MacNiven & Cameron, the Pickwick Pen'

[simon_uk]

I thought that this pen ought to have its own topic on FPN as until now searching for any of these words comes up blank. The set below is made by MacNiven and Cameron limited in Birmingham England. The pen has one of the longest inscriptions that I have every seen .

 

"The Pickwick pen by Waverley MacNiven & Cameron Limited Made in Birmingham."

 

The pen is dark brown and black striped. It is a lever filler. The clip looks like it copper and looks like it is riveted on. The matching but smaller pencil is similar and works well.

 

There is an article about the firm here: http://www.zianet.com/jmcdgwin/MacNCam.htm

 

I know little about this set. I bought it in about 1989 in a job lot so it wasn't specifically described in the catalogue. Andy Lambrou happened to be there that day so I showed him. He was keen on it and said 'that's a rare set'. Apart from that I know nothing!

 

I also have a MacNiven and Cameron black new old stock eyedropper with the eyedropper inside the box still wrapper in tissue paper. This is made by the same company. A lot of nibs and this eyedropper appeared in about 1993 when part of the old Waverley works in Edinburgh was taken over or bought. This was when I got the eyedropper. The funny thing about the eye dropper is that the box looks as though it was made last year – it certainly isn’t that old and its appearance suggests that MacNiven & Cameron were making such pens comparatively recently.

 

Best wishes

Edited February 12, 2007 by simon_uk

[jhmclearly]

I have seen the occassional pen turn up on Ebay but like you know little about the company.

 

That is a very nice set though. Love the rippling on the barrel of the fountain pen.

 

Lucky bloke <_<

[antoniosz]

Here is the only patent that I have been able to "fish":

 

GB428727, Improvements to fountain and reservoir pens. MACNIVEN & CAMERON, Ltd., and JEFFREY, W., Blair Street, Edinburgh. April 5, 1934

[jhmclearly]

Simple and interesting design.... I wonder if it ever was manufactured ?

[Johnny Appleseed]

There was an old post about MacNiven and Cameron from a couple years back, which you can find here:

 

MacNiven and Cameron Post

 

""They come as a Boon and a Blessing to men: The Pickwick, the Owl, and the Waverley Pen."

 

 

John

Edited February 14, 2007 by Johnny Appleseed

[simon_uk]

I obviously wasn't searching hard enough - thank you for the additional information.

 

Anyway :

 

I found a few pens at the weekend for sale in a antique/houseclearance type shop. The hoard included 4 good ones including two 51s. The owner asked for £10 for the rolled gold capped one. Ok I said. Then the chap said I know quite a lot about fountain pens so I asked him about the sterling silver cap 51 vac filling blue diamond 1942 rhodium plated straight line model with the indian pattern!. I didn't quite say that though. Firstly he tried to pull it apart at the wrong end. Then when I pointed out it might open from the other end he unscrewed the blind cap and tried to yank the vac filler in the wrong direction and finally he dropped it on the floor!

 

I was trying to appear cool while this was going on, Anyway I bought 4 of the pens for £30 including the sterling silver 51. I've a friend who will replate it in rhodium. Makes up for all the shops that believe that just because a pen is old it must be worth lots of money.

 

Sorry just had to share my joy!

 

Simon

 

PS would you like me to tell you precisely where the shop is?

[Johnny Appleseed]

Here is another thread on the Waverly on Lion and Pen with even more info about them.

 

MacNiven and Cameron over at Lion and Pen

 

(thanks George for reviving it).

 

John

[jhmclearly]

So today I went to Scotland on a day trip.....

 

In a little antique shop lo and behold I found a 'Waverley Gold Medal' by MacNiven & Cameron for the princely sum of £10.00. It has a damaged nib, but the pen itself is a beautiful gloss black with a lovely riveted clip. Looks probably 1920's.

 

Question... can you get casein in black, decause the finish is so high-gloss it just doesn't look like hard rubber ?

 

[jhmclearly]

Came across another Waverley and Cameron pen (absolutely lovely) with the patent number 151844 - a twist/button filler

 

http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=GB151844&F=0

 

 

[jhmclearly]

It has a fabulous 14k gold overfeed nib which also states 'J-Pen' - not a normal waverley cameron nib ?

 

It also has a small brass roundel set into the barrel just below the cap in a sort of 'gold medal' fashion - very unusual

 

[jhmclearly]

Another pic showing the pen, the roundel and a different chasing to most.

[jhmclearly]

Just got around to checking the imprint fully. There's quite a bit of it.

 

'The Cameron, Safety Self Filler, Macniven & Cameron Ltd, Cameron House, London EC4.'

 

It's the first time I've seen a company put their full address on a pen ?

 

[rhr]

And here's the US equivalent of the UK patent.

 

US patent: 1,375,559

 

George Kovalenko.

 

 

[jhmclearly]

http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&...mp;QPN=GB113082

 

Another Cameron patent - an early forerunner of the 'pressmatic' system ?

[constanius]

This is my first post, I collect historical medals.

 

"Production of the Waverley pen stopped in 1964 when the inevitable was accepted - the cheap ball pen had eclipsed the steel pen. So, 100 years after it was invented and 99 years after being patented, manufacture of the Waverley pen ceased"

 

This is an advertising "Spade Guinea" for the 200th anniversary of Macniven & Camerons 1770-1970 but by then the waverly had ceased production in 1964!

 

So perhaps this was a trial strike that was never actually produced, have any of you seen one before?

 

I realise this is an old thread but any info is welcome.

[Penariffic]

Awesome! Beautiful pen. I myself have a vintage tin of their famous 'Waverley' pen. It has that cute little rhyme on it:

 

"The come as a Boon and a Blessing to men The Pickwick, the Owl, and the Waverley Pen."

 

[jhmclearly]

I love these pens. Here's some recent acquisitions.

 

[jhmclearly]

As I said.... I love these pens.

 

Here's two more that have just arrived

 

A small ladies green 'toothbrush'

 

[jhmclearly]

And a larger clipless fuschia pink 'toothbrush'

 

[dcwaites]

I, too, have a tin of their Waverley Pens.

 

 

The pens have a curious shape. The 'cheeks' at the back of nib have a convex shape that bends upwards, while the end if the nib looks like a bird's beak that bends downwards a little. The very tip of the nib is bent upwards a little, to give a relatively large, smooth writing tip.

 

The nib wets more easily than my other nibs (Hunt, Myers Post Office Pen, Joseph Gillott's 292) and the complex shape helps it hold a fair amount of ink.

 

These pens are a delight to write with, even with the poorest of clerical inks.

 

If the same degree of thought that went into the design of these nibs went into their fountain pens, they should be very nice pens.