more than a little misleading to state that they are Conway Stewart users. Nor am I sure that the presentation of CS pens to Queen Elizabeth II has led to a displacement of her long and well-documented preference for Parkers.

 

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I posted a few threads on this topic a few months ago, mostly French literary figures:

Also, heard that J. K. Rowling wrote her novels with a fountain pen. At least, there were handwritten, if it wasn't with a fountain pen.

 

 

Fernan

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The Armistice was signed with a Waterman pen

Iechyd da pob Cymro

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The recent thread of Ian Fleming's fountain pen prompted my idea for this thread.

 

Does anyone know what fountain pens were used by famous historical figures or entertainment figures?

 

I think this could be a really interesting thread.

 

 

Slightly off subject, but I remember someone posting a link in a previous discussion on this topic to a news article about Paul von Hindenburg using a monstrously paintbrush-writing fountain pen. The article didn't say what kind of pen it was. However, going through Vol 1 of charles Hamilton's book on the Nazi leadership, there's a couple images of documents signed by both Hindenburg and Hitler. Hitler's signature is tiny, while von Hindenburg's is huge, literally going from one side of the page to the other. (And he signed in the "imperial" style, signing only "von Hindenburg", rather than his full name.)

"Here was a man who had said, with his wan smile, that once he realized that he would never be a protagonist, he decided to become, instead, an intelligent spectator, for there was no point in writing without serious motivation." - Casaubon referring to Belbo, Foucault's Pendulum.

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Good morning everyone! I have a black Schaeffer that was bought in Detroit.It is stamped with the name Henry Ford.I'll try to post a photo later.Does having a famous name increase the pens value considering that solid verification other than circumstance is all thats available? :meow: gramakittycat

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  • 2 years later...

Good morning everyone! I have a black Schaeffer that was bought in Detroit.It is stamped with the name Henry Ford.I'll try to post a photo later.Does having a famous name increase the pens value considering that solid verification other than circumstance is all thats available? <img src="https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sm_cat.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":meow:" border="0" alt="sm_cat.gif" /> gramakittycat

Somewhere on line, alas I don't remember exactly where, I saw a Sheaffer fountain pen stamped with the name "Richard Castle". So do fictional famous authors count?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Good morning everyone! I have a black Schaeffer that was bought in Detroit.It is stamped with the name Henry Ford.I'll try to post a photo later.Does having a famous name increase the pens value considering that solid verification other than circumstance is all thats available? <img src="https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sm_cat.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":meow:" border="0" alt="sm_cat.gif" /> gramakittycat

Somewhere on line, alas I don't remember exactly where, I saw a Sheaffer fountain pen stamped with the name "Richard Castle". So do fictional famous authors count?

 

I want one with "Gandalf" on it. (Maybe I can write it on my Safari with a Sharpie.)

 

But on a serious note, Bogart did ads for Eversharp in the '40s. I don't know that that means that he used them so much as that they were willing to pay him to say he did.

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Spike Milligan used a Sheaffer (PFM ? Imperial? need more practise pen spotting). See it in this link to its auction description.

Yesterday is history.

Tomorrow is a mystery.

Today is a gift.

That's why it's called the present

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So Mark Twain used Conklins and people like Winston Churchill, the Queen, Presidents Clinton & Bush and Rick Wakeman (Yes!) use Conway Stewarts. Anyone else?

 

What about old Hollywood stars like Humphrey Bogart?

Who told you the Queen uses CS? She has been using the same Parker 51 for personal use since 1959. CS keep sending ornate pens to her in hopes that she will use them, so they can get the coat-of-arms on their advertising copy. She is only interested in pens she can use, not overly ornate, display items.

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So Mark Twain used Conklins and people like Winston Churchill, the Queen, Presidents Clinton & Bush and Rick Wakeman (Yes!) use Conway Stewarts. Anyone else?

 

What about old Hollywood stars like Humphrey Bogart?

Who told you the Queen uses CS? She has been using the same Parker 51 for personal use since 1959. CS keep sending ornate pens to her in hopes that she will use them, so they can get the coat-of-arms on their advertising copy. She is only interested in pens she can use, not overly ornate, display items.

 

You're thinking of the queen's royal warrant. To my knowledge, the warrant-holder of writing-instruments to the royal household is the Parker Pen Company. So yeah, C.S. has certainly lost out there.

http://www.throughouthistory.com/ - My Blog on History & Antiques

 

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So Mark Twain used Conklins and people like Winston Churchill, the Queen, Presidents Clinton & Bush and Rick Wakeman (Yes!) use Conway Stewarts. Anyone else?

 

What about old Hollywood stars like Humphrey Bogart?

Who told you the Queen uses CS? She has been using the same Parker 51 for personal use since 1959. CS keep sending ornate pens to her in hopes that she will use them, so they can get the coat-of-arms on their advertising copy. She is only interested in pens she can use, not overly ornate, display items.

 

You're thinking of the queen's royal warrant. To my knowledge, the warrant-holder of writing-instruments to the royal household is the Parker Pen Company. So yeah, C.S. has certainly lost out there.

Yes, both HM The Queen and Charles Prince of Wales, as an individual, have given Royal Warrants to Parker. I was just being implicitly rude when I used "coat-of-arms", because it implies they are only interested in the decoration. This is my British upbringing, and what passed as understated humour in my formative years.

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