Dearest David: when a common friend told me about your article, I couldn't rest my mind until I had the chance to read it! After I read it, and even though I do consider you an “expert” in old fountain pens namely Parker Vacumatic, I felt a deep emptyness, as if I had been invited to an elaborate meal by a “grand chef de cuisine” and had only been given an “amuse bouche”!
In the legend of the Diamond Medal and Webster brands (page 148) you say: “Hard fought knowledge now presented casually!” Where did you get that information? As you know, independently of owning the pens (and we don't own anything! We're only its curators while we live!) one of the great pleasures that we collectors have, is finding out what's beyond them – if it's either a brand, a manufacturer, or a single pen that has caught our attention due to an inscription: a name, a monogram, a dedicatory, a coat of arms , etc.
This way, my dear David, I invite you to share with us on my blog, all the information that you have by now, and where you found it. I give you several examples:
- At a given point you afirm: information about the Parker-Sears mid 1930's connection has been elucidated to a large degree during the last decade...hard fought knowledge now presented casually! How and where did you find this large degree information?
- Badge engineering is not a new phenomenom. These pens (diamond and webster) were made by Parker for Sears and were re badged under the diamond medal and webster labels! From what date? Bruce Webster wrote in his pencyclopedia that:
“(National Pen Products) a prolific pen manufacturer of medium to high grade fountain pens. National pen company used many different names. It has been said if you ordered 100 pens they would put any name you wanted on them. I believe they also bought up other pen companies for their names and/or machinery. They probably made more oversize flattop pens than any other company. In 1934 they owned the trademarks Lincoln, Gold Medal and Gold Crown (and probably more). They probably originated from the CE Barrett company which was at that adress in the 1920's. Gold bond was one of their higher quality pens. Gold medal was possibly sold to Parker or made pens with Parker patents later in the late 30's. The Lincoln pens were earlier than most of the other pens they produced and came in hard rubber. The good service oversize flattops were also made by them.”
He also said that: “Diamond Medal Fountain Pens were sold by Sears Roebuck. In the 1920's and partiallyinto the 30's they were made by National Pen Products of Chicago. They were not offered in any stores except Sears and National Pen Products was not able to sell these pens on their own. They were high quality lever fill pens in the 1920's and the early 1930's. They offered a full range of mens and ladies pens and even combos. They used top grade celluloid, good quality gold filled trim and 14k gold nibs. Since they were made by National Pen Products, you will find similar pens under other names such as Lincoln, Gold Medal and Gold Bond. Around 1936 they began having Parker Pen make some of their pens. These pens are a cross between the Vacumatic and Challenger lines having Vacumatic barrels, caps and fillers and Challenger style clips and clip retainers. See the listing on National Pen Products for more info”.
About Webster Fountain Pens: “there seems to have been 2 uses of the Webster name. There was a line of eyedropper fill pens sold by the Webster Pen Co 37-39 Maiden Lane NYC. This Webster seems to have been in business from 1903.1920. They made a pen called Daniel Webster. I believe that this company went bankrupt and the name was revived by Sears Roebuck on a line of fountain pens they sold in their catalogues in the 1920's and 30's.”
- Parker also produced some “Good Service” label pens for Sears, as well as the Fifth Avenue by Safford, a very low-priced line pen related to the Parkette line for Woolworths. The fifth Avenue pens I have may or may not have some similarities with the Parkette and I published in this blog 3 of them without any similarities! The resemblance of either the materials, or the shape of a few pens are not a strong enough argument to affirm that they have been manufactured by the same company! I give you the example of the Diamond Medal and the Monroe's with “stepped ends” and that have not relation among them whatsoever. Actually, John Roede himself, says in the article about the eclipse published in Pen World volume 19, #7, september 2006 that: “Monroe's gold design patent for stepped ends on barrel and cap worked wonders in the sales arena, jusging by the number of imitations/copies it spanned. Perhaps Klein and Gold could have kept the company going (Eclipse) if they had collected Royalties on every stepped end pen produced prior to 1944, when the patent expired. It is obvious that any patent is only as good as the owner's willingness to defend it from poachers. It's doubtful that Eclipse even had the finantial or intestinal strenght to go after those who infringed!
This way dear David, I invite you to share with the rest of us all the information that you posess, so that we can all take the conclusions that you did. Concluding, after this “amuse bouche”, please give us the rest of the meal!
A big hug from your friend:
Luiz Leite
STEPHEN'S barrel imprint
Three photos of a very nice and unsual Parker Royal Challenger desk set
Details of the barrel´s imprint on the " SILVER WEB " DIAMOND MEDAL
Hi Luiz,
Thanks for writing. Nice blog pictures.
Please note... I CANNOT find the place to put comments on your blog. I'm in airport on way home from Los Angeles Pen Show (had great time).
At least, I invite you to view our new Fountain Pen Board http://www.fountainpenboard.com DO join the group!
I have two threads exploring re-badged Parkers
This one is four pageshttp://fountainpenboard.com/forum/index.php?/topic/179-pics-o-the-gold-brick-funky-parkers-from-the-thoities
Thanks for writing. Nice blog pictures.
Please note... I CANNOT find the place to put comments on your blog. I'm in airport on way home from Los Angeles Pen Show (had great time).
At least, I invite you to view our new Fountain Pen Board http://www.fountainpenboard.com DO join the group!
I have two threads exploring re-badged Parkers
This one is four pageshttp://fountainpenboard.com/forum/index.php?/topic/179-pics-o-the-gold-brick-funky-parkers-from-the-thoities
Evidence for connection?
1) pen structure, features from Parker pens found on DM
2) Sears catalogue advertising that uses essentially exact Parker terms/jargon/verbiage/language
I do not have Parker memos proving connection, but circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.
Happy to post these points on your blog if you can tell me how to post there (I do not see text box).
regards : David
1) pen structure, features from Parker pens found on DM
2) Sears catalogue advertising that uses essentially exact Parker terms/jargon/verbiage/language
I do not have Parker memos proving connection, but circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.
Happy to post these points on your blog if you can tell me how to post there (I do not see text box).
regards : David
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