Benedict, Barney & Co.

Also known as Benedict & Barney, the Syracuse, New York firm’s Gold Pen nibs are extremely rare.

The depicted Gold Pen nib and Silver Pen Holder are the only example I have seen.

The Silver Pen Holder is a Bagley Extension Pen Holder that was marked Benedict & Barney.

The Gold Pen nib is a wholesale to-the-trade obtained from Jean-Benoit Mallat. This nib is not composed of two gold strips like the Mallat 1842 nibs, however; the underside is the Mallat ink reservoir system. Note that this Gold Pen nib has a crack on the left side near the attachment point on the underside platinum/silver plate, and is likely the reason few , if any, other examples survived.

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W.S. Hicks and Mabie, Todd & Co.

A W.S. Hicks patent pen / pencil combo in pristine condition. The Nelson Goodyear May 6, 1851 patent, the Ryne/Hicks Dec. 24, 1867 patent, and Mabie, Todd & Co. marks are all three present on the outer pen case.

A William S. Hicks No. 5 D Gold Pen nib is present, and the box interior is marked J.E. Caldwell & Co. Philad.

Mabie, Todd & Co. often resold products by other makers, many of which were marked Mabie, Todd & Co. by agreement for resale purposes.

The background document is a Mabie, Todd & Bard, 130 Fulton Street, New York, repair receipt dated February 26, 1895.

Mabie, Todd & Co MAKERS

The Hicks combo boxtop is marked Mabie, Todd & Co. MAKERS NEW-YORK.

Hicks Combo Marks

The Goodyear ebonite is unexposed to light and all marks are crisp.

Prince’s Protean Fountain Pen

Protean Fountain Pen Gold Pen nib

Newell A. Prince was awarded patent number 13,995 December 25, 1855 for his Fountain Pen. The Protean Fountain Pen was advertised from 1855 until 1871.

Patent No. US2645206A awarded on July 14,1953 to Parker Pen Co. for a writing pen cited Prince’s Protean Fountain Pen patent as the pioneer patent for this fountain pen patent.

Thomas G. Stearns, one of the witnesses on the Prince patent, invested in the "Prince Protean Fountain Pen” along with John C. Clark. Although Mr. Prince retained but 1/16th of his interest in the invention, Mr. Stearns and John C. Clark, who was engaged in the manufacture of pencil cases in New York agreed to name the company Prince Pen Co. with Mr. Stearns as the manager.

Charles Goodyear’s brother Nelson had perfected his own vulcanized rubber invention. This was a hardened form of rubber from which the pen barrels were made, replacing the silver barrels which Mr. Prince had been using.

Mr John Soper Purdy of Brooklyn then entered the field. He was a penmaker in 1850, had been employed by the Prince Pen Company, and when promoted to the position of manager purchased the rights of the firm, including two other patents awarded in 1855 at a purchase price of $10,000. From the time he purchased the patents until 1879 a number of ideas intended to revolutionize the manufacture of fountain pens were tested. This resulted in Purdy achieving his own patent award May 3, 1904, for Patent No.758,934, for a fountain pen.

In an agreement with Mr. Goodyear, Purdy secured the exclusive use of vulcanized rubber for fountain pens by the payment of $1000 a year.

Patent No. 13,995 Drawing

Exhibiting not only the Prince Gold Pen nib the drawing continues the piston ink drawing mechanism first published as a novel

Gold Pen nib Superimposed

Prince’s Gold Pen nib was mounted in a Goodyear vulcanite pen holder specially designed for this Gold Pen nib.

The red circled device at Figure 1 C is described as a bead designed to “keep the pen from lifting too much in writing”, according to the patent specification detail.

Patent Specification and 2 Claims

The patent specification with claims highlights the Gold Pen nib ”bead” in Claim 1. Within the specification is a description how to mount the Gold Pen nib, specifying insertion in the pen holder 3/8ths of an inch.

January 23, 1855 Patent No. 12,301

The earlier Prince patent drawing exhibits a fountain pen concept that evolved to the later fountain pen patent.

Patent Specification

The patent specification with claims highlights the novel filling mechanism.

Reverend Newell Anderson Prince

The depicted Boston Globe story from September 6, 1908 provides insights into the man who invented the Protean Pen.

How to Fill the Pen

Note that no photo of the Goodyear pen holder could be located publicly available.

Protean Fountain Pen Testimonials

Note that both the January 23rd and December 25th patents are referenced as related to Prince’s Protean Fountain Pen.

Alexander Morton Patents

Patent Gold Pen Blank Roller Press

Alexander Morton was apprenticed under Albert G. Bagley and signed as a witness along with Houghton on Mr. Bagley’s pen & pencil case extension patent no. 6,891, awarded on January 1, 1850.

Morton began his own business as early as 1850. Morton’s Gold Pens began appearing in newspaper advertising in 1851 which continued until at least 1910.

Alexander Morton was awarded two patents for gold pen manufacturing innovations that resulted in mechanization of the gold rolling and hammering processes, resulting in uniformity and reduction of personnel.

Discussion of each patent

GOLD PENS WITHOUT CASES

For 26 cents, the Magic Pen: for 38 cents, the Lucky Pen; for 50 cents, the Always-Ready Pen; for 75 cents, the Elegant Pen; and for $1, the Excelsior Pen. These Pens are not numbered, but correspond in size to numbers 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, respectively.

THE SAME PENS IN SILVER-PLATED EXTENSION CASES, WITH PENCILS.

For 50 cents, the Magic Pen; for 75 cents, the Lucky Pen; for $1, the Always-Ready Pen for $1.25, the Elegant Pen; and for $1.50, the Excelsior Pen. These are well-finished, good-writing Gold Pens, with Iridosmin Points, the average wear of every one of which will far outlast a gross of the best Steel Pens.

Gold Pen Blank Making

Morton Patent No. 29,809, awarded August 28, 1860, for a Mechanized Gold Roller Press for Producing Gold Pen blanks, producing a more uniform Gold Pen blank.

The machine increased production while reducing payroll costs and time-to-market.

Early Gold Pen

Alexander Morton No. 1 Gold Pen nib.

The Trip Hammer

Morton Patent No.30,080, awarded September 18, 1860, for a Trip Hammer to hammer Gold Pen blanks in the finishing stages, resulting in fewer rejected Gold Pen blanks while reducing payroll costs and time-to-market for finished product.

As a result of the improvements in production quality and volume, Morton advertised and sold a cheaper line of Gold Pen nibs along with a classic Bagley pen/pencil extension case produced more cheaply from silver plated copper.