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Any Info On Philadelphia Novelty Company's Automatic Fountain Pen Of 1878?


AAAndrew

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I was browsing through the 1878 volume of American Stationer and ran across a reference on page 10 of the January 31's issue.

"Automatic Fountain Pen"

The Philadelphia Novelty Manufacturing Co. 500 North Twelfth street, Philadelphia, is manufacturing an Automatic Fountain Pen which is claimed to be the only real practical article of the kind produced. It fills itself, by simple suction from an inkstand, as readily as a single penful can be taken up. It is said to be perfectly cleanly [sic] at all times, and can be carried as safely in the pocket as if left on the office table. It will not clog or drop ink, and feeds itself easily when in use. These Fountain Pens are made of the best material, and very heavily plated in nickle. They are also furnished in triple gold plate.

 

 

Back on page 2 of the same issue I also found in Philadelphia Notes

 

 

The automatic fountain pen advertised by the Philadelphia Novelty Manufacturing Company fills itself from and inkstand by simple suction as readily as a single penful can be taken up. It is perfectly cleanly [sic] and can be carried safely in the pocket. A gum tube forms the reservoir, so that no metal comes in contact with the ink. The holder is nickle plated and will be appreciated by all who need a pen ready at all times for use.

 

Looking past the advertising speak, it's interesting. A "gum tube" sounds a lot like a rubber sac.

 

I tried searching FPN but didn't find a reference and the company is not in the list of American Pen manufacturers. Is this because it was not really a fountain pen as we think of it? I can't quite visualize a dip pen with a "gum tube" to hold the ink.

 

Edit: found the ad on page 19

fpn_1489542904__philadelphianoveltyautof

Edited by AAAndrew

 

“When the historians of education do equal and exact justice to all who have contributed toward educational progress, they will devote several pages to those revolutionists who invented steel pens and blackboards.” V.T. Thayer, 1928

Check out my Steel Pen Blog

"No one is exempt from talking nonsense; the mistake is to do it solemnly."

-Montaigne

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Great mystery! From the illustration, the pen seems to have a feed and some kind of interior mechanism, which make it sound very like a bulb filler. But that phrase "Feeds by Pressure" makes me wonder if you had to squeeze drops of ink onto the feed by pressing on the bulb once in a while as you wrote. That would make it more an ancestor of some of today's dip-pen-with-tank hybrids, I would think. I hope someone has one of these and can report on it!

Thanks again for continuing to mine the American Stationer--I don't know where you found the archive, but it certainly is educating he rest of us.

ron

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Here's another ad at about the same time for what appears to be the same pen. Interestingly, the seller is A. M Purdy. John S, Purdy was the manufacturer and seller of the Prince Protean pen at that same time. Wonder if there's a connection?

 

https://books.google.com/books?id=68tFAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA30&lpg=RA1-PA30&dq=%22automatic+fountain+pen%22+philadelphia&source=bl&ots=4fhCSWb1GB&sig=SRQK3WkNCLs7DCsmWZWckhYlCIc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjtgaSJ3erSAhUGNiYKHX8UCcM4ChDoAQggMAI#v=onepage&q=%22automatic%20fountain%20pen%22%20philadelphia&f=false

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