Early fountain pens or writing instruments were often works of fine craftsmanship. They were designed to be treasured and passed from generation to generation. A fountain pen was a personal article that expressed not only warm and friendly thoughts but a writers unique personality and social status. It was not until the early 1920s that fountain pen improvements not only gained in popularity but also in reliability. There was a real boom in fountain pens production during the 1920s and 1930s. However the Great Depression gradually forced many manufacturers cut back production or to close their doors. After World War 11 fountain pen manufacturers started a slow recovery. During the 1950s and 1960s collectors began looking for vintage pens which started a great comeback for fountain pen manufacturers. Today, a high quality restored vintage fountain pen demands a high price. So who were some of these early fountain pen manufacturers? The leading maker of fountain pens in the United States was Lewis E. Waterman who started the Ideal Pen Company in 1884. This company enjoyed great success and by the 1920s was selling millions of pens a year. Modern Waterman fountain pens are high in style, quality and very reasonable priced. George Parker built his first pen in 1888 and by 1892 produced the Lucky Curve. Between 1900 and 1915 parker produced beautiful gold and silver pens. In 1921 the Duofold was introduced and by 1926 Parker started manufacturing celluloid pens. In the 1930s Parkers "arrow clip" was adopted and is still the symbol of Parker pens today. Walter A. Sheaffer designed a side lever filling mechanism in 1907 and by 1920 he was widely know. In 1920 he produced the lifetime series which was guaranteed for life. This pen became the status symbol of its day. Wahl-Eversharp was established as a U.S. fountain pen manufacturer in 1914. They initially only produced mechanical pencils but in 1917 they bought the Boston Fountain Pen Company and began producing fountain pens. They produced a wide variety of high quality fountain pens and pencils until 1957 when they were sold Parker. A few other popular U.S. fountain Pen manufacturers that no longer make pens are: A.A. Waterman (1897-1920), Conklin (1898-1938), Carter (1926-1933), Chilton (1923-1941), Esterbrook (1858-1971) and Security Pen (1920-1930). Waterman, Parker and Sheaffer have been around for at least 100 years. Find their new fountain pens and vintage fountain pens on eBay. |
