Esterbrook black 2-hole clip

[inkflow]

I bought an Esterbrook that is black with a 2-hole clip and I think it is one of the finer looking Esterbrooks. What can you tell me about that clip? Dates made? How many sizes? I've seen a small and a large black version and I was wondering what other colors it came in.

 

The nib is a larger than usual nib that is shaped differently than the regular Esterbrook nibs. It is a 2442 italic nib and looks like no other Esterbrook nib, and I'm not talking about the fact that it is an italic nib. The whole nib unit is larger than regular nibs. What can you tell me about this large strange nib?

[southpaw]

The nib is a special nib. It's called a Falcon Stub nib. The nib was shaped to look like the famous hunting bird. I'm sure one of the experts can chime in with more. HTH

[Brian Anderson]

The two hole clips are also sometimes referred to as "dollar" pens as they sold for $1.00 during their time. They came in three sizes, B - Full Sized, A - Slender, and H - Lady's or demi (not to be confused with later model H clip-less purse pens), similar in size comparison to the J, LJ, and SJ series of pens. Standard colors include Black, grey, green, copper, blue, and red (the standard esterbrook six color scheme), as well as some fancier colors which sold for $1.50 ("$1.50 pens") which used marbled plastics. $1.50 colors included Morroco red, pearl grey, foliage green, grey with red veins, yellow cracked ice, green cracked ice, a white pearl, and probably a few others I'm missing. Be careful when purchasing based on color name, as many people often confuse pearl grey with dawn grey,foliage green with fern green, etc. There is a significant price diffeence, and it is best to go on visible color! There was also a Doctor's set in white made in B and H sizes, with matching thermometer case and pencils.

 

The earliest versions were made of a cheaper plastic which often shrinks, warps and splits easily. To the best of my knowledge, these were the model BT pens and are quite ugly lookers.

 

These clips were made from roughly 1934-1942.

 

Best-

Brian