Mabie Todd Swan York Solid Gold Fountain Pen 1920. 14C M Flex Nib. RARE
Item History & Price
Made in New York, USA. 1918-22. What a beautiful pen this is. The Chevron design is timeless elegance personified. It i...s made of Solid 9K Rose Gold (Red Gold). Rose Gold of this era is a uniquely pastel gold that is not so bright or garish. Very similar to Yellow 9K for its pale tone. However when you put side by side you see the colour difference quite clearly even though subtle. 9CT Rose Gold is the exact same Gold content as Yellow 9CT only a touch of Copper is added to the mix. 9K is the perfect Gold for Pens. It is much harder and more scratch resistant than the softer 14K and much softer still 18k etc. Yet it holds its colour forever just the same and does not tarnish. 9K or 9Ct is a uniquely English Gold as although this pen was made in New York it was then shipped to London, England for sale. During and for a few years after WW1 the Swan New York factory made pens for London. Uniquely at this time import export tax between England and the USA were relaxed to aid war effort and recovery after. By 1922 Gold was no longer exempt for import export and so this pen has to date 1918-22. Otherwise it would have been to expensive to import to England after 1922. The pen has no Cracks, Splits or Scratches etc. The Cartouche (Name Plate) is blank but looks to have been polished so might have had light initials or name engraved in the past? I only noticed after I took these photographs and I have had it in my collection for years so not an obvious restoration. Other than this the pen is MINT. The Swan Mabie Todd New York Made in USA Barrel imprints are found at the bottom of the pen. They are still deep and easy to read. Ultra rare to find these imprints still so clean. They OFTEN get worn away or scratched by the cap being posted on the tail end ready for writing. The dome top and bottom of the pen are dent free also. Rare.
The pen is Hallmarked 9CT on each separate piece of the pen. Even the Lever is solid Gold which is unique to these New York examples. London pens made of 9K often had Gold plated levers. All Swan levers of this period are generally Gold plated and prone to plate loss and brassing. So its wonderful to have a solid gold Swan lever that will never Brass or suffer Plate loss etc. The pen has just been fitted with a new Ink Sac. It works and writes superb. The original New York Nib is very creative to write with. It is Flat Tip Italic Cursive so has Extra Fine line side stroke and Bold Medium line down stroke. It also has great flexibility that allows for even more line width variation on the down stroke when varying levels of pressure is applied. It can flex from Fine all the way to Double Broad. Makes for beautiful lines. Very creative nib. Beautiful pen.
Comes ready to write just add your favorite colour bottled ink... Perfect as a gift or treat yourself to a wonderful collectible fountain pen that can be used and enjoyed daily... Please view all the Photographs they form large part of the description. All photographs are of actual pen. What you see is everything you receive. Any boxes or papers will ALWAYS be photographed if included. If you have any questions please feel free to email. 100% money back authenticity guaranteed throughout. Bid with confidence.Shipping costs etc, UK, £5. Worldwide add: Insured Registered Express delivery: Worldwide $15.00, Europe £10.00. Combined shipping is available with zero extra shipping cost in most cases. Email for quote. Fed Ex is also available.. Preferred payment: Paypal, Bank wire transfer, Bank draft & UK(only) personal cheque. Buyer pays any costs etc. PLEASE VIEW MY OTHER ITEMS MORE PENS, Montblanc, Onoto, Conway Stewart, Parker, Waterman, Mabie Todd Swan, Sheaffer, Dunhill etc..