Crane’S Pen By Waterman?

[mikerph]

I have a pen that is labeled Cranes that looks very muck like a mid level Waterman, it has an 18k gold nib that says Waterman and has a Waterman converter; the ballpoint has a push cap like watermans of the late 90sand has a waterman refill. Anyone see anything like this?

[Left FPN]

We will need pictures.

[Jerome Tarshis]

I have much respect for Force's ability to look at pictures of a pen and spot any connection it might have with Waterman. And that is what the OP asks about.

 

Let me put in some more information, which might or might not help identify the pen. Crane & Co. is America's oldest papermaker. It uses its founding date, 1801, in its advertising and packaging. In the United States, at least, Crane is a company of high prestige, which for good or ill the company is well aware of.

 

Some years ago, 1980s or 1990s or even the first years of the 21st century, Crane thought about its future and looked perhaps to the Montblanc boutique as a model. It opened its own shops in major American cities and for all I know in shopping malls in our more prosperous suburbs. By way of merchandise it went beyond mere note cards and social stationery.

 

There were books on etiquette and IIRC desk accessories and, we are coming to the nub, pens. Whether FP or BP, and who the underlying manufacturer seemed to be, I cannot remember. Force lives in England and it may be that an understandable analogy would be with Smythsons shops, which sell a fairly wide variety of merchandise other than paper goods proper.

 

So there would have been Crane's pens associated with the paper company. The shops contracted and may have disappeared. Where I feel powerless is that a casual search-engine inquiry isn't turning up the pens. If I were younger and more adroit, all might be revealed in a matter of seconds.

[Left FPN]

Do we all remember the Carene from India.

[emetoyer]

I remember the Crane's shop in San Francisco in the 2000's. I think they had Waterman Hemisphere's in a pen case and some not distinguished roller balls. Would need to see a picture of the pen you have for clearer ID.

Crane's makes great paper, still using my embossed stationery sets from college and grad school graduation gift sets (from Neiman Marcus no less!)