Aikin Lambert Dip Safety Pen

[ljsbaldwin]

 

 

 

So I was given this dip safety pen by my dad. he found it at a local auction house. nib is marked Aiken Lambert #5. any info to offer? approximate age? Can't find any other markings so far. wondering if it's gf or gold? needless to say, i was thrilled when he presented it to me....

 

thanks!

Edited October 1, 2010 by ljsbaldwin

[pen2paper]

Welcome.

It's beautiful!

That's all I can definitely add.

except, nice Dad!

[rhr]

nib is marked Aiken Lambert #5. any info to offer? approximate age?

If you look at the nib really close, you'll see that it is actually imprinted "Aikin", not "Aiken". It's a very common mistake, so don't feel bad. But it makes it hard to search for things in the archive if they are misspelled. I even corrected someone as knowledgeable as Rob Astyk before his series of articles on "Waterman's Ideal Numbers Game" was published on the Stylophiles website in 2003. •~

 

It's also called a "pen case", and without any maker's marks or patent dates on the instrument, it's hard to date it exactly, but it's probably from the late 1800s. Does the knob on the end of the telescoping taper screw off? Maybe there is a compartment for pencil leads under the cap. That means it may have a pencil mechanism as well. Show us a picture of the front end with the nib retracted. If there is a pencil mechanism in the center, then the sliding band may also twist to extend the pencil mechanism, in which case that makes it a "pen and pencil case".

 

George Kovalenko.

 

Edited October 1, 2010 by rhr

[ljsbaldwin]

Thanks George. I corrected it in the post title. I'll check on the pencil possibility and post another photo if it turns out to be such. It gets better, too. My dad paid $65.00 for it. I think I'll send him out looking for more little gems...

 

Thanks.

Lisa

[ljsbaldwin]

I also found an additional marking: Aikin Lambert co. 5 around the mid section.

Nothing else.

Took a loupe, and also reading glasses.

[ljsbaldwin]

There IS a pencil!! even more awesome! Thank you so much!!

[usasoccerboy]

I have a customer that just called me that bought an Aiken Lambert Dip pen and is looking for replacement aiken lambert gold dip pen nibs. If you have one, contact me by this website or go to info@papierplume.com and ask for Patrick Ghirardi or Patrick Rideau and tell me the specifics.

[rhr]

There IS a pencil!! even more awesome!

Great! How about a picture? There are a few other possibilities, but your pen and pencil case might be this patent, so it might have been made by William S. Hicks. Is there a big letter "H" on the nib above Aikin?

 

This pen case is assigned to Aikin Lambert & Co., but it doesn't have a pencil mechanism.

 

George Kovalenko.

 

Edited October 3, 2010 by rhr

[ljsbaldwin]

Here's a better photo of the nib. yes, there is an "H"

[rhr]

W. S. Hicks Co. had a trademark that consisted of its initials in a monogram. It incorporated an "H" with serifs like the one on your nib, except there was a small capitol "W" within the upper space of the letter "H", and a small capitol "S" in the lower space. Perhaps Aikin Lambert was contracted to make nibs for Hicks, and these nibs were marked with the letter "H".

 

Show us a picture of the pencil mechanism extended. And did you say there was an additional mark "Aikin Lambert Co. 5" around the mid section of the pen & pencil case? Try to take a detailed picture of that imprint as well.

 

George Kovalenko.

 

Edited October 6, 2010 by rhr

[Vintagepens]

I don't know about the registration date of the Hicks monogram, but I do not recall seeing it used until relatively late -- in fact, exclusively on pencils and fountain pens made well into the 20th century. Hicks products of the 19th century up through the early 20th usually have the acorn symbol, if anything.

 

Also don't know about the significance of the "H" on the nib. Might it signify "Hard"? (as in, not flexible?)

[evatobias]

I have a customer that just called me that bought an Aiken Lambert Dip pen and is looking for replacement aiken lambert gold dip pen nibs. If you have one, contact me by this website or go to info@papierplume.com and ask for Patrick Ghirardi or Patrick Rideau and tell me the specifics.

 

 

my father gave me this dip pen about 30 years ago.little info with it except someone inportant used it .it is marked with the name Aikeins and what I think is amber no 3 case is not so good hinges are missing

 

evamtobias@comcast.net

[Goudy]

Also don't know about the significance of the "H" on the nib. Might it signify "Hard"? (as in, not flexible?)

I have Aikin Lambert nibs marked H and Aikin Lambert nibs marked M. Both types are flexible, but the H nibs that I've used tend to be finer with a stiffer, more controllable flex; the M nibs are softer, more supple and produce a slightly broader line.

 

So perhaps H = hard and M = medium?

 

As far as I recall, I've only seen these letter designations on the No.5 sizes.

 

Edit: Spotted a No.6 H: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/257577-help-with-info-on-aikin-lambert-co-6-dip-pen/

Edited April 4, 2016 by Goudy