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Mabie Todd "the Bull" ?


Greenie

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So what is this? I didn't see any quick references on line, nor in the Moak book.

The box looks just like a Swan Box, and the nib and clip and MT/Swan.

 

Look at the link for lots of pics

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-MABIE-TODD-THE-BULL-EYEDROPPER-FOUNTAIN-PEN-ORIGINAL-BOX-RARE-NIB-/381921919505?hash=item58ec520211:g:5WYAAOSwZQRYd9MQ

 

fpn_1484282663__mt_bull.jpg

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Well, that is a curiosity Greenie - only the second time I have come across a Mabie Todd pen that was not named after a bird! And a 12ct nib? I don't think that 12ct was ever used here in England for nibs - possibly in the USA? unless it was perhaps a depression-era product? The fact that the nib is stamped MT & Co puts me in mind of the Jackaws which were similarly stamped

 

The man who would probably know about this is Stephen Hull, who I know is in the process of preparing a Mabie Todd book. I have his recently published Onoto book whcih is excellent.

 

The other one I have: the Whitehall Pen; this one though has a Warranted nib - about a size 3 - and was clearly quite a high-quality product. Not the Blackbird pattern section and typical MT feed.

 

Shown here with a Swan 2 nib and feed for comparison

 

fpn_1446387484__whitehall_3.jpg

 

fpn_1446387499__whitehall_4.jpg

 

The pen is made of a material I cannot identify - it is not MHR; nothing will melt the material hence the visible crack in the cap.

 

Best regards,

 

Cob

Edited by Cob

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


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The 12 K nib could be a clue. I have no idea what that clue means, but a clue nonetheless.

It appears to be a low end product to me. The shape of the top of the cap is typical of the lever era. My earliest with that shape cap top is a WWI Trench Pen, but that is a threaded cap. And I have an earlier threaded "safety cap" with the domed cap top. Yet this has a simple slip on clipless cap with a flat top. I do not believe I have seen that type of box prior to the 1920s celluloid 142 and 242 line (and then continued to the leverless pens). The feed is also strangely plain. So perhaps it is a 1920s low end eyedropper with slip cap and a 12K nib?

 

Hopefully others will chime in.

 

(And reserve a copy of the Hull MT book for me! )

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I see what you mean. But that box sure seems to be intentionally evocative of the Swan boxes. Perhaps a low name pen boxed to look like a Swan, with Swan parts added? That seems possible.

 

Still, a 12K MT nib is also an unusual feature. With an unusual nib in an unusual pen, statistics favor it as original.

 

Maybe someone will add a post with some facts. Still, the speculation is fun.

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The 12 K nib could be a clue. I have no idea what that clue means, but a clue nonetheless.

It appears to be a low end product to me. The shape of the top of the cap is typical of the lever era. My earliest with that shape cap top is a WWI Trench Pen, but that is a threaded cap. And I have an earlier threaded "safety cap" with the domed cap top. Yet this has a simple slip on clipless cap with a flat top. I do not believe I have seen that type of box prior to the 1920s celluloid 142 and 242 line (and then continued to the leverless pens). The feed is also strangely plain. So perhaps it is a 1920s low end eyedropper with slip cap and a 12K nib?

 

Hopefully others will chime in.

 

(And reserve a copy of the Hull MT book for me! )

It is indeed most curious; I note that it is fitted with a very correct MT "Clipper" accommodation clip and also I note the Blackbird-shaped breather in the nib. I can only assume that it was a depression-era job - and probably quite short-lived, to be replaced perhaps by the English Jackdaw.

 

As for Stephen Hull's book, well I spoke to him about it at the London Pen Show; I fear it will be some time yet!

 

Best

 

Cob

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


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I have consulted an expert, who has in his collection an identical pen in every respect, except that it is a Blackbird!

 

The Bull would be clearly of US manufacture probably during the First World War or possibly just after. The question is for whom did MT make this pen??

 

Rgds

 

Cob

Edited by Cob

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


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