Boston Fountain Pen Company

[rhr]

Great information. Thanks, Antonios.

 

You must have found some of it on Google Books. There's more info there that you didn't reproduce, but I can't download any of it. It's only available in the US. Some of the other stuff is from a commercial legal database, isn't it? But where is the System magazine from? It seems that the ad copy reversed the two patent dates. The Safety Pen Chamber should be the July 5, 1904 patent, and the pen was named after the safety-cap feature after all. That's why it's nice to see all the information in the whole ad. In the research "business", you have to have a thorough "system", as the ad implies. ;~) And did the magazine require all advertizers to use the word "system" at least once in their ads, I wonder?

 

George Kovalenko.

 

Edited June 18, 2009 by rhr

[antoniosz]

it is all from google books. I will to post the ad soon. it was must faster to switch to text and cut and paste.

 

 

 

Edited June 19, 2009 by antoniosz

[Roger W.]

George;

 

Quite correct - the ad copy in the System (December 1904) has the patents reversed.

 

More on Colonial - They do seem to be incorporated in Maine as one of the incorporators resided in Kitterly, ME one F. E. Rowell. The other two incorporators include a judge Edward C. Bates and William J. Chaplin. They incorporated in 1899. I don't recognize any of these men having anything to do with Boston (the pen).

 

Roger W.

[rhr]

-- from "The Debris", the Purdue University year book, 1902

The best equipped factory in the world, superior skilled workmen under the personal supervision of its manager, MR. AUGUST EBERSTEIN, conceded to have brought out more perfection and beauty of finish in fountain pens than any other man.

I like this description of Eberstein. Or is it a self-description by Eberstein? ;~)

 

George Kovalenko.

 

[antoniosz]

Here you go Mr Canadian who cannot see Google Books Also another one from "Over 100 Ways to Pay Oneself Through College" by S.A.Moran, 1906.

 

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b325/azavalia/Boston-Safety-Fountain-Pen-System-T.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b325/azavalia/Boston-Safety-Fountain-Pen-Over100W.jpg

Edited June 20, 2009 by antoniosz

[rhr]

Here you go Mr Canadian who cannot see Google Books.

Thanks for the legwork and the pen-o-logy [pen-knowledgy]. And that's okay, I'll accept the cheap shot. Living out here on the edge of civilization, I am the grateful and beholden beneficiary of the assistance of a whole network of people like you who are willing to undertake these random acts of pen-o-logical [pen-know-logical] kindness. But remember, it's not just me. It's everyone else on this board who lives outside the US. When you are drinking Ouzo on the beach of some Greek island, you can't see Google Books either, and it's not just the Ouzo. ;~)

 

George Kovalenko.

 

Edited June 21, 2009 by rhr

[antoniosz]

It could be the ouzo but I think I can see Google Books from Greece. Maybe Canada is a rogue country... Oh, I forgot we changed presidents

By the way, I just discovered that the new Google books rock. Direct linking!... Wow! Here are some Colonial Pen Co. info.

Can you see the photos?

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=YXQoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA33&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U0Wd1lGdG9NFQBRFH0rOrtALvY6Yg&ci=665%2C258%2C298%2C83&edge=0

From: The jewelers' circular and horological review, May 3, 1899.

http://books.google.com/books?id=YXQoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA33

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=ygkrAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA834&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U0TqMTfi2cQ7OrpV0aCVhTKJQug4A&ci=118%2C942%2C727%2C374&edge=0

From The Christian Science Journal By Mary Baker Eddy, First Church of Christ, Scientist (Boston, Mass.)

http://books.google.com/books?id=ygkrAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA834

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=D6rOAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA297&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U1JDvHDcT3Txzz3q3OjGMBBWVcksw&ci=63%2C74%2C755%2C369&edge=0

From "The Debris: Being the 14th Year Book of Purdue University", 1902

http://books.google.com/books?id=D6rOAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA297

 

BTW do you need the details of LANCASTER v. WITTE. (Circuit Court, D. Maryland. January 22, 1910.)? It involves patent 721,549.

Edited June 21, 2009 by antoniosz

[Roger W.]

Antonio;

 

Found all of those last night but, I hadn't hunted down the Dewey bit. I'd like to find out more how or why Dewey seems to move from Colonial to Boston. That might help us understand how these two companies interact. Still, does Boston take over all of Colonial or are there a couple things that come over with Colonial's failure to Boston presumably with Eberstein? The bit about Colonial being incorporated in Maine (Kittery) seemed odd to me but I didn't realize how close it is to Boston. One of the incorporators, Judge Bates, was charged with wrongdoing and it was settled out of court over stolen notes and bonds valued at $11,683 (in 1904).

 

It's a big moving target waiting for more info to get scanned and we are checking back every few months for new pearls. Still, we've learned more about Boston in the past week than we've learned in years. Boston was never incorporated, they were just registered in Boston sometime after the requirement in 1907 so we have amazingly little information on the company. Still in the air is when Boston started - at least by 1904 but possibly earlier. Also, the totality of the ownership is unknown - certainly Charles Brandt but, who else?

 

Roger W.

[rhr]

None of the direct links work for me. Also, the middle image reads as "Image Not Available", and the other images are just "Snippet views".

 

[antoniosz]

None of the direct links work for me. Also, the middle image reads as "Image Not Available", and the other images are just "Snippet views".

 

At least by direct cut and paste I avoid the image editing step. Now I need to find a way to save in a image hosting site without saving/renaming etc.

 

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b325/azavalia/colonial-inco.png

 

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b325/azavalia/DEWEYSPERFECT.png

 

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b325/azavalia/COLONIAL-DEBRIS.jpg

[pen2paper]

enjoy observing this thread.. wondering if you have contacted local historical societies to see if they have any family papers, journals, or can direct you to remaining family members who might have such things, including family stories, which may not be acurrate, but have some kernals of info that will fill in your history? or lead you other sources?

 

[rhr]

wondering if you have contacted local historical societies to see if they have any family papers, journals, including family stories, which may not be acurrate, but have some kernals of info that will fill in your history? or lead you other sources?

I work in the Local History Room in the public library here, and yes, they are great resources for such papers, but it's just a matter of finding the right institution with the relevant papers. Until then, one may be looking for something even worse than a needle in a haystack, that is, something that may not exist. I'd hate to look through the haystack and not find the needle, and then wonder whether I missed it and whether I should look through the haystack all over again. ;~)

 

In the meantime, Google Books has yielded yet a third unrelated "Colonial Pen Company", this one in Minneapolis, Minn. around 1928, also doing business as the National Novelty Co. I wonder whether this is the same as National Enterprises, which was also out of Minneapolis, and sold the Spors pens? It's from the "Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office", v.369, 1928, pp.vii, viii, and 256, and the "Index of trademarks issued from the United States Patent Office", v.928, 1928, p. 159. The references may have something to do with a trademark dispute, but again, I can't tell much from the limited "Snippet Views".

 

George Kovalenko.

 

[rhr]

You might also want to show us the Colonial Pen Co. ads in "The Connecticut Magazine", v. 5, 1899, and v. 6, 1900, p.100. Searches for "Colonial Pen Company" and "Colonial Pen Co" yield different results. And the "Maine Register Or State Year-book and Legislative Manual‎" for 1892, p.22, has a very early ad for Colonial. ;~)

 

If this is the same company, then this is a very early date, indeed.

 

George Kovalenko.

 

[Roger W.]

George;

 

Some of these searches yield serial texts, in that they may have indeed been published in 1892 but the relavent text is the one published in 1901 for instance. We know for a fact that Colonial incorporated in 1899 and I don't think we have reason to believe that they were operating prior to this. Boston, on the other hand, does not incorporate so we don't know exactly when they started. Colonial we know for a fact burned down in 1904 as it is listed in the papers of the time so if Boston does take over for Colonial maybe it is 1904 though, Brandt had patents in the works prior to this time.

 

Roger W.

[Roger W.]

George;

 

BTW; the Connecticut Magazine only provides snippets to everyone - so I can't see that ad either.

 

Roger W.

[rhr]

So are you saying that it wasn't published in 1892? If it was, look at p.22 to see what the reference is all about.

 

And are you also saying that the Colonial company in Boston also burned down in 1904? I know that the Colonial company in Baltimore burned down in 1904, but both?

 

Also, have you looked into this trademark court case? Boston Fountain Pen Co., and Ex parte. The official title is "Ex parte Boston Fountain Pen Co.", decided May 31, 1905, 1905 CD 225, and it was reported in 116 OG 2531, p.553. OG probably stands for "Official Gazette", Official Gazette of the USPTO.

 

George Kovalenko.

 

Edited June 21, 2009 by rhr

[Roger W.]

George;

 

I can't see page 22 on this book (as a preview is not available) but, the Maine register was published in 1892 and other years. I think you would find that it refers to 1899 to 1903 - one of the registers in those years.

 

Yes the Baltimore establishment burned down February 7, 1904 as reported in the New York Times on Feb. 8. I may have confused this with the one in Boston. Also, I'm not sure if these are the same company, probably, and how they operated. Maybe Baltimore Colonial was underinsured and brought down the operation.

 

The trademark problem in 1905 centers on Boston using Co. v. Company on a piece of artwork. Not very interesting as the signature is suppossed to match the name of record exactly.

 

Roger W.

 

[rhr]

I'm not sure if these are the same company, probably, and how they operated.

Your instincts are correct. It's not the same company. The Baltimore company was a continuation of Warren G. Lancaster's company when he moved from New York to Baltimore. See this other Colonial thread on L&P, Topic 265 .

 

Are there any interesting names of owners or directors associated with the trademark case? And do you know the date and number of the trademark?

 

George Kovalenko.

 

Edited June 21, 2009 by rhr

[antoniosz]

George, you say it in the Eberstein thread there that the two Colonials intersect..

 

Lancaster v. Witte says " The bill of complaint alleges infringement of patent No. 721,549, dated February 24, 1903, issued to August Eberstein, and assigned to Warren N. Lancaster, for an improvement in fountain pens" (from LexisNexis), as Roger already mentioned at L&P.

 

So Lancaster and Eberstein are connected, something that resonates with the reference of Dave Johansen to

"an interesting mini-thread over on Pentrace. In this thread photos of two Warren N Lancaster pens were produced. One of the pens is a goldfill filigree overlay. The pen has a Baltimore barrel imprint, but the nib is imprinted "Warren Lancaster Pen Co Springfield, Mass No 7." The second pen that was presented has the barrel imprinted: "WARREN N. LANCASTER PEN CO. PAT.FEB.24'03 SPRINGFIELD,MASS.""

 

Maybe Colonial Fountain Pen Co. of Baltimore --> Lancaster --> Eberstein --> Colonial Pen Company

 

Moreover, now we now that Colonial Pen Company was incorpoprated in Maine. Look at this: Annual report of the Board of the State Assessors of the State of Maine, 1903

lists "Colonial Fountain Pen Company Capital Stock $15,000 and Tax $5.00". Note that $15K is the same amount mentioned in the posts above.

 

However, there is another Maine

http://books.google.com/books?id=vHQoAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA38&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U1r-iG8cYl2bjtE7PJhQQknWoBtNQ&ci=64%2C476%2C291%2C92&edge=0 it says "The Colonial Fountain Pen Co has been organized at Portland Me with a capital stock of $15,000 of which $150 is paid in The president is Marcus W Feldman and the treasurer is Adolph Erlebach both of Boston". The names are not the same with those of Colonial Pen Company... But "you know who" says that Adolph Erlebach was listed as an agent of Colonial Pen Company in the old city directory of Boston... He died by the way on February 5th of 1904. Just two days before the Baltimore fire.

Edited June 22, 2009 by antoniosz

[rhr]

There's definitely an intersection between the two Colonials, Antonios, but I don't think we're ready to say they were one and the same, or for how long. We can't equate the two, yet. Maybe they just had a short working arrangement, or a business acquaintanceship. Lancaster says in the Time article that he got his hard rubber from H. P. & E. Day in Seymour, Conn. until L. E. Waterman forced him out. Maybe his new supplier of hard rubber also supplied the other Colonial company, too.

 

The disappearance of the photos of the two Warren N Lancaster pens in the thread over on Pentrace is why I try to encourage people to place pictures, rather than links, on cites such as FPN and L&P. It would be nice to see those pictures now. I was also hoping you would use your LexisNexis connection on that Boston trademark as well.

 

And don't be petty. If you can cite Rob's research, then you can say his name. Just wait until he tries to cite yours. ;~)

 

George Kovalenko.

 

Edited June 22, 2009 by rhr