Swan Moire Pens Thread

[Greenie]

This is a follow up to an April 2018 thread which had a great discussion, but was not labeled well and did not feature all the colors. I have now collected all six colors of the Moire ring top pens, which seemed worth a post to summarize these pens. I also have two slightly larger moire geometric pens posted here.

 

Ads place these along with the 1920s colored pens (142 series), and they have the classic 1920s flat top style.

 

The ends of the barrels are stamped (but not always as usual). Only my Coral pen is not stamped.

N/92 = Nile Green

F/92 = fuchsia

C/92 = coral

B/92 = blue

M/92 = Ivory (my pen below has a green discoloration. The coral pen shows the ivory color better)

L/92 = Lavender

I have not seen ads with the M/92 color, so I will continue the name used by Moak.

The pens are about 3 7/8 inches capped (give or take). They post to a usable size. Swan #2 nibs were found in all my examples.

The Ivory and Coral are mirror image color patterned

The blue band on the fuchsia is a lapis style blue with white fleck.

The lavender seems prone to fading to gray (I showed the good side of my pen).

The Ivory seems prone to discoloration or staining based on the dark staining of the pen in the Moak book, and the green tint on my pen (which had other green stains on the outside that I sanded off).

Edited April 14, 2019 by Greenie

[ralfstc]

Wow, they are fabulous aren't they! Designed to be more jewellery like than a BHR pen on a pendant chain, perhaps? Great job getting them together.

 

I love when people on FPN pull off projects like this, that would just baffle most of the world. But not here!

 

Are they US production?

 

Ralf

[Cob]

Splendid Greenie; to find one of those with the price label after about 90 years is amazing!

 

Cob

[SomersetSwan]

Hi Greenie,

 

Here is an Ad I have that shows some with pricing

 

Regards,

Somerset Swan

Edited April 15, 2019 by SomersetSwan

[CS388]

I have no idea how you managed to get such a collection together. Very well done! They look amazing, so bright and colourful. And to have one with a price sticker is astonishing - takes you right back to the day, when they were new and shiny in the shop!

 

Great pens and wonderful to see the set together.

Thanks for sharing.

[Greenie]

Hi Greenie,

 

Here is an Ad I have that shows some with pricing

 

Regards,

Somerset Swan

 

So I posted a very similar ad in the other thread. But yours has additional text next to the pens with model numbers. Very interesting. It lists what appears to be model numbers using a different system than is cited in the Moak book and different from all the New York Moire pens I collected.

 

The pens in your ad are labeled 292/XX like many of the 20's English ring tops in the 142 and 242 series..

 

Does anyone have English Moire ring tops to see how they are stamped (if stamped at all)?

[Wardok]

In the April 2018 thread I said that my blue one was stamped 192/94 with the others having the letter code like yours.

[Greenie]

In the April 2018 thread I said that my blue one was stamped 192/94 with the others having the letter code like yours.

 

I missed that part! Thanks. Interesting. I see that you also listed the numeric color codes based on a Hull article (and also seen in the ad above)

 

unclear difference between 192/xx and 292/xx

(just as 142/xx and 242/xx colored pens are quite similar - mine are all marked 142/xx, but the ad shows 242/xx, so I am not sure of the difference - but that is best for another thread - so start a new thread if you want to discuss this!!!!)

 

Thanks to Wardock! And SomersetSwan!

 

NUMERIC MOIRE PEN CODES BASED ON ACTUAL PEN, HULL ARTICLE, AND AD ABOVE

Prefix 192/ vs 292/

color codes of moire

/90 green moire

/91 coral moire

/92 lavender moire

/93 fuschia moire

/94 Blue Moire

/95 Ivory moire

 

My pens all have Swan 2 14 Ct, or just Swan 14 Ct nibs. Some go on to say "made in...." but I don't plan to pull them, since the "Ct" is consistent with English nibs.

The barrels when marked say "Swan Pen Pat may 21, 18". I could not easily find the patent being referred to. Interesting that the same patent is on the pen with the 192/94 code. So the difference might not be a NY vs English production issue.

Edited April 16, 2019 by Greenie

[Inkysloth]

Those are gorgeous!

 

Are they celluloid or casein?

[PAKMAN]

Oh my! Beautiful collection, Congrats!!

[Greenie]

Those are gorgeous!

 

Are they celluloid or casein?

 

Celluloid.

[Marlow]

Such a stunning collection! Congrats!

I only have the blue one as it's the only one I've ever seen for sale!