E.M. Richford- Rubber Stamp Maker who made at least 1 fountain pen

[IknowWrite]

Pictured below is an old eyedropper pen with what looks like an inscription made by hand stating, “The E.M.R. Peerless.” It is black chased hard rubber and has a very flexible 14ct nib.

 

In researching this pen, I came across one FPN thread from 2012 where someone was asking about a Peerless Eyedropper pen and, by their description, is most likely this pen (or one like it, at least).  

 

 

The last post in that thread mentioned a pen made in 1906 by EM Richford, which led me to the EM Richford Group, which was established by Edwin Miller Richford, a chemist, in 1878. 

 

In the “Our History” section of their website, they explain how Richford started making rubber stamps, then became one of the largest rubber stamp makers in the world, and are now also in the crafting supply business. No where does it mention Richford making fountain pens.

 

The only other mention I’ve been able to find about The E.M.R. Peerless pen is from a 1994 auction listing on Christies.

 

Does anyone have any other information on this pen and/or company?

 

I’m debating sending a message to the EM Richford company and asking if they have any other information. How many Peerless pens did he make? Did Richford make any other pens? If not, why?

 

ANYhoo…I thought it was an interesting little mystery that has its roots in an established British company. It may be the oldest pen I own- so wild to think someone was writing with it nearly 120 years ago!

 

[amberleadavis]

I don't have any information, but it is a pretty pen.  I hope you enjoy using it.

[IknowWrite]

5 minutes ago, amberleadavis said:

I don't have any information, but it is a pretty pen.  I hope you enjoy using it.

Thank you! I want to clean/polish it up a bit, but I’m afraid to destroy it…especially if it’s made of casein. For now I’ll just use it as a dip pen until I find out more information. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

[andyr7]

Smaller English Pen Makers 1890-1935 is a new title from English Pen Books due to be published in the first quarter of 2024. It contains a short section on E M RIchford, including some company history and four pages reproduced from an early Richford catalogue c1915 that show the range of pens they offered. Richfords were contacted  to see if their archives had any more information about these but they had no idea that the company had ever sold their own pens, so I would suggest that contacting them is unlikely to reveal anything new.

 

https://www.englishpenbooks.co.uk/what-s-new/

 

The pen is made from vulcanite (the name British companies used for what is often called hard rubber elsewhere) so water will not destroy it, but care is still required as warm water may cause the nice black colour to turn brown.

 

 

[IknowWrite]

5 hours ago, andyr7 said:

Smaller English Pen Makers 1890-1935 is a new title from English Pen Books due to be published in the first quarter of 2024. It contains a short section on E M RIchford, including some company history and four pages reproduced from an early Richford catalogue c1915 that show the range of pens they offered. Richfords were contacted  to see if their archives had any more information about these but they had no idea that the company had ever sold their own pens, so I would suggest that contacting them is unlikely to reveal anything new.

 

https://www.englishpenbooks.co.uk/what-s-new/

 

The pen is made from vulcanite (the name British companies used for what is often called hard rubber elsewhere) so water will not destroy it, but care is still required as warm water may cause the nice black colour to turn brown.

 

 

Thank you so much!! I will keep my eye out for this book once it’s published- seems like it will be a great resource for some of the more obscure pens out there. Are you by chance involved in its publication? It’s a bummer- though good to know- that Richfords was already contacted and wouldn’t be of any help.

 

Thank you for the tips on cleaning the pen, as well. It’s greatly appreciated!

[andyr7]

3 hours ago, IknowWrite said:

 ....Are you by chance involved in its publication? .....

 

Yes, co-author, photographer, book designer and publisher for my sins! The book has been in development for about 15 months already, so it's good to be nearing the end of the process.

 

There are about 50 pen companies featured with lots of previously unknown information about the industry in that era. We should be putting up a full contents list on the website early in the New Year.

[amberleadavis]

34 minutes ago, andyr7 said:

 

Yes, co-author, photographer, book designer and publisher for my sins! The book has been in development for about 15 months already, so it's good to be nearing the end of the process.

 

There are about 50 pen companies featured with lots of previously unknown information about the industry in that era. We should be putting up a full contents list on the website early in the New Year.

 

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[IknowWrite]

39 minutes ago, andyr7 said:

 

Yes, co-author, photographer, book designer and publisher for my sins! The book has been in development for about 15 months already, so it's good to be nearing the end of the process.

 

There are about 50 pen companies featured with lots of previously unknown information about the industry in that era. We should be putting up a full contents list on the website early in the New Year.

How fortuitous that you saw my posting! Best of luck with the book launch- I cannot wait to see it. 

[Beechwood]

^{I might be completely out of line here but I sometimes wonder if many of the pens of this period were actually sold by the name on the  barrel as opposed to a Christmas gift for important customers.}

 

^{For example we know of hotels, banks, accountants, bookmakers and manufacturers that would give an order to pen makers for an unbranded pen but with the name of the business on the pen, the idea is that when the recipient is using the pen during the year he looks down and reads Richford and not Parkette. Today, it is easy to assume that when we see a name on the pen that they were actually involved in the manufacturing or even retailing.}

 

 

[AAAndrew]

On 12/26/2023 at 6:04 AM, Beechwood said:

^{I might be completely out of line here but I sometimes wonder if many of the pens of this period were actually sold by the name on the  barrel as opposed to a Christmas gift for important customers.}

 

^{For example we know of hotels, banks, accountants, bookmakers and manufacturers that would give an order to pen makers for an unbranded pen but with the name of the business on the pen, the idea is that when the recipient is using the pen during the year he looks down and reads Richford and not Parkette. Today, it is easy to assume that when we see a name on the pen that they were actually involved in the manufacturing or even retailing.}

 

 

 

That's quite possible. It was a common practice with the steel dip pens that preceded fountain pens. Companies had their own branded pen points all the time. Many were for use at the company, like the Ford and General Electric pens I have. Others were also provided to customers as a courtesy, like at banks and hotels and other places where someone was liable to need to write. And others were probably sold, like the several department store brands I have. Also, many stationers would pay to have their name put on pens made by the big manufacturers, and create their own branded pen, sold under their name, without making anything. In the boxes below the Glendhill Bros are an example. They sold educational supplies like desks, chalkboards, and pens. W.L. Mason just imported pens from France with his name on them and sold them under his brand. 

 

[Beechwood]

41 minutes ago, AAAndrew said:

 

That's quite possible. It was a common practice with the steel dip pens that preceded fountain pens. Companies had their own branded pen points all the time. Many were for use at the company, like the Ford and General Electric pens I have. Others were also provided to customers as a courtesy, like at banks and hotels and other places where someone was liable to need to write. And others were probably sold, like the several department store brands I have. Also, many stationers would pay to have their name put on pens made by the big manufacturers, and create their own branded pen, sold under their name, without making anything. In the boxes below the Glendhill Bros are an example. They sold educational supplies like desks, chalkboards, and pens. W.L. Mason just imported pens from France with his name on them and sold them under his brand. 

 

 

Excellent collection there.

 

When I first started I often bought collections of pens, 50+ at a time, many were simple chrome top Sheaffers, often called school pens but were overprinted with mysterious businesses such as Thunder Bay Marine and Auto and so on. Long forgotten businesses but a business that thought the gift of a pen to a customer would produce Loyalty.

 

Until recently some European banks would have their brand on a Pelikan, a thank you perhaps to a corporate customer and  a 70 euro investment for a 70X return. This practice has reduced considerably with the regulators requiring all gifts to be declared by the giver and recipient.

[inkstainedruth]

I've seen that on modern pens as well.  One of my Parker Vectors has the imprint and a little decorative bit on the clip for some computer company.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[IknowWrite]

On 12/27/2023 at 10:15 AM, AAAndrew said:

 

That's quite possible. It was a common practice with the steel dip pens that preceded fountain pens. Companies had their own branded pen points all the time. Many were for use at the company, like the Ford and General Electric pens I have. Others were also provided to customers as a courtesy, like at banks and hotels and other places where someone was liable to need to write. And others were probably sold, like the several department store brands I have. Also, many stationers would pay to have their name put on pens made by the big manufacturers, and create their own branded pen, sold under their name, without making anything. In the boxes below the Glendhill Bros are an example. They sold educational supplies like desks, chalkboards, and pens. W.L. Mason just imported pens from France with his name on them and sold them under his brand. 

 

How I’d love to peruse through your collection! I, too, have been collecting vintage dip pens and have come across several “off brands” on which I haven’t been able to find any information.

 

For instance, “The Brooks Co.” I have several of their #1 (falcon) nibs. At first I thought it was an Esterbrook 048 made for The Brooks Co.; however, even though it looks similar to the 048, it does not write like one. It has a stiffer action and doesn’t have as thin of an upstroke as the 048. (Also the grind looks like it may be stamped…?)

I see a Shakespearean box in your collection…I have a few Shakespearean nibs and was wondering about them- do you have more info on those? I need to look at your pics and compare them to the “off brand” nibs I have- it’d be nice to have a box (picture, at least) to go with the nibs!

[AAAndrew]

Your Brooks #1 falcon is definitely stamped. With American pens, as labor became more expensive, grinding disappeared and, for some companies, they replaced it with these stamped grooves. Eagle was a big user of the stamped grooves, and their Falcon was stiffer than the Esterbrook. Most likely your falcon is an Eagle E10 falcon. The earlier, bronze-colored E10s are semi-flex but the later ones get stiffer and stiffer. 

 

I haven't found a lot of information about Shakespearian pens, but then I haven't really looked closely. My impression is that they're a 20th-century brand. I know they didn't make their own pens, (It's an American company but the pens are marked "England") but the source manufacturer is not clear to me. Whoever it was, they are quality pens. Their No 1 Falcon and 4 Fine Point are particularly flexible and a delight. 

 

I'd be happy to tell you what I can about the "off brand" pens you have. Most are probably stationers or local brands that got their pens made by one of the big manufacturers. But there were some smaller pen makers even into the 20th century. Some I've been able to confirm were actual manufacturers, some I just suspect. 

 

My current, cataloged collection (and I have a whole banker's box of pens uncatalogued) is comprised of over 1100 different "styles" and over 30,000 pens. The cataloged pens are stored in the drawers in the photos below. I have a little bit of info on how I've cataloged my collection on my web site, here. https://thesteelpen.com/2019/07/09/managing-a-collection-of-steel-pens-part-1-recording-information/

 

The last picture is one example of how I've been able to grow my collection. It used to be that you could find just a box o' pens like this on ebay. I've found three such mass collections over the years and you never know what you're going to find in it. It's like Christmas. 

 

 

[welch]

On 12/18/2023 at 12:11 PM, andyr7 said:

 

Yes, co-author, photographer, book designer and publisher for my sins! The book has been in development for about 15 months already, so it's good to be nearing the end of the process.

 

There are about 50 pen companies featured with lots of previously unknown information about the industry in that era. We should be putting up a full contents list on the website early in the New Year.

 

Thank you for your work on this book!

[andyr7]

If anybody is still interested, this book will be published on April 2nd. More details at

 

https://www.englishpenbooks.co.uk/home/smaller-english-pen-makers-1890-1930/

 

[Beechwood]

8 hours ago, andyr7 said:

If anybody is still interested, this book will be published on April 2nd. More details at

 

https://www.englishpenbooks.co.uk/home/smaller-english-pen-makers-1890-1930/

 

 

 

Thank you for the link, that is going to be an impressive and worthwhile book to own.