Isn’t that a beautiful thing?
It’s an early No 3 Swan nib – quite how early I can’t say at the moment, though I expect research will turn up a ball-park date eventually. No breather hole. It’ll be interesting to see how well that works when I get a pen to fit it in. It’s also very flexible, expanding from fine to triple broad at a touch.
The nib turned up on its own in eBay a few months ago. Bidding was hot and fast at the end and I paid nearly £40.00 for it, and was glad to get it at that price. I just need the rest of the pen now…
Actually, in a way, I won’t be especially aggrieved if I never find a pen for it. It’s such a jewel on its own, wonderfully evocative of an early stage in fountain pen development. It’s an inch-long masterpiece.
Goodwriterspens's Blog 
This looks suspiciously like a dip pen nib. I have several nibs that look just like this that I picked up in local antique stores/flea markets and so forth. Most are Aiken-Lambert but I have one nice Swan as well. They are beautiful to look at and even more fun to write with. It should have an area beneath the tines that shows a different texture so the ink will adhere to it better after dipping and until the capillary flow draws it between the tines. Happy writing!
Hi Dave,
You may well be right. I’ve seem similar things too.
Regards,
Deb