Big Man

Did you ever see the dramatizations of Rex Stout's detective novels featuring Timothy Hutton as Archie Goodwin?  In "Death of a Doxy," Kari Matchett, playing a hipster nightclub chanteuse,

sees Nero Wolfe, played by that genius, Maury Chaykin, for the first time and breaks into a beatnik riff on the theme "Big Man."  Later, they bond over food, orchids, and imagination.

I couldn't help but think of that riff when I saw this Wahl Eversharp "75" pencil.  Big Man!

It's a hard rubber case with orange and black wood-grain pattern, called "mottled," by the company.  It was also available in plain red or black.  It has a gold-filled cap, clip, and point, with nickel tip.  The lead is big, too, really big.  The case is thick and hefty; length 5 & 1/4", width 3/8". Cost was $3.

The lead size gave this pencil its model name, the "75," for the .075 inch diameter lead.  It was offered by the Eversharp company between 1924 and probably 1928.  Before this their pencils had been all metal.  "Big Man" has the same cap and clip design as those earlier metal pencils.

But the hard rubber was new and bold.  The size of the pencil made it all the more impressive.
I bet folks seeing it for the first time said whatever was the 1924 equivalent of "Wow."

1925 ad for the "75" with Big Man in the margin

From Minneapolis

Rarely do mechanical pencils hail from Minneapolis, Minnesota.  My dad, from whom I apparently got my pencil gene, was from there, too.  I was interested to own one, just for that reason, but also I like these small metal ring tops.

This a lady's pencil, gold-filled, delicately chased, and elegantly shaped with six sides.  It was made by The Henber Company.  It is 4 & 1/4 inches long, uses 1.1mm lead, and has a unique rear-drive screw mechanism.  It is marked HENBER, Gold Filled, Pat. Pend.  There is an engraver's space, but no name or initials.  The Henber Company was headquartered in a brick multi-story building near the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis.  They appear to have been in business from about 1920 to 1925, but there is very little information about them available.  As far as I have been able to discover, they only made metal mechanical pencils, not pens.

Henber's gimmick was to run contests and give away prizes, for example, in this 1922 ad, $1,000 or a 1923 Buick.  A drawing was printed above the ad, and the contest was to find all objects in the picture whose name began with S.

Henber shows their sterling silver pencils in this ad, a ring top and a larger pencil with clip, with swag design tooled in the metal. In the ad they also mention their gold-filled pencils.  You could buy the sterling pencils two for $3, or a gold-filled pencil for $3.  The ad seems to imply that a gent's gold-filled pencil was also available.

As the ad says, you'll never win unless you try, but to qualify, you have to buy a pencil first.
No problem!

His and Hers Thorobreds

Happily married people want all their friends and family to have the same good fortune, and I suppose that also applies to our collections--we want pleasant companions for our esteemed objects.  It's a delight when you can make a pair, and I'm not just talking card games.  So I was pleased to unite two Waterman Thorobred pencils recently.  One is a full-size man's pencil while the other is the more petite ladies' version.  Some say that the ladies version is rightly called a 92V, possibly for vest pocket size.  But we know Waterman's catered to women, and, indeed, were inspired by them.  (See blog Inspired By Women ) I prefer to call it a lady's Thorobred.

Here is the full-size Thorobred.  A nose-drive mechanism advances the 1.1 mm lead.  The cap hides an eraser and holds the ball-end clip, which says Watermans. On the opposite side from the clip is the incised mark, "Waterman's, Reg US Pat Off, Made in USA." The golden brown celluloid is shot through with red veins, and at the tip is a plain black.  It measures 5 & 3/8 inches.

This beautiful color, called Gold in the catalogs of the time, is a first for my group of Watermans.

So is the gorgeous blue/bronze color of the lady's pencil.  It has the same nose-drive mechanism.  It also has gold trim. The distinctive clip marks it as a Thorobred, and it also has an eraser under the cap.  It is 4 & 1/4 inches, and uses 1.1 mm lead. The cap carries the same inscription, Waterman's, Reg US Pat Off, Made in USA.  Just like the Patrician pencil and the smaller Lady Patricia, they are similar, but not exactly alike. They date from the mid-1930s to 1939, the year Waterman's introduced the 100 Year models.

Don't they make a lovely couple?

Pencil Sketch--Margam Abbey Cross

Port Talbot, Wales
Margam Abbey website

Waterman Ringtop

Ladies' metal ringtops are a favorite of mine, I like their petite size and attractive designs.  This is the first Waterman's ladies' ringtop I have had.  It was produced early in Waterman's history, about 1922 or so, and is 3 & 3/4 inches, an average size for a ladies' ringtop.  The tip is black celluloid while the barrel and cap are (probably) plated gold over brass.

Most have a bell-top or column-capital shape, but this Waterman's has a perfectly straight top as its cap--quite modern-looking.  The pencil holds a fairly short lead of 1.1mm, in the nose-drive mechanism. There's no eraser inside, but there is room for spare leads.

WATERMAN'S is marked on the band below the cap, while MADE IN USA is on the lower band above the black tip.

The checked design alternates with plain vertical bands.   It has an engraver's space, and is engraved "MARY" in caps with shadow lettering.

In about 1922, Mary was the most popular name for a girl or woman in the USA.  Dorothy, Helen, and Edith were 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.  Would you take a guess about the popular men's/boys' names?

1. Robert, 2. John, 3. James, and 4. William. How times have changed!  In the 2010s to be cutting edge, you should be named Sophia, Isabella, Olivia, and Emma; Aiden, Jacob, Jackson, and Ethan.

To place the Waterman's in context with other ringtops, here it is with more or less contemporary pencils, all meant to be worn on a ribbon, sautoir, or fob.  

Above:  Waterman, Ingersoll, Superite, Wahl Eversharp, Wahl Eversharp, Sheaffer, Artpoint.

I have searched in vain for a photo of a woman wearing her ringtop pencil.  Brooches, watches, lockets--yes.  Pencils--no.  Maybe it simply was not the done thing to wear a pencil, or even a fountain pen, while having your photo taken.

Mabel McGovern Ablett, my grandmother

Grandmother's sautoir

Pencil Sketch--Doorty High Cross, Kilfenora, Co. Clare

St. Antony with good and evil on his shoulders.

Mom's "Office Girl" Pencils

Just out of high school, my mother became a Teamster.  She worked as a secretary and pay-master for a local Teamster's union and, as such, needed to be a union member. The boss thought so highly of her that he had a window installed in her office, right through the solid brick wall.  Imagine her surprise when a face appeared in the new opening, and it was a well-known neighborhood kid, now a mason and her window-installer.  "What are you DOING here, Tony?" he asked.  "I work here, what are YOU doing?" she replied.

 

Mom's favorite class in high school was typing, and she learned shorthand, filing, bookkeeping, and other office skills, as well as how to operate a switchboard and dictaphone.

1951 advertisement

She continued as a secretary, helping put Dad through college and seminary, later working for a seldom-seen bishop who left his dictaphone cylinders on her desk.  Instead of Tony, her nickname now reflected her married status--it was "Mrs. New-Girl."  Women office workers were all known as "girls," but only the youngest male officer workers were "office boys."  What can I tell you?  That was then.

One of the favorite pencils of office professionals was something new and clever, the STIK.  This skinny little mechanical pencil was magnetized to stick to any metal surface, available quickly to make a note.  Filing cabinets, desks, typing tables, and other office paraphernalia were made of metal then.  Mom had two STIKs, a metal one and a celluloid (or plastic) and metal one.

They are nose drive pencils with 0.9 mm lead and a miniscule eraser inside each when you pull the tops off.  The STIK patent number is on the brown one with the knob top, while the all-metal one says USA, STIK on the clip and has the same patent number (2508075) and Made in USA on the side.  It was the patent of one Owen Morris of New York, applied for in 1949 and issued in 1951. Apparently Mr. Morris thought it would be great for sticking to the dashboard of a car as well as to the side of a filing cabinet.  Imagine, dashboards made of metal!

This small, simple, but attractive pin-on fob with slim, three-inch nose-drive pencil also went to the office with Mom back then.  The fob has the same pin mechanism as the Beckhard Line FLIP, but is unmarked, as is the pencil.  (See the blog:  NOT a Ketchem & McDougall )

In addition to the STIK pencils, Mom also used her Iowa-made Sheaffer Skripsert pen and pencil set in blue with chrome caps.  The pen has a stainless steel nib.  The Sheaffer ink cartridges of today are still a perfect fit.  And Mom still loves blue.

For more about this model see the blog: Skripsert Pencil

Pencil Sketch--Large Basket

Middle-to-Late Thirties & Forties Watermans

No self-respecting advertising firm would agree to a product name like the 92 pen and 91 pencil!  *Yawn* Yet that's what Waterman's called them.  The riveted ball clip is key to identifying these mid-to-late 1930s marble pencils.  They are nose-drive operated, using 1.1mm lead, 5 inches long, and have an eraser inside, plus room for extra leads.

The mark reads:  Waterman's, Reg US Pat Off, Made in USA

They have a simple band, no grip on the nose, and jewel-less flat tops. Here is a 91 with the 92 pen.

With thanks to Peyton Street Pens for this image.

About this time, before WWII broke out, Waterman's began making pens in England, taking over the Falcon Pen Works in Neasden, in NW London.  There they made the Pittman Shorthand Pen and a pen called "Unique."  In 1946, after the war, Waterman's moved to Finsbury Park, North London (yes, the same place a deranged van driver ran headlong into pedestrians in June, 2017).  There, as Waterman Pen Company, Ltd., they made virtually the same products the company was making in the USA, like the Commando.

Here is a green striated Commando from across the pond.

It has a lovely decorated band, and a bit different clip.  The clip is attached in a totally different way, with a little cut-out for the edge of the clip to rest in, and a taller washer.  It is a nose-drive pencil using 1.1mm lead. At 4.25 inches, it is smaller than my gold striated lady's Commando by 1/4 inch.

American Commandos with their British cousin.

It has an eraser inside, arranged in the same way as the Waterman 91 pencil.

The imprint says "Waterman's, Made in England."  The small A s are in italics, like this Waterman's ad, which was printed in London in 1949.  It does include the word pencils, I noticed.

Thanks to Anonymous for this image.

The matching pen was the Waterman W5 made in England. It is said that the English Waterman's continued to make pens into the 1970s.  But couldn't they have named them a little more creatively?
W5 sounds like a postal code.  Right up there with 92/91!  Tut, tut.