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Info On Swan 400


Billy1943

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Hello I have a Swan Fountain Pen marked 400 on the Cap it has a clip which I think is a later addition as it slips over cap and has ideal marked on it.I think this pen was made without a clip.I would be grateful if anyone can give me some info on it and possibly its value. It is black in colour.

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hello Billy - would be very useful to see a picture of your pen :) Is it a leverless with two gold bands on the cap?

Your separate clip sounds like an accommodation clip, and the word Ideal appears often on Waterman clips. What if any is the imprint on the nib?

 

Just to add a little more whilst waiting for someone with far mor knowledge of these things............

It does appear there is a Model 400 shown in the list of M.T./Swan pens - black, and with cap bands, and a leverless model as I've described. Hopefully someone will provide more information including date range etc.

 

As to value ……… this is dependant on various factors, some of which are ……….

condition of pen - originality of components - rarity or otherwise - colour …….. black is possibly the least popular, with colours/patterns such as lizard or snake skins at the other end of the scale.

At the end of the day what something is worth is really only what someone will pay - and you don't find that out until you sell.

Most Swan pens are popular with collectors.

 

I had a last minute thought that new members were unable to post pix until they had accumulated a certain number of posts, hope someone else will comment on that.

Edited by PaulS
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I had a Swan 300; this was an eyedropper with a No 3 nib. I would expect the 400 to be therefore, an eyedropper with a No 4 nib.

 

I am unaware of a Leverless carrying the number 400. All Leverlesses pre-war carried an L in front of the model number - L200 etc. followed by a colour code e.g. L200/60. L205/47 and so on. I did have a L600/60 with No 6 nib so there may well have been a L400/60 model. This would be an early Leverless, plain black, from 1933-34 most likely.

 

fpn_1519576492__l600_60_1.jpg

 

Cob

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


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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Billy1943,

Cob is absolutely right, the 400 is an Eyedropper with a a number 4 nib.

Mine is a tad worn and in need of a new cap. It had no integrated cap but was fitted with an original Swan Accommodation clip.

If anyone has a spare cap please let me know...

post-129145-0-67858300-1536502253_thumb.jpeg

post-129145-0-77808200-1536502267_thumb.jpeg

post-129145-0-03720700-1536502286_thumb.jpeg

post-129145-0-38212700-1536502301_thumb.jpeg

post-129145-0-95168600-1536502316_thumb.jpg

Edited by SomersetSwan
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my earlier comments originated from the John Brindle list - page one - where fourth pen down is listed as '400 - Black - 2 gold bands - leverless', and having seen that my investigations came to a halt thinking this sounded near the mark. It would have been helpful had the op at least described their pen in the light of my words. But no matter, it's possible they were really looking only for a value in order to sell.

I don't see any other items on that list designated as 400, so assume some possible misidentification, and that list probably of some years standing, so corrections may well have been made and I've not seen them. There may well still be a leverless model 400, somewhere, I'm the least expert on these things.

 

These are nice pens, sorry yours has a broken cap - I'd suggest that in view of the absence of any gold ornament, jewels, tassie or inbuilt clip arrangement etc., then it might be possible to make a replacement cap albeit without the trade mark wording and model No. - it is simply a hollow tube with rounded end.

 

Have attached a picture of my 500, which appears identical in design, except that the nib is a N.Y. No. 5 - presumably just the next one up in the ascending list, and Cob's being one size down from yours. Bearing in mind their age, these e.ds. probably have a right to look a tad worn.

post-125342-0-23400400-1536513585_thumb.jpg

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Thanks PaulS and Cob,

I certainly like the look of the 5s.

 

On a tangent, can either of you confirm if other caps would fit the 400. Unfortunately I have no other caps to try it out.

 

If so I will just place a generic cap on it for the meantime!

 

SomersetSwan

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Thanks PaulS and Cob,

I certainly like the look of the 5s.

 

On a tangent, can either of you confirm if other caps would fit the 400. Unfortunately I have no other caps to try it out.

 

If so I will just place a generic cap on it for the meantime!

 

SomersetSwan

What is the size of the cap you need, length and diameter of opening? I have a few plain black caps and one might be the right size.

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I have nothing here I'm afraid.

 

As for the point about Brindle's list, there are errors there - I remember writing to him regarding his definition of the colour code 30 which he gives as blue - it is of course grey..

 

Mind you an eyedropper is of course leverless isn't it?

 

C.

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


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Mind you an eyedropper is of course leverless isn't it?

 

C.

 

However, you could use the nib to lever open a cocoa tin lid .........

 

(I know, blasphemy! I am seeing a painting of St Sebastion with my face superimposed)

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blue is 20 I believe - I wouldn't use the nib to open the cocoa lid - I don't like cocoa - though I suspect a No. 6 Eternal might be up to the job!!

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However, you could use the nib to lever open a cocoa tin lid .........

 

(I know, blasphemy! I am seeing a painting of St Sebastion with my face superimposed)

 

 

If not blasphemy, certainly sacrilege!

 

blue is 20 I believe - I wouldn't use the nib to open the cocoa lid - I don't like cocoa - though I suspect a No. 6 Eternal might be up to the job!!

 

20 is dark blue; 70 is pastel blue.

 

Cocoa in the winter is good - watch "In Which We Serve": Rescued Lt-Col on destroyer bridge with mug in hand, to naval Commander (Noël Coward) "By Jove, that's good!." "Cocoa with sherry"

 

I must try that sometime.

 

And yes, an Eternal 6 (in the words of my German client a "dung fork") would be well up to the job.

 

Cob

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


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