Here’s the restored Swan Minor SM2-57, which I posted about yesterday.


Both as a repairer and a writer, Swans are my first choice of pen, and of all the Swans, I like Minors, whether SM1 or SM2, best of all. They’re an adequate size and the design is very pleasing, with the flat-topped (or in this case very slightly domed) cap, the inserted clip and the hard rubber lever, which breaks up the line of the barrel much less than the usual metal one. And then there’s the nibs… Minors almost always have exceptional nibs. Far more often than in any other model, Minors have oblique, stub or very flexible nibs. Perhaps it was the real “writer’s pen” of the Swan range. I haven’t tested this pen yet, but it seems to be at least semi-flexible.


The pattern of this pen is very beautiful, with bronze and blue in different shades mixed with black. The colours are muted and there are quite large areas of each colour. Most unusual. I haven’t seen this pattern before.