Another Candy Striped Kingswood

I’ve written about these hatched?  candy striped? Kingswoods before but they’re charming pens and always worth another look.  For anyone who has seen Valentines of the same period there can be no doubt who made the Kingswoods.  Strangely, though, while the Valentines tend to delaminate or crack if you give them a harsh look, the Kingswoods seem more robust.  Or at least that’s my experience.

This one began life the colour of its cap and a decomposing sac changed the barrel.  However, as faded pens go, this one is quite beautiful.  When you think of the muddy colour that faded jade is reduced to, this doesn’t seem too bad at all.

Eversharp Kingswoods are long overdue a re-evaluation.  They’re sturdy pens, often colourful, with great nibs.  The company’s British presence is obviously overshadowed by its American parent but Eversharp and Eversharp Kingswood pens were produced here for forty years and form a part of British fountain pen history.