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Esterbrooks.....
Mar. 22nd, 2011 09:43 pmEsterbrooks were the Volkswagens ('volkstift'?) of the fountain pen world.
Richard Esterbrook came from Cornwall to New Jersey in the late 1850s and set up a company to make steel nibs for pens. By the 1920s the Esterbrook pen company was producing good quality pens using lower end materials (i.e. steel nibs instead of gold) making them more affordable for the common man. Moreover, the nibs would easily interchangeable, the whole feed and nib assembly simply unscrewing from the pen and a substitute nib screwed back in. It was common for an individual to get an assortment of nibs, for an assortment of tasks. One might get a fine firm nib for bookkeeping entries, a flexible broad nib for calligraphy, and a medium, semi-flexible for taking shorthand. In short, for a few pennies more than the cost of a single pen, one could functionally have over a dozen different pens designed for different tasks.
Below, are an assortment of Esterbrooks which span 15 years. The black pen with the pocket clip with two holes in it is one of the well-known "dollar pens", this one dating from 1938. The other black pen brings up the rear in 1953, this one sporting an Indianhead logo embossed on its side.
Below, once again is the flat bottomed "dollar pen", alongside three transitional J models from 1944. These can be differentiated from standard J models (1948 and beyond) by the presence of a "jewel" or "tazzie" on the bottom of the barrel& not just on the top of the cap. Also, the jewels on the transitional models had a different embossed pattern than the standard J models that followed. In the early 1950s the company also introduced a slimline J model, which were also available in different lengths.
Prices on these pens back in the 40's were just a few bucks with extra nibs costing pocket change. Today, you can come by one of these at auction for $25-30, half that if you're lucky.
Richard Esterbrook came from Cornwall to New Jersey in the late 1850s and set up a company to make steel nibs for pens. By the 1920s the Esterbrook pen company was producing good quality pens using lower end materials (i.e. steel nibs instead of gold) making them more affordable for the common man. Moreover, the nibs would easily interchangeable, the whole feed and nib assembly simply unscrewing from the pen and a substitute nib screwed back in. It was common for an individual to get an assortment of nibs, for an assortment of tasks. One might get a fine firm nib for bookkeeping entries, a flexible broad nib for calligraphy, and a medium, semi-flexible for taking shorthand. In short, for a few pennies more than the cost of a single pen, one could functionally have over a dozen different pens designed for different tasks.
Below, are an assortment of Esterbrooks which span 15 years. The black pen with the pocket clip with two holes in it is one of the well-known "dollar pens", this one dating from 1938. The other black pen brings up the rear in 1953, this one sporting an Indianhead logo embossed on its side.
Below, once again is the flat bottomed "dollar pen", alongside three transitional J models from 1944. These can be differentiated from standard J models (1948 and beyond) by the presence of a "jewel" or "tazzie" on the bottom of the barrel& not just on the top of the cap. Also, the jewels on the transitional models had a different embossed pattern than the standard J models that followed. In the early 1950s the company also introduced a slimline J model, which were also available in different lengths.
Prices on these pens back in the 40's were just a few bucks with extra nibs costing pocket change. Today, you can come by one of these at auction for $25-30, half that if you're lucky.
