Gold Metal Pen Co. Info Needed

[speerbob]

Hi, I picked up this really nice Gold Medal Pen Co button filler fountain pen at the DC Big Flea last weekend. It's a beautiful pen and unused. But I know nothing about Gold Medal (Not metal as my misspelling in the title says). Does anyone know anything about this pen or know of a resource where I can get some info on the model and age? Thanks, BOB

http://www.speerbob.com/ebay/goldmedal.jpg

http://www.speerbob.com/ebay/goldmedal2.jpg

http://www.speerbob.com/ebay/goldmedal3.jpg

Edited March 13, 2010 by speerbob

[Hugh200au]

Gold Medal pens seem to appear to have initially been made by National and later by Webster for Sears ? ( I could be wrong on that but I'm sure it was a house brand for someone), yours would (I assume) be a Webster made pen. The National made pens are actually very high quality but I haven't had anything to do with the Webster ones, I've had a "casual" interest in them and there appears to be very little info. around.

 

Regards

Hugh

[mr mobius]

If your struggling and you get no assistance, for what its worth, Max has a few listed at 1001 pens, maybe he can help? He is also a member here.

 

Moby

[Johnny Appleseed]

I think Gold Medal was a sub-brand of the National Pen and Pencil Co. of Chicago, and possibly later by the C.E. Barrett co. I am fairly certain I have seen Gold Medal pens that were branded "National Pen and Pencil Co." I am also fairly certain I have seen late (1940s) Gold Medal pens that were branded "C.E. Barrett co." However, I do not collect Gold Medal pens and do not have any so branded in my posession - they were seen on ebay.

 

Gold Medal was never a house brand of Sears, nor was it one of the Montgomery Ward brands (Gold Bond was Montgomery Ward). Webster was a house brand of Sears, and some Websters were made by National. Some late Websters are nearly identical to the late Gold Medal twist fillers and button fillers, which leads me to suspect that C.E. Barrett made the Webster Twist fillers as well.

 

There is some significant debate over what the National Pen and Pencil co. was and who owned it. Some conventional wisdom is that National was a separate company that sourced parts from C.E. Barrett and assembled pens from those parts. Later, the theory goes, National got into financial trouble and C.E. Barrett assumed ownershop somehow. Others hypothesize that National was somehow a subsidiary of C.E. Barrett from the getgo. I don't know that anyone has conclusively figured that out - unless Michael Fultz (RIP) had the corporate papers somewhere.

 

BTW - I did once on ebay see a "Gold Metal" pen - it might have even been branded C.E. Barrett co., but I didn't save the ebay listing, so I am not sure. I don't know if it was a misprint, or a joke of some sort.

[Richard]

Gold Medal was never a house brand of Sears, nor was it one of the Montgomery Ward brands (Gold Bond was Montgomery Ward). Webster was a house brand of Sears, and some Websters were made by National. Some late Websters are nearly identical to the late Gold Medal twist fillers and button fillers, which leads me to suspect that C.E. Barrett made the Webster Twist fillers as well.

Are you sure Gold Bond belonged to Montgomery Ward? I've seen many Gold Bond pens carrying the imprint of National Pen Products Company, Chicago, but I've never seen one with any Wards branding or packaging I know Wards sold Lakeside and that National Pen Products made at least some Lakesides.. (As an aside, is National Pen Products the same company as National Pen & Pencil, whose specific imprint I've never seen on a Gold Bond pen?)

[Johnny Appleseed]

Hi Richard,

 

I am almost certain that Gold Bond was a Montgomery Ward brand, and like the Sears house brands it had more than one maker. There are Gold Bonds that have Waterman lever boxes et. al, and there are Gold Bonds that are pure faceted Wahl Dorics (see here for a thread on the W-E Gold Bond pens). Like Sears, I think Wards had several lines, including Gold Bond as a topline, and the Lakeside and Wardright pens at different price-points. However, I can't speak with absolute certainty on this, as it is info that I "pickup up on the side" - I haven't gone researching the catalogs, etc.

 

I would really love to see Gold Bonds with the National Pen Products Co imprint. I am sure that most of the Gold Bond "Stonite" pens were the "National" of Chicago - same hardware, same basic design, same pressure bars, etc. It may be that Montgomery Wards let them imprint their name (and I will have to get back to you on the National Pen co. vs National Pen and Pencil co.)

 

I would really love to see a photo-survey of the imprints on all of these suspected "National" Pens. Someone really needs to dig into the history of these and sort it all out.

 

John

Edited March 15, 2010 by Johnny Appleseed

[Hugh200au]

I think Gold Medal was a sub-brand of the National Pen and Pencil Co. of Chicago, and possibly later by the C.E. Barrett co. I am fairly certain I have seen Gold Medal pens that were branded "National Pen and Pencil Co." I am also fairly certain I have seen late (1940s) Gold Medal pens that were branded "C.E. Barrett co." However, I do not collect Gold Medal pens and do not have any so branded in my posession - they were seen on ebay.

 

Gold Medal was never a house brand of Sears, nor was it one of the Montgomery Ward brands (Gold Bond was Montgomery Ward). Webster was a house brand of Sears, and some Websters were made by National. Some late Websters are nearly identical to the late Gold Medal twist fillers and button fillers, which leads me to suspect that C.E. Barrett made the Webster Twist fillers as well.

 

There is some significant debate over what the National Pen and Pencil co. was and who owned it. Some conventional wisdom is that National was a separate company that sourced parts from C.E. Barrett and assembled pens from those parts. Later, the theory goes, National got into financial trouble and C.E. Barrett assumed ownershop somehow. Others hypothesize that National was somehow a subsidiary of C.E. Barrett from the getgo. I don't know that anyone has conclusively figured that out - unless Michael Fultz (RIP) had the corporate papers somewhere.

 

BTW - I did once on ebay see a "Gold Metal" pen - it might have even been branded C.E. Barrett co., but I didn't save the ebay listing, so I am not sure. I don't know if it was a misprint, or a joke of some sort.

 

 

A very tangled web of intrigue!! I've seen Gold Medal and Gold Crown combos that are identical except the Gold Crown had a gold plated nib and no barrel imprint, I assumed that it was simply a downmarket model. It's surprising that such an large manufacturer could have so little info. available considering the excellent quality of their products. All very interesting , thank you.

 

Regards

Hugh

 

 

[Johnny Appleseed]

Richard,

 

Can you clarify for certain that it is Gold Bond that you have seen with the National Pen Products Co., not Gold Medal or Gold Crown? I have seen Gold Medal with that imprint, but not Gold Bond (but I am sure many more have gone through your hands than mine).

 

Thanks!