A Unique Dollar Pen: Any Thoughts?

[Bristol24]

I recently found this Esterbrook Model B Dollar Pen.  I bought the pen for $10 and should have taken "before" pictures so you could see what I was dealing with.

 

The Clip:  As purchased, the clip looked as though it was caked with ink.  It wasn't ink...it was corrosion.  Spending a lot of time in the ultrasonic improved things but, ultimately, I used a wad of "Never Dull" to clean up the clip.  At some point in the process it occurred to me that, "hey..the clip is supposed to be stainless steel.  What is this corrosion doing on stainless steel?" (I went to college).  I grabbed a magnet and tested the clip.  The magnet would support the weight of the entire cap from the top of the clip.  I tested my two other Dollar Pens...no magnetic attraction.  Discovering this caused me to initially postulate that this pen was from sometime during WWII.  It is my understanding that Esterbrook transitioned to plated steel furniture during the war and even dispensed with the cap ring.  But wait!  This pen has a cap ring and it is not of steel as it is not attracted to the magnet...and then there's the lever...

 

The Lever:  The lever appears to be stainless steel.  It also is not your typical Dollar Pen lever at all.  It is a lever like one would see on a J Series pen as it has the groove down its center.  Based on this, I have modified my theory and am now postulating that this pen is from either the early war years, before the  cap ring was eliminated or (more likely) the late war years when material restrictions were relaxed and during the time when the Dollar Pen was about to be phased out for the transition to the J Series.  I am not an Esterbrook collector and am not familiar with all of the variants out there.  At the present time, I own three SJs, an LJ, two Model Bs (including this one) and a Model H.  I would appreciate the input of those of you more familiar with Esterbrooks from the 1930s and 40s.  Oh...the nib is a "hard floor victim" 2886.  I have a replacement on the way here as I write this.

 

Cliff

[shalitha33]

Please note that I'm no esterbrook collector and doesn't have that many esterbrooks to check. I could be very very wrong.

I'm using two pens here, red one is a dollar pen and the green one is a J with a sunburst nib.



Cap from the dollar pen fits the J.



and the cap on the dollar pen has the band and can support its weight on a not-so-strong magnet.

 

Also note that the cap I have doesn't exactly match the style you have, nor does the barrel.

[Bristol24]

4 hours ago, shalitha33 said:

Also note that the cap I have doesn't exactly match the style you have, nor does the barrel.

Thank you for taking the time to check your clip with a magnet.  I must be missing something but it appears to me that, other than color, our Dollar Pen caps are the same. The magnetic attraction is (I'm guessing here) an indication that they both have clips made during the war when Esterbrook had to conserve strategic metals.  My other two Dollar Pen clips are truly stainless steel and are not responsive to a magnet.  I can't help but think that both of our Dollar Pens were made during the time the J was first being introduced.  Mine even has a J lever.  Your J appears to be a Transitional J.  I'm hoping a collector will chime in and enlighten us. 

 

Thanks,

 

Cliff

Edited October 21, 2022 by Bristol24
Edited for clarity of meaning.

[gweimer1]

I'll add to your confusion.  I recently restored a Dollar B pen, and found what appears to be brass underneath the plating of the clip.  I didn't think to check it with a magnet.  Your black Dollar B appears to be a marriage between a Dollar cap and a transitional J barrel.  Note the groove in the lever.  The Dollar pens had a smooth lever.  You can see that in the photo of the red and green pens above.  It makes sense that the same barrel was used for the Dollar and the transitional J pen.  It just lends itself more to being a truly transitional pen....you start by changing the cap, and then phase in the new barrel and cap revisions.  I'm also looking at the possibility that the J barrel length changed in the '50s when the LJ pens came out.

[Bristol24]

16 minutes ago, gweimer1 said:

I'll add to your confusion.

No.  Actually you added clarity.  Your assessment is as mine.  We know that during WWII certain strategic metals were rationed.  Stainless steel was certainly one of them and, at some point, so was brass (for ammunition cartridge cases).  We also know that the Dollar Pen ultimately had plated steel furniture and no cap band at the height of rationing.  There was also the early J twist filler which used even fewer metal parts (this was late in the war).  So, it makes sense to me that, at the close of the war, Esterbrook would have continued to use up existing parts like the plated steel clips, for example, and would not have just stopped production of the Dollar Pen until existing parts were exhausted.  If there were more caps than barrels, it would make sense to use a B cap with an early J barrel as you suggest.  Actually, I don't believe there is really any difference between a B barrel and an early, first edition J barrel other than the lever.  At any rate, I believe that you are correct.  I have happened on to a truly transitional Esterbrook.  I am curious as to what other Estie collectors might think about this.

 

Thanks,

 

Cliff