Swan Toledo Fountain Pen

[piotrs123]

This is 1930' Swan fountain pen with Toledo design overlay with 4 dragons. It has a nib "Jackdaw". The pen has much about 1500 points of hand engraving on the Damascus steel. It has hammered 24 ct gold on the drawing motives of steel plane. Do you have more information about this fountain pen?

 

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/4600/p1010369p.jpg

 

http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/7732/p1010370j.jpg

 

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/9913/p1010373v.jpg

 

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/1636/p1010374l.jpg

 

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/5231/p1010375t.jpg

 

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/5659/p1010378t.jpg

 

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/4633/p1010379.jpg

 

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/9053/p1010380x.jpg

 

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/2232/p1010382n.jpg

Edited July 14, 2012 by piotrs123

[Scrawler]

That is very pretty and represents an awful lot of handwork by the artist who made the overlay.

[karmakoda]

Wonderful, exceptional pen. Remarkable craftsmanship, but the pen itself is quite special in what appears to be a swirling, "woodgrain" ebonite. Have you tested the nib? Swan nibs can be superbly flexible.

Sorry, my knowledge of Swan products is limited, but Thank You for sharing what must be a rare pen.

[piotrs123]

Scrawler, thanks for your opinion! Karmakoda thank you for your welcome and a few kind words about this pen! No, I don't tested this pen. Maybe I'll do it soon!

[Scrawler]

Wonderful, exceptional pen. Remarkable craftsmanship, but the pen itself is quite special in what appears to be a swirling, "woodgrain" ebonite. Have you tested the nib? Swan nibs can be superbly flexible.

Sorry, my knowledge of Swan products is limited, but Thank You for sharing what must be a rare pen.

Swan nibs can be, but there is no guarantee. I have 3 Swans and 2 of them are quite stiff. The other is a broad very flexible, but not superflex. The Swan nibs had the same variability that Canadian made Parkers did. You have a higher probability of getting good flex, but no guarantee. I suspect that like Parker in Canada, what you get depends on who the craftsman was making it. That particular nib, the shoulders start just behind the breather, which is a good indicator of a flexible nib, if the profile shape and temper are just right. The angle at the point is very acute. My guess without seeing writing from it, is that it is F-BB with moderate pressure. But nib aside, that pen is just plain gorgeous.

[karmakoda]

Scrawler is correct to express a caution about the nib flex. Thank you, my wording should have been, "Have you gently tested the nib?".

My three Swan nibs are flexible, to varying degrees, but not as much as my vintage Waterman or one of my vintage Omas pens.

I keep coming back to look at this Swan, is it perhaps unique, a one-of-a-kind??

[Scrawler]

Scrawler is correct to express a caution about the nib flex. Thank you, my wording should have been, "Have you gently tested the nib?".

My three Swan nibs are flexible, to varying degrees, but not as much as my vintage Waterman or one of my vintage Omas pens.

I keep coming back to look at this Swan, is it perhaps unique, a one-of-a-kind??

Not to detract from the discussion of this unique and beautiful pen, but what Waterman do you have, and where was it manufactured. I have a particular interest in the variability of flexible nib manufacture, and the historical reasons why good flex is found during some periods and in some places more than others.

[red52ripple]

Hi Piotr,

 

To confirm our email conversation, this a 1936 to 1940 Mabie Todd Jackdaw, not a Swan. I would caution against testing the flex too enthusiastically as Jackdaw nibs are comparatively delicate and very hard to replace! It's a very beautiful, uncommon and doubtless quite valuable pen. Thanks for letting us see it.

 

Regards,

[karmakoda]

Scrawler is correct to express a caution about the nib flex. Thank you, my wording should have been, "Have you gently tested the nib?".

My three Swan nibs are flexible, to varying degrees, but not as much as my vintage Waterman or one of my vintage Omas pens.

I keep coming back to look at this Swan, is it perhaps unique, a one-of-a-kind??

Not to detract from the discussion of this unique and beautiful pen, but what Waterman do you have, and where was it manufactured. I have a particular interest in the variability of flexible nib manufacture, and the historical reasons why good flex is found during some periods and in some places more than others.

Begging piotrs123's pardon, just a brief digression. My Waterman's is a plain little pen, the opposite of the JackDaw, above. The pen is only labled Waterman's, plus Waterman's on the clip, and on the nib, Waterman's, 18cts, 2, France, plus a small eagle's head Hallmark. I have forgotten what it is called and as it turns out, it is not as flexible as my Omas extra lucens.

Edited to remove distractions from discussion of the exquisite Mabie Todd Jackdaw. This pen has renewed my interest in Mabie Todd.

I suspect this is a made in Britain pen? Is there any knowledge of the history? The origin of the jeweler that did the overlay? Probably a special commission.

Edited July 15, 2012 by karmakoda

[piotrs123]

red52ripple thank you for explanation question of producer this pen. :)Thank you for your very nice description!

[Scrawler]

karmakoda answered you by PM because we should not hijack this thread.

[Michael McNeil]

Hi all,

 

Vintage pens with this type of overlay are quite scarce. There are a couple of examples of this same pen posted on Pentrace (July 15, 2012). One is mine and the other belongs to "JeanB". Below is the text I posted and one of the photos.

 

The pen below was made in England and I believe the cap and barrel overlays were likely made in Toledo, Spain. The pen is a Mabie Todd "Jackdaw" in mottled red and black hard rubber (ebonite). The overlay work is called "Damascene" or "Damascening". It was all hand made and engraved on steel with gold applied. I am not sure what was used for the blackened areas. If someone knows, please e-mail me.

 

Most of the pens I have seen in Damascene were badly damaged. The steel tends to rust from the moisture and minerals from the hands that used the pens. The overlay on this pen has a few very small specks and patches of corrosion, but it is by far the best example of an old pen with a "Toledo" overlay I have seen personally.

 

http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc361/MacPenz/Show%20And%20Tell/MTCoToledo.jpg

 

 

[sumgaikid]

Did you happen to win the pen on ebay? I watched an auction on one

either last year or the year before.

 

 

John

[tenney]

A gorgeous overlay! Wow!

[piotrs123]

Yes, I bought this pen on ebay. Thank tou Tenney for your opinion!

[olivier78860]

Did you happen to win the pen on ebay? I watched an auction on one

either last year or the year before.

 

 

John

 

I must have been part of this auction too, last year. But I didn't win, obviously :'(

 

Absolutely splendid pen, Piotr.

[tenney]

So you're the one who got it!

[tonysilver]

Anyone have the ebay link?

[Marlow]

WHAT an UTTERLY MARVELOUS PEN! Oh, My! :puddle:

 

Thanks for sharing this. It will remain etched in my memory and my Mabie Todd antennae are twitching...!