"SWAN" Safety Pen

[hari317]

Yesterday I have bought a SWAN from an pen dealer in Mumbai and the pen is Made in India. The imprints are remarkably clear and deep. The barrel imprint is:

"SWAN" SAFETY PEN

(Swan logo with six feathers) MABIE TODD & Co Ltd

MADE IN INDIA

 

The section and feed is stamped SWAN and the gilt cap has SWAN on its lip and the swan logo with two feathers on the clip top, the clip jewel is also gilt.

 

The pen is fitted with a strong steel nib, the nib imprints are:

SWAN

(SWAN LOGO with three feathers)

SWAROSMIN

LILLOFOLD

Made In Japan

 

The filling system is aerometric.

 

I am very curious about the history of Mabie's operations in India and when it started and ceased etc. (No hint of Mabie's India operations when I googled for it) Also it would be nice if the nib imprints are explained. Why are the no of feathers different in each logo in the same pen? (Space restriction?) I hope to acquire some gold nibbed swans from the same dealer and shall keep you posted on any information I gain.

 

Regards,

Hari,

INDIA

 

[Oxonian]

Hi Hari,

 

The imprint on the nib might be because it is probably a replacement.

 

There were two companies that used the name Swan, one was Mabie todd the other was a Japanese company who were using the name Swan before MT moved into the Japanese market, MT were prevented from selling their pens under that name in Japan, the nib is probably one of the Japanese company' products whereas the pen is MT, hence the difference in logo.

 

MT made pens in India, during the 30s and probably into the war years, unfortunately I have no idea when they started to manufacture or assemble pens in India or exactly when they stopped. Many of the MT indian made pens were eye-dropper fillers apparently because of short life expectancy of the rubber sacs in lever fillers in the climate. I have seen no more than perahps five or six of MT India pens in total, none in the last fifteen or twenty years and all of these were eye droppers and dated according to their owners to their or their parnets time in India the 1930s.

 

Not a lot of help I am afraid but the best I can do,

 

Cheers, John

[hari317]

MT made pens in India, during the 30s and probably into the war years, unfortunately I have no idea when they started to manufacture or assemble pens in India or exactly when they stopped. Many of the MT indian made pens were eye-dropper fillers apparently because of short life expectancy of the rubber sacs in lever fillers in the climate. I have seen no more than perahps five or six of MT India pens in total, none in the last fifteen or twenty years and all of these were eye droppers and dated according to their owners to their or their parnets time in India the 1930s.

 

Not a lot of help I am afraid but the best I can do,

 

Cheers, John

 

Thanks, John for the info. The shop keeper I bought this pen from is a grand old gent. he told me that a company called TTK manufactured these pens in India (I do not know how to confirm this). Did MT ever make Aerometric type filler pens? Is it possible that after MT shut down, the tooling was sold to some company in India? Meanwhile trying to get some indian made MTs.

 

Hari