Eagle's First Foray Into Pens - 1891, With Picture

[AAAndrew]

Another little tidbit from The American Stationer.

I realize there's not a huge interest in dip pens here, but hopefully at least these little bits of history are now free from the digitized text, and can be found by any who are interested.

American Stationer, May 21, 1891, page 1087

"The 'Eagle' Steel Pens."

The Eagle Pencil Company, which has been so long before the public as a manufacturer of pencils, penholders, fountain pens, &c., has now added to its establishment a steel pen department and has placed on the market a line of its new goods. The company's pencil factory is in East Fourteenth street, New York, and in order that the new department may be possessed of all desirable and necessary facilities a new building has been erected just in rear of the pencil factory. The new structure faces on East Thirteenth street, and extends from No. 703 to No. 725. In it has been put all of the latest and most improved machinery for the manufacture of pens, and this, with a new process of manufacture, will enable the company to produce a very superior line of wares. As in its pencil factory, the aim will be to turn out only thoroughly reliable and satisfactory goods, neither labor nor expense being spared to get as near perfection as it is possible for human skill to attain. There are presented on this page illustrations of a dozen styles which the company has already placed before the trade. Other styles will follow as rapidly as they may be required, and it will be the constant aim of the manufacturer in this new filed to furnish pens which will meet the approval fo the most exacting penman. Under the illustration of each pen will be found the figure and number by which it is known, E10 being a large falcon; E20, broad stub; E30, small falcon; E40, bank; E50, firm; E60, small stub; E70, medium falcon; E80, commercial; E90, perfection; E100, small elastic; E110, large stub and E120, small, extra fine."

[AAAndrew]

For having started so late, it's pretty incredible how quickly they became a major player. But then they were huge in pencils when they decided to branch out.

[rwilsonedn]

It fascinates me that they already had a presence in fountain pens when they chose to build a building to get into the dip pen business. Obviously they saw these as complementary product lines that they could sell through the same channels, not as one kind of product rapidly displacing the other.

ron

[AAAndrew]

It was a time of great innovation and choice. Fountain pens were still a bit of a niche product, mainly used by people who needed a pen on the go. Typewriters were even more exotic and really only found in commercial environments. But dip pens were ubiquitous. Everywhere you went, there were pens and ink wells and ink. Schools, banks, offices; anywhere people needed to write, there were dip pens to be found. And they sold a lot of them.

 

I don't know exactly when the tipping point occurred between dip pens and fountain pens, but it was by the 1930's. Dip pens began to be found really only in places where inexpensive and fixed writing implements made sense, like schools, or the bank or post office.

 

In the 1920's, dip pens were still going quite strong, but the change happened soon after and happened rapidly. The biggest pen manufacturer in the early 20's was Esterbrook. A decade later they found themselves having to catch up to the fountain pen makers who were quickly surpassing them.

[peterg]

We were still using dip pens at school during the 1960's, although most of us chose to take our own fountain pens to avoid the inevitable break in concentration as the nib ceased to lay down a line and having to be dipped.

[AAAndrew]

It's amazing how long the tail of dip pen manufacturing has lasted. They're still made today, and they're not just the Japanese. You can buy a brand new Hunt 56. But all of the nibs are designed for either ornamental writing or drawing. Those are the last two markets left for new nibs.

 

That's why I collect and use vintage nibs. I can find the ornamental nibs (at much higher rate of consistent quality as well), and I can find the everyday writing nibs, like what you probably used in school.

 

I'm curious what you used? If you were in the US, Esterbrook stopped production around 1952 or so. Others kept going overseas for a while, and other manufacturers, like Hunt, kept going here in the US, but I'm sure their lines were greatly reduced.

[Studio97]

I have an Eagle Pencil dip pen from the late 1800s.

[Dale_S]

 

Another little tidbit from The American Stationer.

I realize there's not a huge interest in dip pens here, but hopefully at least these little bits of history are now free from the digitized text, and can be found by any who are interested.

American Stationer, May 21, 1891, page 1087

"The 'Eagle' Steel Pens."

The Eagle Pencil Company, which has been so long before the public as a manufacturer of pencils, penholders, fountain pens, &c., has now added to its establishment a steel pen department and has placed on the market a line of its new goods. The company's pencil factory is in East Fourteenth street, New York, and in order that the new department may be possessed of all desirable and necessary facilities a new building has been erected just in rear of the pencil factory. The new structure faces on East Thirteenth street, and extends from No. 703 to No. 725. In it has been put all of the latest and most improved machinery for the manufacture of pens, and this, with a new process of manufacture, will enable the company to produce a very superior line of wares. As in its pencil factory, the aim will be to turn out only thoroughly reliable and satisfactory goods, neither labor nor expense being spared to get as near perfection as it is possible for human skill to attain. There are presented on this page illustrations of a dozen styles which the company has already placed before the trade. Other styles will follow as rapidly as they may be required, and it will be the constant aim of the manufacturer in this new filed to furnish pens which will meet the approval fo the most exacting penman. Under the illustration of each pen will be found the figure and number by which it is known, E10 being a large falcon; E20, broad stub; E30, small falcon; E40, bank; E50, firm; E60, small stub; E70, medium falcon; E80, commercial; E90, perfection; E100, small elastic; E110, large stub and E120, small, extra fine."

 

Any idea when they started putting the word "BANK" on their E40? I have the exact E40 nib shown here. Wondering if I have something really old. Would be cool knowing I was using something from the 19th century.

[AAAndrew]

The box can tell you, if you have it. Also if the nib has grinding across the tip vs. nothing vs. stamped grooves. Grinding is older. Stamped is next. Plain is the newest. But even the newest is probably seventy years old. Most Eagle pens you find in the wild are from the twenties through fourties.

[dcwaites]

I have on my desk at work one of the E10 Falcons in a dip pen holder. It is one of my favourite dip pen nibs to write with, as it takes all but the wettest of FP inks.