Esterbrook's copy of The Washington Medallion Pen box - pre-1868

[AAAndrew]

The Washington Medallion Pen Company was the first, successful, industrial producer of steel (dip) pens in the United States. I've written elsewhere the history of the company, including the early years, and then their later lawsuits. 

 

The lawsuits were mainly around Washington Medallion protecting their trademarked designs of both pens and packaging. The first one, and one I've written about extensively in the article on the lawsuits I linked to above, involved George Harrison and George Bradford, who were contracted for producing the pens. In January 1864, the original design patent had expired so Harrison and Bradford began making and marketing the pens under the name of "Harrison & Bradford's Washington Medallion Pen."  The original owners of the company sued and won. Harrison and Bradford continued to make pens, but of their own design and under their own name. The Washington Medallion Pen Company resumed their own manufacturing of the pens using other contractors. (who, is a mystery yet to be solved)

 

Another of those lawsuits, this time from four years later in 1868, was successful against the young Esterbrook Steel Pen Manufacturing Company. The newspaper articles describing the lawsuit mention that this lawsuit is important because the courts, in this lawsuit, are setting precedent for what kinds of designs could be trademarked, including packaging, and manufacturers should pay attention so that they don't run afoul of the new standards. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Washington Medallion box at this time looked like this. 

 

 

The lawsuit referenced here is the one against Harrison and Bradford. 

 

 

 

 

 

So far, none of the pens with the medallion of George Washington have been found, but I recently came into possession of one of the offending Esterbrook boxes that triggered the lawsuit. It's pretty clearly modeled after the Washington Medallion pen box, down to the choice of type and mottos. 

 

If anyone has one of the pens in their possession, I would love to at least get a photo. 

 

 

 

 

[Estycollector]

Thank you, @AAAndrew