Dip Pen Storage

[Mob Mentality]

Yes definitely a collector!

 

The lyceum stubs are kind of like Esterbrook Judges Quills. However my favorite is either a Spencerian 39 Subway Stub, or an Esterbrook Jackson Stub.

 

For me it not just the nibs but everything else too. The antique/ vintage accessories such as ink blotters, pen trays, letter openers, combination dip pen/pencils, retractable dip pens, and traveling dip pen holders to name a few. Hopefully one day I'll be able to buy an antique writing desk with the inlaid leather on top. Kind of like this one I saw in an antique shop. Don't ask how much it was...

 

http://i1377.photobucket.com/albums/ah48/Davide_Borrelli/20151127_170400_zpsmzw1gns1.jpg

 

 

 

I like the addition of shape and location to your list. Another issue that I run into is that I haven't tried all of the different models of nibs that I have. I been using a Spencerian No. 1 with a paperinkarts oblique holder { http://www.paperinkarts.com/hourgl.html } and I really like it. It's my only non-vintage holder. My primary focus for collecting has been Esterbrook and Eagle Pencil Co. I look specifically for hand ground nibs and also look for holders by either company when ever possible. Eagle Pencil co made a holder large enough to hold a mammoth falcon called a Crown No 8 holder if I remember correctly. I too love to collect the older nibs the best.

 

I have one extremely rare Esterbrook No. 2 Falcon that has a double grind (a horizontal and vertical grind of the point) and an imprint that wasn't supposed to be on this nib. According to my research this nib is possibly an error from the late 1800s.

 

http://i1377.photobucket.com/albums/ah48/Davide_Borrelli/R.%20Esterbrook%20amp%20Cos%20No%202%20Falcon_DVAB2_zpslyvwolm9.jpg

[AAAndrew]

Very interesting falcon you have there. It looks just like the one on The Esterbrook Project's page.

http://theesterbrookproject.com/NIB%20SHEETS/ESTERBROOK%202%20FALCON%20PEN/ESTERBROOK%202%20FALCON%20PEN.html

 

Phil, the owner of the site, is a great guy. If you ever come across an Esterbrook he doesn't have a picture of, you can send it to him confident that he will take very good care of it, photograph it, give you credit and then send it back as good as you sent it. I've sent him a few, including an 857 Freehand that appears in no catalogues or salesmen samples as far as we can tell. The only evidence that it exists is the fact that I had 8 of them and their box.

 

I'm sure you've probably run across Brandon McKinney, of Whiteapple Multimedia fame. He's coming out with a book scheduled for publication later this year that should help us figure out Esterbrooks and he has a whole chapter on dating nibs. Should be interesting.

 

Love the desk. Yeah, I'd love a nice writing desk as well. I mostly write on the dining room table or in coffee shops or at work. Not the same.

 

I have a few older holders, but mainly ones from the 20's-40's made for the general public or schools. Nothing fancy, in other words. I use them as well as some newer ones. And I have one rocker blotter, but last meeting of our local pen club a guy brought his collection of Tiffany rocker blotters. Man, oh, man. He also has many of the desk accessories to go with them as well. Sheesh.

 

The Falcon stubs are a lot of fun and great to use. I see in your inventory you have a Leon Isaacs & Co. #12. As far as I can tell, this was the first falcon stub, they even trademarked the terms "Falcon Stub" and "Stub Falcon" two years before Esterbrook introduced their Jackson Stub. But for stubby action, my favorites are the shorter stubs like the ones I mentioned in the earlier post.

 

Cheers. Not enough of the dip pen collectors out there, but I guess that's a good thing for prices.

[Mob Mentality]

Actually to me it seems like prices for nibs and holders have been kind of high lately. Though I really shouldn't talk because I bought all 5,000 plus Eagle Pencil Co nibs for $100... I'd definitely have to agree that there are very few collectors and users of dip pens on this level.

 

 

 

You are indeed correct I have talked to Brandon McKinney. I can't wait until his book comes out. In fact he was the one who told me that my No. 2 falcons were rare. Here's my email to him and his reply.

"Thanks for the picture of the double grind. After looking at it, I

further examined mine. They are stamped R. Esterbrook & Co's but they

have the double grind. I have done my best to photograph the grind.

Please see the attached picture. All 5 of mine have the same stamp

with the double grind. I hope you are able to see it in the picture.

Here's what he said:

 

"Interesting! Then I would consider your version of the #2 to be especially rare indeed! Once I was able to lock

down a solid manufacturing date based on company stamp, I cross referenced that with identifiable features. I

have every stamp series of the #048 Falcon Pen and the #14 Bank Pen. The #048 Falcon Pen was never double

ground as far back as 1874; which is the earliest one I have. The #14 Bank Pen did start out with a double grind.

I have one from 1878 that is double ground. Then I have some starting at 1885 that are not. IN fact, the #14 Bank

Pen never gets a double grind again. I saw the exact same phenomenon happen with the #9 Commercial pen.

They loose their double grind within the ESTERBROOK&Co stamp period which lasts as long as 1860s to1889. In

1889 the stamp became ESTERBROOK&CO'S for a very brief time before they added the "R". I do have a pen

that has a double grind with ESTERBROOK&CO'S (#792 "E" Pen). I have no pens stamped

R.ESTERBROOK&CO'S with a double grind. So I logically deducted that the practice must have ended before

1900. Seems I was wrong.

I postulate they must have reserved the practice for particular pens. However, there is another theory. From 1904

1924

inside the R.ESTERBROOK&CO'S period I find quite a lot of mistakes. Pens that have the stamp on the

underside of the pen, some that are supposed to have a grind but don't...and even some that not only have the

stamp on the underside, but are ground on top. So it could be a mistake from a line worker who'd been with the

company for decades and hadn't "gotten the memo" to stop double grinding ;)

Thanks for the photo!

Brandon M."

[Mob Mentality]

A really great fine to extra fine stub is the Van Ullem's Aluminium No. 6. The De Haan's Bell Stub is also very nice. It reminds me of the Jackson stub. The Van Ullem's Aluminium don't seem too common however.

[AAAndrew]

I've not seen the Van Ullem's. I have some De Haan Bell Stub which was their flagship model. De Haan is another interesting Philadelphia manufacturer. They were more commonly found in municipal stationery orders rather than commercial, and seemed to be quite popular with local governments. They eventually merged with another Philadelphia manufacturer, Koshland, before being bought up by Esterbrook.

 

In an 1891 ad they talk about their popularity with governments (US and State) for 25 years, which makes them one of the earliest manufacturers. Somewhere between 1911 and 1914 De Haan became De Haan and Koshland Pen Co. By 1921, a question to the American Stationer asks who makes the pens formerly made by the De Haan company and the answer is Esterbrook.

 

I have four De Haan numbers with the most interesting being some gilt nibs they made for the Sixth National Bank in Philadelphia.

 

I'll have to keep my eyes out for the Van Ullem's. Was that an American company? I've not encountered the name before.

[Goudy]

I thought I would share a new addition to my collection. Don't be fooled this dip pen is huge! See the normal size dip pen for comparison. http://i1377.photobucket.com/albums/ah48/Davide_Borrelli/6ced8198-59e6-41ef-ba88-955eba41f0e4_zpsx3oqvpos.jpg

 

 

I wonder if that giant pen was intended for store window display rather than use. I have one of a similar size, wittily labelled "The Midget" and manufactured by American Pencil Co. The holder is functional, so the nib can be swapped out (if I ever find another one big enough). However, the brass nib that came with it doesn't have a slit - the line is just etched on.

 

http://i.imgur.com/Ab3EcDy.jpg

Edited March 21, 2016 by Goudy

[Mob Mentality]

Here's a picture and a writing sample of the Van Ullem's Aluminum and writing sample. Very interesting information about De Haan.

 

http://i1377.photobucket.com/albums/ah48/Davide_Borrelli/20160321_121821_zpszvf5muku.jpg

 

http://i1377.photobucket.com/albums/ah48/Davide_Borrelli/60874002-d0e9-49b0-938e-419f150a924b_zps0tqmsbz6.jpg

[Mob Mentality]

Talking about dip pen accessories, here's a picture of my letter opener for the Wolf Envelope Company Circa Apprx. 1924.

 

http://i1377.photobucket.com/albums/ah48/Davide_Borrelli/d667152b-3176-4b38-a08c-ba1fc1528787_zps91sm94bk.jpg

[Mob Mentality]

Goudy very interesting holder, it's about the same length as mine. I do think it was intended as a store display. My holder does have a nib slit and you could write with it if the nib wasn't so rusted. I did try writing with it but unless you want like a B10 or thicker line it's not very practical. Plus it's so thick it's hard to write with. The Eagle Pencil Co holder itself is in perfect condition. To my knowledge the largest or one of the largest production nibs was the Mammoth Falcon made by Esterbrook and was actually marketed for use by the elderly. It supposedly has a huge ink capacity and flexibility too, given the long tines. I wish I could try mine out but I lack the appropriate holder as said above. On a side note they also made a mammoth falcon with a normal sized shank which could fit a standard holder. Now there's something to look for.

[AAAndrew]

In terms of a holder, I read about how to make a quick and dirty holder that works quite well. Not elegant, but at least functional. Take a dowel rod of the right diameter for the inner diameter of the heel of the nib. Then get some plastic or rubber tubing that will just fit tightly over the end of the dowel. You may need to sand or whittle the end a bit if diameters don't match directly. Cut a piece of the tubing about a half-inch long, squeeze it over the end of the pen, then slip the nib in between the tubing and the dowel. I suspect you'd have to use that clear, stiff tubing. Anything like rubber tubing that has too much give won't work as the nib will spring up and down as you write.

 

And love the letter opener. I bought a letter opener off of eBay that turned out to actually be a full-size Gaucho knife from Brazil. Very cool, but a bit scary to have just sitting around for a letter opener. Every time I see it I think of it as some murder mystery weapon. "He was killed by this Gaucho knife from Brazil that he used as a letter opener. It was a crime of opportunity. The mad monk saw it on his desk, and in his fury of being discovered, stabbed the poor blighter 48 times."

[Mob Mentality]

It's been a while and I thought I give everyone an update. I finally found a holder on the 'bay that fits the Esterbrook 340 Mammoth falcon. I don't believe it's an Esterbrook holder but the pictures show that it currently has a mammoth falcon currently in it. I haven't received it yet but will be sure to post pictures and a writing sample when it arrives.

 

Here's are some pictures from the auction:

 

 

http://i1377.photobucket.com/albums/ah48/Davide_Borrelli/Mammoth%20falcon%20holder1_zpsfd41lbxr.jpg

 

http://i1377.photobucket.com/albums/ah48/Davide_Borrelli/Mammoth%20falcon%20holder2_zps1ehc3r42.jpg

[AAAndrew]

Congrats! You'll have to let us know what it's like to write with that thing.

[Mob Mentality]

As promised here is the Mammoth falcon writing sample. I must say it's not quite what I expected. The nib itself is better suited to larger handwriting as the nib holds a lot of ink but writes very wet. The nib does have a good amount of flex to it as you can see. The railroading was only do to the lack of a full dip of the pen. I must admit it's a little bit strange to write with.

 

 

http://i1377.photobucket.com/albums/ah48/Davide_Borrelli/Writing%20Sample_Mammoth%20Falcon_zps0tzihu0c.jpg

Edited May 4, 2016 by Mob Mentality

[Mob Mentality]

I will also post some pictures of a Sampson Mordan & Co sterling dip pen when I have more time. I have about 4 or 5 new holders, two of them sterling silver. I also found a smaller glass pen tray at a local antique shop. It fits thin, shorter victorian style dip pen holders such as the Mabie Todd. I have also begun to do an inventory of my dip pen holders. However I have yet to included some of the newer holders on this list.

 

 

http://i1377.photobucket.com/albums/ah48/Davide_Borrelli/Dip%20pen%20holder_pic_zpskpxagqsq.png