There are so many Swans that have no model number.  Most are no mystery and you can easily work out what they are; others are more difficult to fit into the Swan range.

When I saw this pen in ebay in somewhat scruffy unrestored condition, I took it to be a Swan Minor No 2.  Both are long, quite slender pens with a handsome fixed clip, but there the resemblance ends.  The Swan Minors I have seen are engine chased, this one is smooth.  Minors have a black hard rubber lever, this pen has the long gold plated lever that you see on the SF2.  The Minor is 13.5cm capped, this pen is 14cm.

So what is it?  It isn’t an SF2 barrel mated with a later cap because the shape of the barrel is wrong.  In any case, there’s no indication this pen is made from bits.  Both cap an barrel are without any fading and the level of wear is very slight and the same on both parts.  I would say that it’s entirely original.  I don’t have a clue what it is.  Taking all its parts, it seems to fall between the SF2s and the Swan Minor 2s, taking part of the style of each.  Any ideas?

It’s a gorgeous pen, long but not unbalanced, and the nib is a medium with appreciable flexibility.