Description:
- Name(s): Centennial Silver Fountain Pens
- Shape: #1 = Falcon with separate top reservoir. #3 = Straight with separate top reservoir
- Finishes: Gray, Black (Tar-coated)
- Tip: Pointed
- Prices: $2.00 per gross (1876, gray only), $1.50 per gross (1879, tar coated only)
Comments:
- Presumably made for the 1876 United States Centennial celebrations. Esterbrook had a significant display at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition.
- These were “fountain pens” which, at the time, meant that they have a reservoir attached to hold a bit more ink than normal pens. The picture above was sent to us by Jill Banwell. Thanks, Jill! These are the only known examples. As you can see, there is a No. 1, which is a Falcon shape, and a No. 3 which is a straight pen. The pen also came in a #2 which may have been another size or shape. We just don’t know.
- The reservoir is almost certainly made of aluminum. Reservoirs were in close proximity to ink and did not need the flexibility of steel, so were often made of brass or aluminum
- “Each pen has an Ink-Feeder attached, which will hold enough Ink to write a full page of Note-Paper. Put up in One-Twelfth Gross Boxes.” (1876)
- These pens originally came in gray. When we see them mentioned again in the 1879 price list, they are only available in tar-coated, which means they had a black finish. This helped to keep down corrosion, which may have been more necessary when you carried a greater amount of ink sitting against the pen for longer.
Other Images:
There are no images of them in the 1879 list as they are listed in an “other” kind of section.
References:
The existence of this pen is confirmed or surmised by the following:
- Listed in the 1876 Illustrated Price List of the Esterbrook Steel Pen Company, January 1, 1876; courtesy of The Hagley Museum and Library, Wilmington, Delaware; contributed by Andrew Midkiff
- Listed in the 1879 Trade Price List of the Esterbrook Steel Pen Company (The American Stationer, September 4, 1879) (Contributed by Andrew Midkiff)
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