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"leader" Fountain Pen


Pickwick

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I've just acquired this pen from an eBay seller. The name on the barrel says LEADER, there are no other marks. On the nib is marked 14k and in an oval ring ALC9.

 

The pen measures 51/2" long capped, and 63/4" posted. The filling mechanism has a press lever in a cut out channel which can easily be depressed, and protected by a roll over cover.

 

The sac had disintegrated which I replaced and the barrel comfortably accepted one 3" long. I assume this pen is made from Ebonite which Is still in good condition. The feed channel is wide and I initially though it would be a wet writer but isn't. The sac took quite a large quantity of ink and the pen started writing as soon as I put nib to paper and I've been able to write two pages without a skip.

 

I've tried researching the company who made this pen, but so far drawn a blank. Does anyone have a similar pen and be able to give me some information? There is a lever fill on offer with the same name on eBay.

 

Kind regards,

 

Pickwick

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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here's an old thread on thumb fillers, but none with the Leader name or model.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/207147-sleeve-thumb-filling-pen-chronology/?&p=2143598&fromsearch=1&do=findComment&comment=2143598

 

however, in another thread there is a British make Leader, which is a lever filler.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/180174-leader-self-filler-pen/

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here's an old thread on thumb fillers, but none with the Leader name or model.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/207147-sleeve-thumb-filling-pen-chronology/?&p=2143598&fromsearch=1&do=findComment&comment=2143598

 

however, in another thread there is a British make Leader, which is a lever filler.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/180174-leader-self-filler-pen/

Thank you very much for the information.

 

Kind regards,

 

Pickwick

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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I think you have a pen made by Aikin Lambert. Look more closely at the nib and see if it actually says AL Co or similar. Better yet show me a close up of the nib. Aikin Lambert made quite a few different filler methods over the years and manufactured for several labels before being absorbed into Waterman.

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I think you have a pen made by Aikin Lambert. Look more closely at the nib and see if it actually says AL Co or similar. Better yet show me a close up of the nib. Aikin Lambert made quite a few different filler methods over the years and manufactured for several labels before being absorbed into Waterman.

Here is a photo of the nib. In the oval it reads ALC and what looks like a 9.

 

Thank you,

 

Pickwick

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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That is definitely Aikin Lambert. I have just compared it with two of mine. that 9 is actually a lower case o with a line under it.

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good catch Scrawler : )

on page two of the earlier thread, see the pen in post #40, though it has a different breather hole on the nib, heart shaped instead of round, the AL Co looks the same.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/207147-sleeve-thumb-filling-pen-chronology/page-2

 

Scrawler, do your two pens have the revolving center to cover the filler feature?

Pickwick, don't force any movement, (hard rubber is fragile) but does it appear that your pen would revolve/twist in the center to cover the thumb filler?

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That is definitely Aikin Lambert. I have just compared it with two of mine. that 9 is actually a lower case o with a line under it.

 

That is definitely Aikin Lambert. I have just compared it with two of mine. that 9 is actually a lower case o with a line under it.

Thank you for your response. I'm guessing this pen was made during the first two decades of the 20th century. It's a well constructed pen. I filled it with Gates Concentrated Ink. This ink came in 4 tiny tablets in a glass tube sealed with a cork and wax. It was made in Cincinnati, Ohio. The instructions said, just drop in a tablet into an ounce of warm water and you will have instant ink. It also said safe for fountain pens. I've used this ink for over a year now and it's never given me any problems. I got in touch with the Cincinnati Museum archive department regarding the company.

 

The company started in 1915 making Bluing and ink. They lasted until 1917, then became a Motor car dealership!

 

Given the age of this pen I thought it would be appropriate!

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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good catch Scrawler : )

on page two of the earlier thread, see the pen in post #40, though it has a different breather hole on the nib, heart shaped instead of round, the AL Co looks the same.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/207147-sleeve-thumb-filling-pen-chronology/page-2

 

Scrawler, do your two pens have the revolving center to cover the filler feature?

Pickwick, don't force any movement, (hard rubber is fragile) but does it appear that your pen would revolve/twist in the center to cover the thumb filler?

Yes, the sleeve revolves to cover the thumb hole. It moves very smoothly. The pen is in remarkably good condition for its age. There are no scratches or marks of any kind, and a nice writer. Just a light touch to the page is all that's needed. The back of the feed is very wet with ink but it's not a wet writer and delivers just the right amount of ink to the page. I thought at first it might be prone to blobbing but not so, even after writing 4 pages.

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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One of my pens has the revolving center the other is eyedropper. I got interested in AL pens because of my interest in early Waterman. AL had always made higher quality pens than their contemporaries. They actually started as jewelers and made very fine quality nibs and dip pens. They paid attention to detail and the tolerances are better than many contemporaries who threw together quantity quickly. They used higher quality materials. They also made really nice overlays. They made pens for Waterman quite early and if you look around and have the coin for it you may find a Waterman very similar to yours but with a really nice silver overlay. You can reasonably expect a nice gentle flex from that nib.

 

Pickwick look at your feed and tell me if it is a square section rod that is smoothed to a curve at the tip away from the nib, or better yet show me a picture. .

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A real find Pickwick. Thanks for sharing with Us.

Truly enjoy learning pen history by hunting tidbits on these old models. I'll never be an expert, but it's absorbing nonetheless.

I picked this pen up on eBay for $6.00 and free shipping, I was the only bidder for it!

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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I picked this pen up on eBay for $6.00 and free shipping, I was the only bidder for it!

you did what???? If you get tired of it please consider contacting me.

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you did what???? If you get tired of it please consider contacting me.

I'll keep you in mind. In the meantime I'll cherish it and use it. I'll leave a bequest in my will to contact you as a beneficiary after I leave this mortal coil!

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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A discussion of sleeve fills started here last October might be of interest to you.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/207147-sleeve-thumb-filling-pen-chronology/

 

Fascinating pen.

 

 

ooops! pen2paper sent you there first.

Not to worry thanks for the information

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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