Macniven & Cameron are well known as the leading Scottish manufacturers of dip pen nibs and fountain pens. Actually there is a quibble with both these statements. Most of the nibs issued under their name were made in Birmingham and many were made for them by other nib manufacturing companies. Did they ever have a […]
This little disc has been in my desk drawer for years. I’ve always had an interest in all things Macniven & Cameron and I must have snapped it up either from eBay or a junk shop. It’s a watch fob, I suppose, and it appears to commemorate George IV. It certainly wasn’t made during his […]
Several years ago the market was suddenly flooded with black chased Macniven and Cameron eyedropper fillers. Boxed, and with an eyedropper that still worked, these pens were clearly New Old Stock. The story – or at least one of them – was, so far as I remember, that a crate of these pens was found […]
Plagiarism has always been rife in the fountain pen industry. Sometimes it was mere emulation, but often the copying was close enough to lead to litigation. Perhaps no pen gave rise to as many copies as the Parker Duofold, both in the USA and abroad. Here’s a strange example: This is a Macniven and Cameron […]
Despite its price the Duofold was such an immense success that every pen manufacturer wanted to make one and every writer wanted to own one. There was honest influence in the appearance of many subsequent pens. Also, there were some in the US and elsewhere that were shameless copies. I remember a beautiful Lapis lazuli […]
Small, old things do catch the eye and are perfect for collection: fountain pens – of course – watches, pocket and pen knives, snuff boxes, treen, thimbles, the list goes on. I confess to a fondness for many of those things. I have more pocket knives than I can use and there’s a lot of […]
I’m still playing with the dip pen. Some of my correspondents have had to put up with my scratches and scrawls and have been kind enough not to complain. I flatter myself I’m getting better – perhaps a little. I had confined myself to the Esterbrook Relief nib which seems to make the most of […]
Some among us fountain pen users take the matter very seriously and regard the use of a ballpoint as a form of treachery. What, then, do we think about using the earlier technology, the dip pen? Am I now a miserable traitor to the fountain pen cause because I have dipped into dip pen use? […]
According to the box this is the Swan Standard Fountpen, a name that harks back to an earlier era. The paperwork describes it as the Safety Screw Cap type – that’s a blast from the past! The barrel imprint calls it the Swan Safety Pen. Despite all the historic references I believe it’s a late […]
If I had my way I would only deal in British pens made before World War II. Perhaps the odd American or German pen but predominantly British. It can’t be done now but ten years ago I could have worked that way. How many prewar Swans do you see these days, waiting to be snapped […]
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