Search the Community

Steel pens come in a myriad of shapes. US pens tend to have less variation than European pens, especially by the early 20th-century. As I've worked to rigorously catalog my collection of mostly US pens, I've felt the need for some kind of standardized name for the shapes of my pens. I've not encountered any standard list from the old days, and different companies often used different names for the same shape. So, I've finally gathered a modest list of shape names and descriptions that seem to make sense to me and are useful for the pens I've cataloged so far. Take a look and let me know what you think. As I say in the intro, I'm sure not everyone will agree with either my names or my categorizations, but that's OK. I'm willing to hear suggestions, especially if you can point to an older source (and even better, multiple sources) that use another name. Also, if you have better images, especially for the shapes for which I only have imperfect images from old catalogs, I'm happy to accept contributions. Thanks to the Esterbrook Project for letting me use so many of their images. Until I photograph my own collection, theirs is the best source out there for American shapes. https://thesteelpen.com/2018/12/07/pen-shapes-a-proposed-glossary/