Jump to content

Another Mabie Todd Curiosity


Recommended Posts

I believe I can date this find exactly - not generally easy of course. I am practically certain that this pen was sold in 1952, the year that Mabie Todd & Co Ltd became (so sadly) Biro Swan Ltd.

 

Who here has heard of a Swan Jackdaw? No, neither had I! But here it is:

 

fpn_1466508823__1.jpg

 

The pen is pale green and correctly stamped 3172 at the end of the barrel. Note the sticker added to the box - the missing part of the Biro Swan sticker shows a number - 41; this box is therefore old stock carrying the former W1 address of Mabie Todd - 41 Park St, Mayfair.

 

Jackdaw? Have a look:

 

fpn_1466508839__2.jpg

 

I believe I can imagine that at what remained of Mabie Todd at that time, there was chaos. There would have been half-finished pens everywhere, people sticking Biro Swan stickers on old boxes &c. I suppose they thought that they might resurrect the Jackdaw name for cheap line pens - like this one with its No 1 size and chrome-plated fittings.

 

However the pen is a credit to its makers and apart from the nib is in excellent condition. The pen came with a rather nasty bi-coloured stainless steel nib. Fortunately I have Swan 1 nibs and feel inclined to restore the pen to its former Mabie Todd glory - when it was manufactured, just before nemesis struck and the over stamping and stickering began!

 

I am certain that Mabie Todd and even Biro Swan, never sank to fitting steel nibs, preferring to close their doors in 1958 or thereabouts.

 

All the best

 

Cob

Edited by Cob

fpn_1428963683__6s.jpg “The pen of the British Empire” fpn_1423349537__swan_sign_is.jpg


Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 4
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • texascharlie

    2

  • Vintagepens

    1

  • Greenie

    1

  • Cob

    1

Top Posters In This Topic

Curiosity indeed! Great find, and thank you for sharing it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a Swan BCHR pen (cannot show picture because I do l do not know how to upload). I cannot find any information about a model 5c (on cap) or C5 on the barrel end. The imprint on the barrel and the nib say that it was manufactured in Toronto. It has a split filler lever. Anyone know anything about this one?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a Swan BCHR pen (cannot show picture because I do l do not know how to upload). I cannot find any information about a model 5c (on cap) or C5 on the barrel end. The imprint on the barrel and the nib say that it was manufactured in Toronto. It has a split filler lever. Anyone know anything about this one?

 

Best to start a new thread for this question, so it isn't buried inside another topic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...