W. S. Hicks & Sons Bulb Filler

[Stinky The Clown]

I'm posting this because I think it is a pretty interesting pen ........ and because I am asking for some help identifying it. The pen is clearly marked W.S. Hicks & Sons. They were a NYC based pen maker from at least the turn of the last century to, maybe .... what? I'm not sure. They get a one line mention in the big Fischler book, but that's all I can find in my references here. There is a mention or two of them on the internet, but again, not much except to push their dates back to the early 1800s as a nib maker and jeweler. They are also said to have made pens for Tiffany's.

 

This particular pen is a bulb filler. The entire barrel unscrews from just behind the section. The bulb is then squeezed multiple times (like pumping a Vacumatic) to fill it. It holds about a gallon of ink. The pencil is a clicker, like a Skyline pencil or some of the Vac and 51 pencils.

 

The inner barrel is separate from the section, affixed by threads. Removal involves gently unscrewing the inner barrel to reveal the back end of the feed and its very long breather tube (again, like a Vacumatic but significantly longer). The inner barrel is a different material. Although it appears black in the picture, it is actually transparent; this example is discolored almost to the point of being opaque.

 

Stylistically, the pen, when capped, looks a bit ungainly with an overly short appearing cap. When posted, it looks just about as bad. That said, it is very well balanced in hand. It is a big pen, too, right at 5-1/2" capped. The nib is the size of a small shovel (probably a 7 or 8) and about the only feature of the pen that seems in scale to the rest of the parts.

 

Now to my question ....... when was this guy made? On the one hand, it could be from the twenties, given its flat top appearance. On the other hand, it has features and styling that seem evocative of the forties. I have never been able to find a reference to this pen, nor have I ever seen another one like it. Anyone have any ideas?

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/MMPics/Pens/Hicks.jpg

[markiv]

Wow, that is an awesome oddity or oddly awesome fountain pen. I am sure this post will have more exposure in the "Writing Instrument" forum.

[Stinky The Clown]

Wow, that is an awesome oddity or oddly awesome fountain pen. I am sure this post will have more exposure in the "Writing Instrument" forum.

 

Thanks. I'll post a link to it there!

[dandelion]

What a special pen - thanks for posting these great pics!

[hardyb]

Edison Pens is making wonderful bulb filler modern pens. I own one and it is really great.

 

http://pencraftonline.com/page.cfm/76%20Main%20Page

Edited October 5, 2009 by hardyb

[Johnny Appleseed]

The styling on this is definitely 1940s. I don't think that they were making many metal-cap pens in the 1920s.

 

Ron Dutcher is, I think, a bit of a Hicks researcher. We should email him to see if he has anything to share on this.

 

Very cool!

 

John

[Stinky The Clown]

Edison Pens is making wonderful bulb filler modern pens. I own one and it is really great.

 

http://pencraftonline.com/page.cfm/76%20Main%20Page

 

I saw that! How cool! The clear barrel on that pen is what I would imagine my pen was like when new - seeing the ink come gushing in with each squeeze of the bulb.

 

Being an unreformed, unreconstructed pen geek, I can understand a resurrected bulb filler. But the pen I've pictured, being a bulb filler would seem to hint at an earlier (20s, maybe 30s) vintage rather than later (post war 40s, maybe early 50s) It just seems to me that by the post war era, a bulb filler would have been too old fashioned, even for the stodgy company (I imagine) Hicks was. But that's pure surmise and fanciful thinking on my part.

[Stinky The Clown]

The styling on this is definitely 1940s. I don't think that they were making many metal-cap pens in the 1920s.

 

Ron Dutcher is, I think, a bit of a Hicks researcher. We should email him to see if he has anything to share on this.

 

Very cool!

 

John

 

I'm afraid I don't know Mr. Dutcher, but if there's a Hicks guy, I'd love to know what he thinks about this pen. Do you know how to contact him? Is he a member of FPN?

[Johnny Appleseed]

I PM'd Ron to let him know. He is Kamakura-Pens here (he lives in Okinawa and sells a lot of Japanese pens, but he also is a big collector of Paul Wirt pens and a few other early US brands).

 

BTW - just to clarify, is the pen itself is imprinted Hicks, or just the nib?

 

John

[bgray]

Wow. I like that a lot.

 

I detect the distinct scent of design inspiration.

[Andy]

Wow. I like that a lot.

 

I detect the distinct scent of design inspiration.

 

I love Hick's pens- frequently show up in in silver and solid gold. IIRC, Hick's did work for Tiffany, too.

 

There's a gorgeous Hick's in Paul Erano's book- sterling? Don't have it in from of me at the moment.

 

This one's a gold-plated model that I (stupidly) sold a while back- had a super XF nib that wasn't really my thing, and at the time I didn't know Greg Minuskin from Greg Brady. Sigh.

 

The "metal up to the section end" look is killer. Held a TON of ink.

 

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a383/ttobbaa/Other/hicksgrouptu.jpg

 

Andy

[Stinky The Clown]

I PM'd Ron to let him know. He is Kamakura-Pens here (he lives in Okinawa and sells a lot of Japanese pens, but he also is a big collector of Paul Wirt pens and a few other early US brands).

 

BTW - just to clarify, is the pen itself is imprinted Hicks, or just the nib?

 

John

 

It is imprinted on the nib and on both the pen and pencil caps.

 

I'll send him a PM. Thanks for the info.

[Stinky The Clown]

Wow. I like that a lot.

 

I detect the distinct scent of design inspiration.

 

I love Hick's pens- frequently show up in in silver and solid gold. IIRC, Hick's did work for Tiffany, too.

 

There's a gorgeous Hick's in Paul Erano's book- sterling? Don't have it in from of me at the moment.

 

This one's a gold-plated model that I (stupidly) sold a while back- had a super XF nib that wasn't really my thing, and at the time I didn't know Greg Minuskin from Greg Brady. Sigh.

 

The "metal up to the section end" look is killer. Held a TON of ink.

 

<center><img src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a383/ttobbaa/Other/hicksgrouptu.jpg"></center>

 

Andy

 

Andy, there's a good deal of familial similarities with that pen. The clip is the first thing I noticed. The very same as mine. The threads at the very end of the section suggest it caps like mine, too. Is it also a bulb filler? And from what era? That one appears to me to be 1920s or 30s. And if that's true, it suggests mine could be the same era.