Nib: Fine 14k Gold H147
Swan Leverless Pen, Imprint: Phillips, 14ct, Oxford Made in England ( not the original nib)
Black with G/F trim. wide band. Barrel Imprint: Swan Leverless Pen Patent No. 390585/32 Trade mark "Swan imprint"capped: 5 1/4 inches
Condition *Clip & Cap Band has brassing, ** small chip of cap end
Mabie Todd's flagship pen was the Swan Leverless, which used an elegantly simple twist-filling mechanism, patented in 1932.
The sac was compressed by being wrung out by an internal entangling bar, attached to a knob at the end of the barrel. Turning the knob counterclockwise emptied the sac; turning it back clockwise then allowed the sac to straighten out and fill.
1873 The company was reformed as Mabie Todd and Bard, and continued to offer a wide range of top quality pens, pencils, and accessories of innovative design. ... 1890s Production of Swan fountain pens appears to have begun by 1890; Swan overlay eyedroppers were among the most beautiful and ornate pens of their era.
*For more of the story order Back issues of Pen World Mag.
Nov./Dec. 1997 Vol.11. No.2