Jade Or What?

[Cob]

Last year I bought an assortment of semi-derelict Swans in a lot of five I think. Amongst them was this specimen:

 

 

The barrel end is stamped 230/50. I pinched a very nice flexible No 2 from a decrepit SM200/60 to make a nice usable Frankenpen, hoping one day to find a matching jade cap.

 

And then recently I found this one

 

 

American this time, stamped 142/50. Since the barrel is beyond a prayer, I pinched the section, feed and nib to make my 142/54 correct.

 

Finally I found that the 142's fancy cap fits the English 230/50 to make a more elaborate Frankenpen.

 

 

My question is: has anybody ever seen a Swan in the jade shown in my first picture?

 

Rgds

 

Cob

Edited September 2, 2015 by Cob

[MarcShiman]

Cob,

 

The plastics in the 130/230 series are terrifically difficult to find. I have a Scarlet 130, but the rest of mine are hard rubber.

 

Here's a 1931 ad for your pen (2nd down) in Punch Magazine.

 

[Cob]

Thanks Marc.

 

Interesting that the cap that came originally with the pen is the correct design but the wrong sort of green! Annoying too that MT gave both materials the same number - as they did with the 52 Lapis and later blue/black swirly marble.

 

Rgds

 

C.

[MarcShiman]

"Blue/Black Swirly Marble" = "Mottled Blue" in Mabie Todd literature

 

But its what we called the early Parker Lapis "Blue on Blue" Lapis, as opposed to later and more common"White on Blue" Lapis.

[Cob]

Yes, the blue/black is clearly an English colour whilst the Lapis is American. And they used the same number....

 

The English blue/black is very prone to barrel darkening.

 

C.

[MarcShiman]

Yes, the blue/black is clearly an English colour whilst the Lapis is American. And they used the same number....

 

The English blue/black is very prone to barrel darkening.

 

C.

 

Ahh... Mabie Todd. Where there's a rule, it breaks it. Here is a set of "Mottled Blue" Eternal 46 pens (with a very darkened barrel), clearly American next to a Lapis Blue 46.

 

Also, American Swallows made extensive use of the mottled blue.

 

[Cob]

Finally trudging through the archives I found a photo of the L212/52 I sold last year:

 

This then is the English 52 from the 1930s:

 

 

All off-topic of course - I want a Jade cap for my 230/50!

 

Cob

[sidthecat]

It reminds me why I like black pens...of course if you have a taste for hard rubber, you're still up Salt Creek.