Wahl Vaults Looted Of Gold Nibs In 1926, Sheaffer's First Annual Picnic,...

March 27, 2018

Just a couple of small pieces of interest from an issue of Geyer's Stationer, September, 1926 I recently picked up.

First, on page 68, an account of a daring robbery.

Wahl Vaults Looted of Gold Pens

Eight masked men on August 22nd bound three watchmen and looted the vaults of the Wahl Pen Co., Chicago, obtaining gold pen points valued at $20,000. two of the vaults were dynamited, but two failed to yield to the charges set against them.

The robbers overlooked $50,000 [sic, $5,000] in gold. One of the watchmen reported that the robbers threw aside $5,000 worth of gold bards, which they thought were brass, as well as two vials of iridium valued at $2,000

Next, on page 72, an account of Sheaffer's first annual picnic

At the Sheaffer Picnic

On August 14th the first annual picnic of the W. A. Sheaffer Pen Co., Fort Madison, Iowa, was held in Bluff Park, Montrose, Iowa. About three thousand employees and their friends and relatives attended. Bluff Park, it might be said, is situated on a high bluff several hundred feet above the Mississippi River, affording a beautiful view of the Father of Waters.

W. A. Sheaffer, president and founder of the company, returned from Europe in time to enjoy the celebration.

Six hundred cases of free pop, two hundred gallons of ice cream, several hundred pounds of candy and a good sized ox were consumed by the revelers during the day.

A parade of nealry four hundred automobiles and floats through the main streets of Fort Madison was followed by various games that lasted throughout the day. In the evening there was a dance in the park pavillion. [sic]

A feature of the parade, which was more than two miles long, was a huge reproduction of the Sheaffer propel-repel-expel Radite Pencil mounted on a truck. The pencil was 32 fee long and 5 feet in diameter. The big pencil stimulated an interesting contest for four Radite Lifetime Pencils.

Mr. Sheaffer plans to hold the picnic annually hereafter.

And for Sheaffer fans, in the same issue, page 39, is a whole article written by W. A. Sheaffer on "How to Reap the Best Results from National Advertising." It's the text of a speech "delivered at the recent meeting of the Seventh Regional District in Minneapolis."

And the final piece I'll point out is on page 36a

Pyralin in Fountain Pens

E. I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co., of Wilmington, Del., says that one of the most notable developments recently in the manufacture of fountain pens has been the use of Pyralin for the barrel of the pen instead of other products formerly used.

Some of the largest fountain pen manufacturers in teh country are now using this pyroxylin plastic, the company says. It is being produced in many colors. Tests have been made to show its ability to withstand rough usage. In one case a manufacturer is said to have run a heavy fire truck over a barrel and cap made of pyralin without cracking it.

March 27, 2018

Boston, the predecessor of Wahl, had also been robbed in its time. It being smaller the haul was not as great. I know of these two robberies but, were any other companies ever hit?

Roger W.

March 27, 2018

I've never read of anything else at this scale, but I have read of the theft of boxes of steel pens, passing bad checks to buy pens, etc... I guess anytime you have an easily transportable and salable commodity there will be people trying to steal it.

It's pretty wild to read about dynamiting safes. I figured the cartoons had to come from somewhere, but it's not a usual activity these days because people have learned that if the charge is strong enough to blow open the safe, it's likely that it can also destroy anything inside.

And $20,000 in 1926 was a not-insignificant amount of money, even split eight ways.