Product Description
Type Vintage Lever-filling fountain pen
Product Name Unknown
Manufacturer and Year Sanford Mfg Co, USA - c. 1930s or 1940s
Length 5-1/2" long
Filling System Lever-filler. We have replaced the sac and it's working well.
Color Marbled blue and white. Stunning royal, sapphire, and navy blue with white veins. Gold-plated trim, including 2 cap bands and clip.
Nib Medium Semi-flex Warranted 14k nib. Lovely and smooth. Please see our writing sample below.
Condition Excellent condition. There is scratching all over, but no cracks or chips. The color is really beautiful and even, and there's no hint of yellowing in the white portions. There is brassing on the cap rings, and brassing and light plating wear on the clip. The engraving on the clip - a flower and leaves on a stem - is really beautiful. The imprint is somewhat worn, but still legible.
We don't know much about this pen or company. The Sanford Ink Company was established in 1857, and was known for inventing an "ink eraser" product, allowing people to correct writing mistakes in a neater fashion, without having to cross out the offending words. There is a fairly detailed history of the company here. It seems as though the ink, sealing wax, and mucilage production was their speciality, and perhaps they made pens on the side to help sell the ink? As time went on, Sanford went on to invent the Sharpie marker.