Conway Stewart Universal Pens

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

This is a Conway Stewart Universal lever fill fountain pen number 479 with a chased black ebonite cap and barrel c1937-1938. The pen is about 5 1/8 inches long. The cap top is domed. The nib is a 14 karat gold Conway Stewart Number 5. The trim is nickel plated. The clip and lever have a a diamond shape end. The washer mounted clip has a diamond shape feature with the Conway Stewart logo at the top and this logo is also on the clip's diamond shaped tip. The barrel imprint is “THE Universal PEN, Conway Stewart London, No 479.” Original Price was 5/6.

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ConwayStewartUniversal479_1280_01.jpg

I understand the Universal pens were made from the early 1930s through the early 1950s. Would love to see other examples!

Thanks!

[northlodge]

 

Hi, Folks!

I understand the Universal pens were made from the early 1930s through the early 1950s. Would love to see other examples!

Thanks!

 

 

Despite the dates shown in the book of numbers I think "late 20's to mid 40's" might be more accurate.

 

The 479 was a very popular model, and appears to have also been the basis for a number of 'own brand' models that were manufactured by CS for other outlets. Always worth buying, they were well built and are usually still in good condition.

[darazs]

Holy!! This pen looks fantastic and brand new, I am curious to know how you found it.

 

I am not familiar with this particular number, but it does look interesting.

 

Thanks for sharing

 

Given you are interested in pictures, there are a few nice ones on eBay

Edited November 5, 2017 by darazs

[PenHero]

Holy!! This pen looks fantastic and brand new, I am curious to know how you found it.

 

I am not familiar with this particular number, but it does look interesting.

 

Thanks for sharing

 

Given you are interested in pictures, there are a few nice ones on eBay

 

It's in pretty goos shape but has some scuffs. I found this one in Maine in an antique store.

[mallymal1]

Thanks for the post PenHero. It's always a pleasure to see your superbly lit photos.

 

Here are a few 479 pens I have maged to accumaulate over the years...

 

 

 

Left to right:

 

1. (479M) Woodgrain

2. Chased Black

3. Marbled Green

4. Marbled Bottle Green

5. This one appears to shade from Marbled Green to Marbled Blue, though it could just be discoloured of course.

6. Marbled Blue.

7. The cap is Black, while the barrel is black with Gold Inclusions.

 

Pens 1, 2, and 3, have the domed top and ball-ended clip. The lever has a round CS logo. (1932 to mid 1930's)

Pen 4 has the domed top with a diamond ended clip. The lever has the small round logo. (mid 1930's)

Pen 5 has a peaked top, diamond clip, and round logo lever. (mid to late 1930's)

Pen 6 has a peaked top, diamond clip, and now the CS logo on the lever is in a diamond shape. (mid 1930's to mid 1940's)

Pen 7 has a black cap with a peaked top and diamond clip, which does not match the barrel. It is believed to be an "Austerity" model, sold during World War II, when materials and components were in very short supply. (1940's)

 

All these pens have a CS 1 nib, which was probably standard for these pens, as they were at the cheaper end of Conway Stewart's line up. The CS 5 nib on your example, PenHero, is more than likely a replacement nib.

 

There would be earlier 479's with flat tops, fixed clips, and lug levers...and many other colours/designs.

 

I do like the simplicity of these pens, and the silver coloured furniture.

 

 

 

[mallymal1]

No. 476...basically the same model as the 479, with a cap band, and Gold Plate fittings.

 

 

From L to R:

 

1. Marbled Bottle Green / Black Veins

2. Marbled Green / Black Veins

3. Black

4. Marbled Blue / Black Veins

 

The 476 is an interesting model, as it doesn't seem to know whether it is a Universal Pen, or a Conway pen.

 

Pens 1, 3 and 4 are Universals, while pen 2 is marked as a Conway.

 

Pens 1 and 2 have the shallow domed top, ball end clip and the small round logo lever. (Early to mid 1930's)

Pen 3 has a peaked top, ball clip, and a diamond lever. (Mid 1930's)

Pen 4 has the later peaked top, with diamond clip and lever. (Later 1930's)

 

The nibs on my examples are all over the place...a Warranted, 2 x #1, and a #3N. I suspect that the #1 is the correct original nib.

 

 

 

[PenHero]

MalcolmH - Thanks for sharing those!!

[mallymal1]

My pleasure.

[friedrichwild]

it's th third one in marbled blue. i would call it a semi flex writer. i really like it.

compared to

1st) waterman 52

2nd) wahl evsharp gold filled

3rd) conway stewart 479

4th) parker 45 flighter

[friedrichwild]

i do not know though from what material is made of ? is it celluloid ?

 

another one with my new pelikan m400 brown tortoiseshell with a writing sample

 

Edited November 9, 2017 by friedrichwild

[darazs]

friedrichwild, very nice handwriting !!

The nib of the 479 looks a bit flex, is that correct?

[friedrichwild]

friedrichwild, very nice handwriting !!

The nib of the 479 looks a bit flex, is that correct?

thank you.

Yes it is flexy. i would definitely call it a semi flex. it flexes without too much pressure applied from a fine-medium to B or even BB line. I am quite impressed actually.

[mallymal1]

i do not know though from what material is made of ? is it celluloid ?

 

 

Good question, and one to which I don't know the answer. Maybe someone else...?

[friedrichwild]

 

Good question, and one to which I don't know the answer. Maybe someone else...?

it is either celloloid or casein but i can not be sure

[mallymal1]

Seeing as how's we are dealing with CS's Universal Pens, here's a post from another thread covering 466's....

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/311171-british-pensshow-and-tell/?p=3884668

 

 

[mallymal1]

it is either celloloid or casein but i can not be sure

 

[mallymal1]

The Universal Pen 470.

 

 

From Left to Right:

 

1. (470S) Chased Black.

2. Chased Black.

3. Marbled Blue.

 

Pen 1, would have had coloured identification bands at the top of the clipless cap, and on this pen they would have been red/white/red. The flange lever, I believe, is rolled gold. (Late 1920's-early 1930's)

 

Pen 2, is again clipless, with a flange lever. The barrel inscription carries the name A & S WALKER Ltd, MANCHESTER. (Late 1920's-early 1930's)

 

 

Postcard produced by A & S WALKER Ltd. MANCHESTER.

 

Pen 3, is also clipless. The small, gold plate, lollipop lever, features a round CS logo. The barrel is marked W. H. SMITH & SON. LTD. NEWTON ABBOT. (mid to late 1930's)

 

The nib on pen 1, is marked T/6. Pen 2 has a #5 nib, and I haven't had the pen 3 nib, out yet. So, there's no uniformity there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Wardok]

It is interesting that the last pen is engraved WH Smiths in Newton Abbot. Smiths were a nationwide chain and had their own brand of pen (Seal, made by Conway Stewart) so even if they had another line carrying the Smiths name ( and you can find Boots pens with their own brands, Chatsworth and Rufford as well as Boot's stationery department pens so that is not unreasonable), why did they have a pen engraved with the location of the branch? Imagine the extra cost if Smith's pens were to be imprinted with the town of the store they were to be sold from. Maybe then, this pen was some sort of corporate gift from the branch or even a loaner. Do the barrel markings look like a factory made imprint or a shop done engraving?

[mallymal1]

Hi Wardock. Looks like a factory job to me...

 

 

[mallymal1]

I gather that Conway Stewart provided a service, whereby stores could have pens with their own inscription. These were ordered by the gross, which is of course, 144. Is it possible that branches of W. H. Smith could get these cheaper, seeing that CS and WHS had a good, and presumably profitable, working relationship?

 

I wonder just how many fountain pens were being sold in the early 1930's?