National Pen Company Brands

January 14, 2013

I've rejuvenated an interest in pens manufactured ("assembled" is probably a more accurate term) under the various brands attributable to the National Pen Company in Chicago. I've found a few threads on this board, and others, and am trying to pull the threads together. If any more tenured members can point out older threads, I'd appreciate it. Would also appreciate any info anyone cares to offer. In return, I'll compile what I can find and make it available to anyone who wants it. I've hard that Michael Fultz had quite a store of information on National Pen Co and was writing one or more articles about it. If anyone has that information, or copies of the articles, I would like to see them.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

January 15, 2013

Just in the slim chance you haven't checked Richard Binder's site, here is the entry from his Glossopedia:

"National- (National Pen Products Company) A pen manufacturing company located in Chicago, Illinois; founded in the early 1920s, it grew — partially by acquiring other companies for their trademarks and machinery — to become one of the largest pen producers in the world. National made medium- to high-quality pens under its own brand names (including Gold Bond, Gold Medal, Lincoln, and others) and also jobbed pens to retail chains (including Sears, Roebuck & Co. and Montgomery Ward) and other private brands. It may also have sold pens to major pen companies for retail under those companies’ sub-brands. National’s production ranged from traditional hard rubber flat-tops during the 1920s to the hooded-nib polystyrene Webster and Tower pens it made for Sears in the 1950s. Shown here are a Gold Medal and a Tower."

Source: http://www.richardspens.com/ref/glossary/N.htm

January 15, 2013

Just in the slim chance you haven't checked Richard Binder's site, here is the entry from his Glossopedia:

"National- (National Pen Products Company) A pen manufacturing company located in Chicago, Illinois; founded in the early 1920s, it grew — partially by acquiring other companies for their trademarks and machinery — to become one of the largest pen producers in the world. National made medium- to high-quality pens under its own brand names (including Gold Bond, Gold Medal, Lincoln, and others) and also jobbed pens to retail chains (including Sears, Roebuck & Co. and Montgomery Ward) and other private brands. It may also have sold pens to major pen companies for retail under those companies’ sub-brands. National’s production ranged from traditional hard rubber flat-tops during the 1920s to the hooded-nib polystyrene Webster and Tower pens it made for Sears in the 1950s. Shown here are a Gold Medal and a Tower."

Source: http://www.richardspens.com/ref/glossary/N.htm

Harlequin:

Thanks for the reply and the reminder. I had seen Richard's site...usually one of the first places I check when starting down some new rabbit trail. David Nishimura also has some good info. I know there is more out there, and I'm really hoping to tease the Michael Fultz information out of someone.

National bought parts (from CE Barrett, among others) and assembled pens under different brands, and also appear to have re-branded pens from Parker, Shaefer, and others. Seems there was a lively and complex business in pens and pen part in the Midwest back in the day. Interesting stuff to research on long winter nights.

Cheers,

Mike

January 16, 2013

I've rejuvenated an interest in pens manufactured ("assembled" is probably a more accurate term) under the various brands attributable to the National Pen Company in Chicago. I've found a few threads on this board, and others, and am trying to pull the threads together. If any more tenured members can point out older threads, I'd appreciate it. Would also appreciate any info anyone cares to offer. In return, I'll compile what I can find and make it available to anyone who wants it. I've hard that Michael Fultz had quite a store of information on National Pen Co and was writing one or more articles about it. If anyone has that information, or copies of the articles, I would like to see them.

Thanks in advance,
Mike

Apparently, there was also an old German Brand called National. I imagine you would be able to distinguish between threads on either brand, however.

January 16, 2013

National bought parts (from CE Barrett, among others) and assembled pens under different brands, and also appear to have re-branded pens from Parker, Shaefer, and others. Seems there was a lively and complex business in pens and pen part in the Midwest back in the day. Interesting stuff to research on long winter nights.

Cheers,
Mike

National didn't re-brand pens for Parker or Sheaffer !! I think your confused by who owned the "brand" names, a lot of National products made for the likes of Sears under their registered names, Parker also made pens for Sears under Sears owned names. Such names as Good Service was owned by Sears, you see National and Parker made GS pens. I've seen no instance of Sheaffer being rebranded or making pens for anyone but themselves.

January 16, 2013

National bought parts (from CE Barrett, among others) and assembled pens under different brands, and also appear to have re-branded pens from Parker, Shaefer, and others. Seems there was a lively and complex business in pens and pen part in the Midwest back in the day. Interesting stuff to research on long winter nights.

Cheers,
Mike

National didn't re-brand pens for Parker or Sheaffer !! I think your confused by who owned the "brand" names, a lot of National products made for the likes of Sears under their registered names, Parker also made pens for Sears under Sears owned names. Such names as Good Service was owned by Sears, you see National and Parker made GS pens. I've seen no instance of Sheaffer being rebranded or making pens for anyone but themselves.

HH:

That's an important distinction and thank you for pointing it out. If I understand you correctly, Sears and Roebuck owned the Good Service brand name and both National and Parker made pens for Sears under that brand.

I know that Webster was also a Sears brand, and I have Webster BCHRs with barrel imprints in an style identical to the Good Service imprints. Presumably the Websters were also made by National. Or at least assembled by National using parts sourced from CE Barrett and others.

Thanks again,

Mike

January 16, 2013

National bought parts (from CE Barrett, among others) and assembled pens under different brands, and also appear to have re-branded pens from Parker, Shaefer, and others. Seems there was a lively and complex business in pens and pen part in the Midwest back in the day. Interesting stuff to research on long winter nights.

Cheers,
Mike

National didn't re-brand pens for Parker or Sheaffer !! I think your confused by who owned the "brand" names, a lot of National products made for the likes of Sears under their registered names, Parker also made pens for Sears under Sears owned names. Such names as Good Service was owned by Sears, you see National and Parker made GS pens. I've seen no instance of Sheaffer being rebranded or making pens for anyone but themselves.

HH:

That's an important distinction and thank you for pointing it out. If I understand you correctly, Sears and Roebuck owned the Good Service brand name and both National and Parker made pens for Sears under that brand.

I know that Webster was also a Sears brand, and I have Webster BCHRs with barrel imprints in an style identical to the Good Service imprints. Presumably the Websters were also made by National. Or at least assembled by National using parts sourced from CE Barrett and others.

Thanks again,
Mike

Parker also made some Websters, it gets a bit hard to remember all the Sears brands then there's Montgomery Ward as well plus probably a few others !! The National only brands carry the National Pen Co.imprint where as the re badged carry imprints like the Good Service mentioned. All rather confusing I think.

January 16, 2013

I've seen no instance of Sheaffer being rebranded or making pens for anyone but themselves.

Sheaffer made their Cartridge Pens and Skripserts with Sears branding.

I don't think that has anything to do with National Pen Company though.

January 16, 2013

I've seen no instance of Sheaffer being rebranded or making pens for anyone but themselves.
Sheaffer made their Cartridge Pens and Skripserts with Sears branding.

I don't think that has anything to do with National Pen Company though.

Now you mention it I do recall seeing some at one stage.

January 16, 2013

National bought parts (from CE Barrett, among others) and assembled pens under different brands, and also appear to have re-branded pens from Parker, Shaefer, and others. Seems there was a lively and complex business in pens and pen part in the Midwest back in the day. Interesting stuff to research on long winter nights.

Cheers,
Mike

National didn't re-brand pens for Parker or Sheaffer !! I think your confused by who owned the "brand" names, a lot of National products made for the likes of Sears under their registered names, Parker also made pens for Sears under Sears owned names. Such names as Good Service was owned by Sears, you see National and Parker made GS pens. I've seen no instance of Sheaffer being rebranded or making pens for anyone but themselves.

HH:

That's an important distinction and thank you for pointing it out. If I understand you correctly, Sears and Roebuck owned the Good Service brand name and both National and Parker made pens for Sears under that brand.

I know that Webster was also a Sears brand, and I have Webster BCHRs with barrel imprints in an style identical to the Good Service imprints. Presumably the Websters were also made by National. Or at least assembled by National using parts sourced from CE Barrett and others.

Thanks again,
Mike

Parker also made some Websters, it gets a bit hard to remember all the Sears brands then there's Montgomery Ward as well plus probably a few others !! The National only brands carry the National Pen Co.imprint where as the re badged carry imprints like the Good Service mentioned. All rather confusing I think.

The confusion is what makes it fun to try to sort out.

Thanks,

Mike

September 12, 2014

Sears had a number of brands that the sold over the years, though the most commonly found are the 1925-1940s brands of Good Service, Webster, Diamond Medal, and 1930s-1950s Tower, Truepoint, and Tower Truepoint.

In the 1900s-1920s, Sears sold a lot of hard rubber flat tops that were either made by ALCO, Paul Wirt, or Eagle. Either they were listed on the "high-quality pens" page with names like "Small ladies lever-filler pen" and described the maker, or they were on the budget pen page with names like "The Peacock" or "The Ambassador".

Starting around 1923-4 you have the first Websters (which look to have been made by Wirt) along with a large flat-top called the Big Ben. By 1926-7 the Webster, Good Service and Diamond Medal lines are all in place, and appear to have been made by National. Diamond Medal is positioned as the high-end, Webster in the middle, and Good Service at the low-end. When the switch to celluloid occurs, Webster remains in Hard Rubber for a couple of years as a more traditional brand, with the other two rapidly moving into colored celluloid and streamlining.

The switch to Parker occurs somewhere around 1933 or 1934 (I have 1932 catalogs which are clearly National, and fall 1934 catalogs which are clearly Parker). Diamond Medal pens made by Parker are vacumatics, though more along the lines of the lower tier of vacumatics, and using colors that are often unique to Sears. There are also Websters that are identical to the Parker Challenger and other depression-era mid-tier pens, and cheaper Good Service plunger-fillers and lever-fillers that resemble some of the Parker lower-end pens (though there are some anomalies that are not clear). The Truepoint and Tower brands also start to show up, in low-end pens that I speculate were made by either Ambassador or Eagle.

Diamond Medal and Good Service drop off somewhere in the 1940s, and by the end of WWII, Sears is selling Websters and Towers. There is some evidence that the Websters, at least, were made by National. They also revert to selling other large brand-names, like Parker, Sheaffer and Eversharp.

The Sheaffer Skripsert and cartridge-filler pens were from the 1960s, and I believe they just said "Sears". I have not seen the catalogs for these pens. Nice writers though - especially the skripserts.

If you search around the site, you can probably find some old posts of mine that included some of the catalog pages with the Sears pens.

John

John Chapman