My First Mabie Todd Swan - C. 1912 Eyedropper

[teeitup418holes]

Picked up my first Mabie Todd Swan a couple of weeks ago and have had a chance to ink it up and write a bit with it and its been quite a fun experience! Thought Id share a picture of the pen and a quick writing sample. Maybe some of you could share some insight into my pen, and any details you might know about its beginnings. Please excuse my poor penmanship as its a work in progress, and more work needs to be done because theres not much progress.

[Greenie]

Just a quick late evening post to say

Welcome to Swan pens. Glad to have you.

As you are finding out, they are wonderful to write with.

[Cob]

Well done!

 

Welcome to Mabie Todd: the aristocrat of fountain pens.

 

That's a very nice example, with excellent colour and of course the gold bands mark it out a a model de luxe. After over 100 years of use imprints are likely to be very faint, but there should be a model number stamped on it somewhere. It could be a 1500 but my guess is a 200. Do let us know.

 

One clue to its age is the maker's name stamped in the pen. If it reads "Mabie, Todd & Co Ltd" then it is post 1915, the time when the English Company was incorporated. Otherwise, earlier pens were stamped "Mabie Todd & Co, and if pre-1908 "Mabie, Todd & Bard."

 

The nib would be from Mabie Todd & Co, New York. There were no English Mabie Todd nibs until around 1922.

 

Cob

Edited January 21, 2018 by Cob

[teeitup418holes]

Thanks so much for the warm welcome and great information! The stamp on the body of the pen reads as follows:

The “Swan” Pen

Mabie Todd & Co. Ltd

Made in England

[teeitup418holes]

Here are some photos of the body of the pen with markings.

[Cob]

Thanks for the additional photos.

 

The fact the the maker's name is Mabie, Todd & Co Ltd tells me that your pen is 1915 or a little later. The Articles of Association for Mabie, Todd & Co Ltd, were drawn up on 31st December 1914.

 

It really is a very nice example.

 

Cob