Defunct Brands Worth Seeking Out

[checkrail]

Hi folks

Despite many years as an FP user, my experience of manufacturers who are out of production is pretty limited. I am interested in learning of ones worth looking for as good quality at the lower and middle price range on the vintage market.

Kindest regards

Timothy

[tmcneil82]

Parker.

 

 

zinger

[welch]

Richard Binder's site has a series of essays about older pens, including "third tier" pens...mass-market pens. Also some notes on US pens specially made for department stores and pharmacies. For instance, Sears and Roebuck, a mail-order company, had fountain pens that were made by some very good companies and sold under a Sears label.

 

There must have been something similar in the UK, but I don't know the brands or the stores.

 

The biggest US pen companies usually offered lower-priced pens, especially as the Great Depression wore on. Parker had a great "lower tier" pen called the Challenger. Sheaffer had the Wasp (for WA Sheaffer Pen Company).

 

I don't know if Onoto, Conway Stwart, or Mabie Todd made low-priced pens, but Burnham seems to have aimed at a lower tier, while offering some pens that might compete with the Onoto-class companies. I had one Burnham that was small but had a gold nib; another with a steel nib and a tip made by folding the steel under...no "irridium".

 

This is a start...other people will know much more.

[The Ant]

I have a Rexall BCHR eyedropper that was made to a very high quality standard - the machining was so precise you can hardly find the joint to unscrew. It was about $10.

[rhosygell]

There were several store brand pens in the UK manufactured by Conway Stewart, Curzon Lang, TDLR etc. Mabie Todd also offered for example the Blackbird and Swallow series pens as an alternative to their premium Swan brand for the less well off. I believe that several manufacturers also made pens for newspapers, tea companies etc that offered a fountain pen at a discount to their customers. Often, these products were of very respectable quality. There would also be a near endless list of almost premium to second tier makers featuring Wyvern, Burnham, Mentmore, Croxley etc in no particular order. Britain also had its fair share of third tier or lower brands too - such as Platignum (Mentmore) and Orium (Wyvern) which really were pretty grim

[DET]

Wahl-Eversharp and Esterbrook will both get mentioned soon enough, so I'll throw them out there right now.

 

Edit to add that not all Wahl-Eversharps are at the lower end of the price range (though some are) and that even Esterbrooks are rising in price. I guess it depends on what you mean when you say "lower and middle price range."

Edited September 28, 2012 by DET

[Zut Alors]

The pharmacy chain, Boots, had pens labelled under their name as 'Chatsworth' which were made by Burnham.

 

Other reliable f/pens made in the UK were Osmiroid and John Bull - the latter are usually BCHR.

[Biber]

I have a Rexall BCHR eyedropper that was made to a very high quality standard - the machining was so precise you can hardly find the joint to unscrew. It was about $10.

 

+1 on the Rexall brands.

[Lazarus Long]

Which pen company had the white dot on the cap to indicate the lifetime warranty? I think it was Shaeffer, but I don't remember. My dad had that was made around 1940's or 50's. A few years back he sent it in for a repair, and at first they didn't want to honor their warranty. I think they finally did.

[welch]

Which pen company had the white dot on the cap to indicate the lifetime warranty? I think it was Shaeffer, but I don't remember. My dad had that was made around 1940's or 50's. A few years back he sent it in for a repair, and at first they didn't want to honor their warranty. I think they finally did.

 

That would be Sheaffer, and if the current Sheaffer honored the white-dot life-time warranty on a 60 year-old pen, that's worth a story. Please tell us!

 

When Sheaffer put a white dot on their life-time warrantied pens, Parker had to match: they put a blue diamond on the clip. Sometime around 1947, Parker's lawyers convinced management that "lifetime" is a very long time, so they left the diamond, but stopped painting it blue. (As best I remember the story". Parker also changed their terms to something like "as long as you don;t misuse the pen and as long as we still have spare parts"

 

 

[kazoolaw]

To answer your original question: Esterbrook. Solid citizens, you can still find them with the original sacs and working just fine.

 

Onoto had the K pen, a response to the Parker 51, with a noticeable drop off in quality.

 

 

Grieshaber pens range from the equivalent of the Parker Duofold to definite 2 1/2 tier models.

 

Vintage Conklins (not the reincarnated Conklin) had a wide range of quality and styles, from the Crescent to the Nozac and various lesser models.

 

Take a look at Gold Bond and Diamond Medal too.

 

gary

Edited October 22, 2012 by gary

[Shangas]

I don't know about Onoto, or C.S., but Mabie-Todd certainly produced budget-pens. They had their "Blackbird" line of pens which I believe were designed to be cheap, affordable pens, for those who had small budgets.

[DanDeM]

John Holland produced a line called Chic and another called Royal as down-scale versions of their 1920 Jewel line, but today they're hard to find and can be pricey.

 

And Eclipse is today considered a second tier maker (not so much for materials or workmanship, but because their nibs were usually under sized) of some very handsome pens,

but they went in the opposite direction, producing Marxton and Park Row pens as upscale entries.

[MTS2]

Parker.

 

 

zinger

:roflmho::ltcapd::clap1:

[MTS2]

I have a little fp called a Majestic that has a wonderful 14k flex nib and is a lever filler. I'm guessing 40's

Edited October 28, 2012 by MTS2

[Sasha Royale]

Right now, I am enjoying two excellent pen of old days gone.

Esterbrook J-series and Reform 1745 are very good values, but prices are

slowly creeping upward. I would suggest getting these first.

 

Though not a defunct name, vintage Parker fountain pens are very collectible.

Checkout Parkerpens.net.

[PDW]

Maybe not so well-respected, but the best Wearevers are still very nice pens. A Deluxe 100 with a gold nib is a better pen that its manufacturer's reputation with some people would suggest, and its steel-nibbbed cousins are also pleasant to use.

Edited October 28, 2012 by PDW

[J.R.]

I have a Rexall BCHR eyedropper that was made to a very high quality standard - the machining was so precise you can hardly find the joint to unscrew. It was about $10.

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Did the Rexall pens have a store name, or were they sold under the manufacturer's name(s) ? In my town, we still have 2 pharmacies operating, altho' the owners are so old, they're seldom seen in the stores, anymore. I was just wondering if I could contact them, I might be able to arrange a scavenging trip thru their attics.

[DanDeM]

I have a Rexall BCHR eyedropper that was made to a very high quality standard - the machining was so precise you can hardly find the joint to unscrew. It was about $10.

-------------

Did the Rexall pens have a store name, or were they sold under the manufacturer's name(s) ? In my town, we still have 2 pharmacies operating, altho' the owners are so old, they're seldom seen in the stores, anymore. I was just wondering if I could contact them, I might be able to arrange a scavenging trip thru their attics.

 

Pens sold with the Belmont imprint were also marked:

 

SOLD ONLY AT REXALL STORES.

 

Here's a badly discolored combo that I bought for its wonderful Edison nib. You can just make out the SOLD ONLY...imprint, under the Belmont name.