Beautiful German Mystery Button Filler From The 1930S - Any Idea?

[OMASsimo]

A while back I bought a pretty German button filler for a song and by now I restored it completely. Material seems to be a "red and pearl swirl" celluloid well-known in the 1930s. The imprint reads

 

JUWEL

Carl Klipperl Frankfurt a/M

 

I could not find any info on this pen. But there was an early German manufacturer, first called Anglo-Amer and later International from the 1920s on which produced a pen with a model name "Juwel". That's the closest I can get.

 

The construction points to the 1930s. Button fillers were rather uncommon in Germany after the piston filler was introduced in 1929. Colourful celluloid was mostly produced for export during that time. The feed is very plain without fins and rather thin. The imprint on the nib reads "WARRANTED / 14car / 1ST Quality" also common in the 1930s for imported nibs from England or the US.

 

Does anyone here know something about it? Any info is highly appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 26, 2019 by OMASsimo

[Bo Bo Olson]

Osmia made button fillers in the '30's. One either had to come up with a patent free piston, or pay Pelikan....MB&Soennecken I believe were still lever pens or Safety Pens before Pelikan dragged them screaming and kicking into modern times.

 

But it is a fine looking pen, and I of course know much less than you.

Try contacting Thomas/Kaweco.

[OMASsimo]

 

[7is]

Hello OMAssimo, such a nice find!

 

I'm not convinced that the pen was made by National (earlier Anglo-Amer, later also Swiss Global). It's true that there was National Juwel, but also there was Kaha Jewel and the name was likely used by others. I've never stumbled upon button fillers by National, but I admit I'm not a specialist. However, there are three other details which separate this pen from regular National output: rather unfamiliar shape of the section, the type of feed not used by National and the lack of the specific leafy clip, somehow similar to that of Melbi.

 

The nib seems of German origin but I wouldn't exlude some Dutch producer, especially that there was one called Juweel.

 

The celluloid seems familiar but I can't remember now where I've seen it.

 

Regards

[OMASsimo]

  On 5/26/2019 at 8:30 PM, Bo Bo Olson said:

Osmia made button fillers in the '30's. One either had to come up with a patent free piston, or pay Pelikan....MB&Soennecken I believe were still lever pens or Safety Pens before Pelikan dragged them screaming and kicking into modern times.

 

But it is a fine looking pen, and I of course know much less than you.

Try contacting Thomas/Kaweco.

 

Thank you for your input. I know that Osmia made button fillers but I don't have one in my collection. I do have a Kaweco Special, which is a button filler, see below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I kind of think that Montblanc never went into lever fillers but used button fillers instead. For their quality models they favoured what was called "Stoßfüller", which is a button filler with a special mechanism so that the blind cap doesn't need to be removed. Instead, it is unlocked and then you just push down the blind cap to act on the pressure bar. Unfortunately, I don't have one in my collection and haven't even seen one in person. Seems to be a very elusive species.

 

Soennecken made both lever and button fillers as far as I know. So did Angloamer/National according to the little info I could find.

 

  On 5/26/2019 at 10:16 PM, 7is said:

Hello OMAssimo, such a nice find!

 

I'm not convinced that the pen was made by National (earlier Anglo-Amer, later also Swiss Global). It's true that there was National Juwel, but also there was Kaha Jewel and the name was likely used by others. I've never stumbled upon button fillers by National, but I admit I'm not a specialist. However, there are three other details which separate this pen from regular National output: rather unfamiliar shape of the section, the type of feed not used by National and the lack of the specific leafy clip, somehow similar to that of Melbi.

 

The nib seems of German origin but I wouldn't exlude some Dutch producer, especially that there was one called Juweel.

 

The celluloid seems familiar but I can't remember now where I've seen it.

 

Regards

 

This is very intersting, indeed. And I share your scepticism whether or not my mystery pen was made by Angloamer/National. But the "JUWEL" imprint was at least a hint, also my assumed production time of the 1930s and that I thought that National (renamed in 1933 for obvious reasons as far as I recall) made button fillers during that time. But the latter might be incorrect.

 

So, the hypothesis next probable might be that the pen was made by a local jeweler, most likely Carl Klippel in Frankfurt. I couldn't find anything about this in the internet. But you mention something extremely interesting and I would like to learn more about this. What indicates to you that the nib is of German or Dutch origin? I only stumbled over the "14 car" but the "WARRANTED" and "1ST Quality" I'd consider typical for US or UK nibs of the period.

 

I've seen this celluloid material several times. For sure in German pens of the period but I think also in a number of UK pens. By the way, the blind cap, section, and cap screw/finial are all black hard rubber giving another hint that this pen was made in the 1930s. I smelled it on my fingers after using the pen for a day. This way I also found out that the pen still needs some work. It starves after about writing a page or two. I don't think it's the nib or feed. It could be a flow issue with the newly installed silicon sac. A #14 is rather thin in diameter and it could be that the ink doesn't flow freely within the sac. I'll have to see how to fix that.

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Omassimo, pg 220 (German translation of the '89 Lambrou book...might be on a different page in the English version in German is 1/3 longer than English when one buys the same book. English for me German for my wife.) shows a Heblefueller/lever filler from 1928, the rest on that page are all stossfuellers.....button fillers?'25 and one '38.

Next page has druckknoph another kind of button filler is my guess. Shows druckknoph and stossfueller and a safty pen in the mid '30's first piston pen shown was the 234 in 1936.

 

1929 also showed a Compressor filler.

 

pg 226 the hebelfueller/lever pen was mostly for export.In lever was more popular than eye dropping safety pens. (for very good reasons.....like fast, and clean.)

The Druckkknoph had Parker influence......well, I'm not going to look up Parker to find out what Lambrou is talking about.

 

Book said MB was one of the very last to go over to the piston, in 1935.

[OMASsimo]

You are absolutely right, Bo Bo. Your memory is much better than mine obviously. I don't care much for Montblanc and so it's a long time ago that I read Lambrou's chapter on MB in is excellent book. It only stuck in my mind that they made "Stoßfüller" before switching to piston fillers. In general, lever fillers never were popular in Germany and most companies made button or piston fillers or some other odd filling systems. Some smaller manufacturers made button fillers well into the 1950s.

[majorworks]

I can't be of any help in IDing your pen, but just wanted to say it looks great! Congrats on a nice find.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I'd say 90% of the time I learn more from you, than you from me, Omassimo.

stossfueller?

druckknoph (Button?)

One must be a button filler, the other a syringe filler. but which? Stoss sounds more like shove so could be a syringe filler.

[OMASsimo]

  On 5/31/2019 at 2:57 PM, majorworks said:

I can't be of any help in IDing your pen, but just wanted to say it looks great! Congrats on a nice find.

 

Thanks, and I totally agree. I'm positively surprised by the high quality. Most of these beautiful no-name pens of the period are rather poorly manufactured, though the standard parts from which they were assembled were OK. This one is slightly different and the unusual nib writes amazingly. I think the flow issue is gone by now after serious cleaning of the new sac. I really enjoy this pen.

[OMASsimo]

  On 5/31/2019 at 4:21 PM, Bo Bo Olson said:

I'd say 90% of the time I learn more from you, than you from me, Omassimo.

stossfueller?

druckknoph (Button?)

One must be a button filler, the other a syringe filler. but which? Stoss sounds more like shove so could be a syringe filler.

 

I learn something new every day. And I learned some really interesting stuff from your countless posts.

 

"Stoßfüller" is closely related to a button filler. The difference is that there is no real "blind cap" that you have to remove to get to the filling mechanism. You just unscrew a cap that is still attached to the pen. Then you push the cap down to engage the pressure bar and when you release the cap the ink is sucked up by the sac. A very clever design used in high quality pen.