Solid Gold Nib On A Dip Pen?

[Otter1]

Hi,

 

Over the weekend I had a nice surprise--a friend of my mother-in-law was helping sort through the belongings of a deceased older sister and came across a dip pen and letter opener set that was marked as being a christmas gift in 1907. She remembered I collected such things, and set it aside for me (sometimes you get lucky)!

 

Anyway, the nib is gold and is marked "Solid Gold". Given how soft the nib is (easily bends), I can believe it actually is 24K gold. There is no maker's mark on the pen, the sterling silver handled letter opener, or the case.

 

So, has anyone ever encountered one of these "Solid Gold" nibs before?

I assume they made solid gold nibs early on and then switched over to 18K, 16K, or 14K later.

Does the Solid Gold nib come from a particular time period?

 

Thanks for any info you might have,

 

-Otter1

[rwilsonedn]

Gold nibs don't seem to have been that uncommon on fancy dip pens. I don't believe they were used on workaday pens that did a lot of writing, simply because they tended to be untipped, and so they would wear rapidly. The gold pens were for showing off.

As to "Solid", before the term Warranted came into use on fountain-pen nibs, solid could mean pretty much any gold content the manufacturer wanted. I think your only guarantee of content in those early years would have been a hallmark.

If the pen really is 24K, it would probably bend easily, and stay bent. Pure gold is malleable, not springy.

ron

[Bo Bo Olson]

Should be 10 or 16 k gold, according to the replica 1902 Sears Roebuck catalog.It appears to be the normal gold pen (as nibs were then called) standard.

They cost between 75¢ -$1.25 and cost $0.35 cents to sharpen. This was when a skilled carpenter made three dollars a day for a 12 hour day.

 

The 1900 Sears is not organized well.

 

The 1894-5 Montgomery Ward only lists bronze and steel nibs, they skipped the page with them.

 

You need all three to have a good idea of what is what from say 1875 to 1902, in that the folks were paid in gold there was not much inflation. There were a lot of tools in use, powered by wind, horse or water. Lots of neat kitchen gadgets too.

 

1880 the Dover Eggbeater (the first one to really work with out dripping grease into the food) was a world wonder, it could do in 20 minutes what took 2 hours by hand.

 

Civilization started in 1884 with the invention of the electric fan and the fly swatter.

Try to imagine the deep south or any where in the US with out a fan in the summer.

Baths were taken on Saturday whether you needed one or not. Underwear was changed then too.

1890's with the 'perfection' of the washing machine, the rich and middle class who could afford a washing machine, started changing their underwear daily.

Edited September 4, 2012 by Bo Bo Olson

[Otter1]

Thanks for the replies--I'll post a picture when I get home tonight just so you can all see what I'm talking about (and it's a pretty set anyway).

 

The nib does flex to about a BB line with pretty light pressure, and then it bends and stays bent---which is not at all like what I've seen using 14K nibs. I like the idea that this might have been a fancy, less work-a-day set--it makes sense for a Christmas gift, which is what this looks like it was.

According to my 3rd-hand knowledge of the owner, she was a woman of means from Connecticut who did a lot of foreign travel as an adult, which back then would indicate a certain amount of wealth.

 

And yes, it does help to think about the times it was used in--kinda hard to remind yourself that fountain pens were a more portable and convenient alternative to dip pens and ink wells. Dip pen users probably disparaged fountain pen users the way FP users pick on ball pens now... :-)

 

-Otter1

[Pickwick]

Should be 10 or 16 k gold, according to the replica 1902 Sears Roebuck catalog.It appears to be the normal gold pen (as nibs were then called) standard.

They cost between 75¢ -$1.25 and cost $0.35 cents to sharpen. This was when a skilled carpenter made three dollars a day for a 12 hour day.

 

The 1900 Sears is not organized well.

 

The 1894-5 Montgomery Ward only lists bronze and steel nibs, they skipped the page with them.

 

You need all three to have a good idea of what is what from say 1875 to 1902, in that the folks were paid in gold there was not much inflation. There were a lot of tools in use, powered by wind, horse or water. Lots of neat kitchen gadgets too.

 

1880 the Dover Eggbeater (the first one to really work with out dripping grease into the food) was a world wonder, it could do in 20 minutes what took 2 hours by hand.

 

Civilization started in 1884 with the invention of the electric fan and the fly swatter.

Try to imagine the deep south or any where in the US with out a fan in the summer.

Baths were taken on Saturday whether you needed one or not. Underwear was changed then too.

1890's with the 'perfection' of the washing machine, the rich and middle class who could afford a washing machine, started changing their underwear daily.

 

My Dear friend,

 

How right you are, only the middle and wealthy classes enjoyed such luxury during the period you mention, whilst the majority of the population lived in dire poverty, overcrowded slums in the cities along with child labor, illiteracy, working long hard hours for a pittance. I doubt if during the period you mention the majority of people Living in the South had ever seen a fan let alone electricity. Also bear in mind that cities on the Eastern seaboard experience sweltering high humidity summers.

 

 

The majority of immigrants were quickly disabused of this country being the Utopia they were seeking, and quite a number returned to their countries of origin. Probably because they couldn't afford a fan, take a bath nor change their underwaer!

Edited September 4, 2012 by Pickwick

[kestrel]

So, has anyone ever encountered one of these "Solid Gold" nibs before?

I assume they made solid gold nibs early on and then switched over to 18K, 16K, or 14K later.

Does the Solid Gold nib come from a particular time period?

 

Thanks for any info you might have,

 

-Otter1

 

I own several Mabie Todd & Co. pens from the first decade of the last century that were tested by the various dealers and all came out to 18K. Other nibs are probably older with our oldest verified date in the 1880's based on a sales receipt in the box. The last one I bought, a size 8 Mabie Todd nib with original handle in it's original gift box, was one of 5 similar pens the dealer had. The week before I showed up he sold the other four to a scrap gold dealer, only keeping the one I bought because of the box. These little beauties are disappearing.

 

If you can find some type of identifying information on the nib it will help you narrow down a time period of manufacture. vintagepens.com (Dave Nishimura's site) has a lot of good information on these pens. I am sure there are others. They are fun to write with as long as you don't spring the nib. Greg Minuskin can restore severely worn nibs or those with damaged tines but a sprung nib is a sprung nib. Enjoy your newfound treasure.

[Otter1]

And here's some pictures. First is the set itself in the box, then a close up on the nib which says "Solid 2 Gold"