1920's Watermans Artist Special Pen Advertisements

[WhitefieldME]

I have four advertisements made by Waterman in the 1920's to promote their Artists Special fountain pen. Two are large (14-3/8" x 11-1/2") and two are small (9" x 7") and all four are folio style (folded in half to open with writing inside). The artwork is signed Floyd R. Hildebrand '27. I am attaching some examples of the art on the front and the information inside. I also have the original shipping envelope with the Waterman label. Thought some of the Waterman Forum might like seeing these. Also wondering if these are common or not, and if they have any value? Thank you for your input!

[playtime]

thanks for sharing this:)

 

J

[RMN]

Nice. Thanks for posting this.

 

D.ick

[WhitefieldME]

[Here are four more views of the artwork & inside information for your pleasure!

[John54green]

What wonderful advertisements! Thanks!

[bitterwonder]

I want one of these pens. And who was Floyd Hildebrand?

[Left FPN]

And who was Floyd Hildebrand?

 

According to Google he was an illustrator.

[Xof72000]

Thanks a lot for sharing : I've learn something thanks to you (didn't even know Waterman made such pens)

[balson]

i had heard someone say that the A in watermans 2A nibs originally stood for artist. can anyone confirm this rumor?

[Vintagepens]

i had heard someone say that the A in watermans 2A nibs originally stood for artist. can anyone confirm this rumor?

 

That is mistaken. "2A" refers to the nib dimensions, not to tip size or flexibility.

[kimsdad]

So, how do you identify one of these?

[Vintagepens]

Unfortunately, these nibs were never specially marked. They were long-tined nibs, with extra-fine tips and lots of flexibility.

[WhitefieldME]

I'll ask again, Do these advertisements have any value? I've never seen or even heard of a Waterman pen like this, so are they rare? I'd like know the value of the advertisements for insurance value, if nothing else. Thanks all of you Fountain Pen Aficionados!

[BIGEASYPENS]

[Here are four more views of the artwork & inside information for your pleasure!

 

Hi. I have something like this that is 7"X9" and consists of three pages of information and three illustrations. I tried to attach pics of all of the pages, but the site was responding with files too big.

[sidthecat]

Thanks! That's very useful. I aspire to such an instrument someday.

[Left FPN]

It looks very much like a Safety Pen.

[gregamckinney]

The pens are very scarce and bring a lofty price. I've never seen one in person, but have seen a few for sale on line. IIRC, the last one I saw trade hands was maybe 18 months ago and was in the mid to high hundreds (maybe $800ish, perhaps more?) Very low supply, so any demand makes for silly prices. Hard to put a "market price" on something with such a small supply.

 

Hopefully David Nishimura will jump in on this thread. He is the person I've seen speak authoritatively about the Artist Pens in the past.

 

Best Regards, greg

[FarmBoy]

Do notice that all the lines made with the same pen don't display the obscene flex that is common today...

[Left FPN]

The person that drew the lines has a steady hand or did they use Artistic License

 

While there are a few bits missing with time this is worth a read. It does appear to be a Safety pen with an Artists nib.

 

Ice cream.

Edited September 14, 2015 by Force

[Cepasaccus]

Does somebody here have such a nib? Some measurements would be interesting. Overall length of the nib, length of the tines (e.g. from tip to tip of the heart hole) and weight.

 

Cepasaccus