Old “Inky” Stephens, who began the famous company, was all about ink. There is no indication that he particularly cared about pens of any sort. He developed the famous Registrar’s Ink which was used for important documents for years. Though later generations opened the company up to other, related interests, Stephens was always primarily an ink manufacturer. Indeed, calligrapher’s ink in various colours is still made under the Stephens name.
The company’s reputation for reliable ink led to its great popularity and its use in many schools, banks and businesses. The company arranged writing lessons in schools, using dip pens. Though this may well have been intended to advertise its ink for use in schools, there was undoubtedly some concern that children be taught to write well.
Later still, by the nineteen thirties, those running the company saw the opportunity to expand into supplying fountain pens, rightly confident that there are good reputation would lead to strong pen sales.
I have had doubts in the past about the degree to which the Stephens company was involved in the production of the pens which bear their name, but now I have little doubt that there thirties and forties pens were entirely a Langs product. This black and grey marbled No 106 is an excellent example. The number refers to the price which in this case was ten shillings and sixpence. That is almost impossible to convert accurately into modern money but online converters suggest Ā£65 – Ā£70 which seems reasonable for a pen of this quality. Like all of Langs output at that time, the pen is in a traditional style with no attempt to modernise the appearance or mechanics. Like the Mentmore I wrote about recently it is in the style that had become the standard British pen.
Eighty years later, this pen remains in very good condition, almost as good as new. Langs pens were built to last. The gold plating has held up well, only showing wear on the clip. The warranted nib appears original. Restoration consisted only of sac replacement and cleaning. The pattern is attractive and these pens were good sellers at their various price points as is shown by how many are still around.
The thirties and forties may be regarded as the highlight of the pens that were produced for Stephens. Later, when Langs was gone and Stephens became involved with Waterman, pens were made for them in France, principally by JIF Waterman but also by some other French manufacturers. Quality was variable (though some very good pens were made) and their popularity fell away. These later pens are much less common. Eventually Stephens stopped selling gold-nib pens.
Stephens gave us some great pens, splendid writers in a wide variety of nib styles and of course their famous ink still turns up quite frequently in eBay. I have a huge bottle of their red ink probably from the sixties. I rarely write with red ink so I don’t suppose it will ever be used up.
Goodwriterspens's Blog 
Its funny, a few years ago I would have much preferred this Stephens to the Mentmore of your previous topic, but now I would opt for the crisp chasing and strong black colour of the Autoflow – although the nib on the 106 looks more interesting. My current user pen is a black Conway Stewart 58 which looks super smart, especially with the extra gold filled trim of the 3 cap bands on that model. Would it have looked even better had it been chased as well?
I suppose its a good thing that our tastes develop so we keep looking to buy new pens. I tell my wife that my pen accumulation is part of my pension so I hope people will still want to buy vintage pens when I am finally able to remove my nose from the grindstone. I must say I’m looking forward to being able to play with pens all day, but I don’t enjoy the selling part.
I agree with you. I find black hard rubber or celluloid with good chasing very attractive.
I’ve three 58s – black, blue and tigers eye, and agree their size makes for a good comparison with Auto-Flows and Diplomas, though my opinion would be that sometimes you can have too much bling and wouldn’t want machine decoration on my black 58.
Out of something like twenty black Mentmores of various models plus a single Spot pen in black, only three have chasing – most are still a reasonable depth of black with just one looking a bit brownish, so that’s obviously a hard rubber job. My own opinion is that if black is overdone on the shine it can appear a tad tawdry, so perhaps retaining a small degree of matt makes for a more conservative appearance.
My most prized Mentmore is a black job, no chasing, and a hefty monogram on the top of the clip screw – it has enough tipping material to sink the Bismarck – won it on ebay, from Italy, at around two in the morning.
There is the aspect of wear that affects chasing – it’s o.k. whilst it remains sharp, but it it’s worn then it can appear less than attractive.
I think if we’re blessed/cursed with the collector bug, it’s difficult parting with pens, but think I’d rather rely on H.M. Government for my pension – collectors can be fickly folk when it comes to buying – but if the idea convinces your oh to indulge you in collecting pens then obviously you’ve cracked it.
I tend to keep very quiet about what I’m buying:-):-)
It does spoil the pen if it’s over-polished. “Clean” is what I aim for.
sorry, forgot to get the word Stephens into my post – apologies for going off-topic. š
Hey Paul…. fickly folk ? š¤£ Fickle ? Finicky?
Oops…..’Stephens ‘. š
š you’re right – rushing again – it should have been ‘fickle’ – I appreciate being picked up on my grammar’.
Oh – Stephens !! š
What a delicious looking nib: I’d love to see a writing sample!
Sorry. I no longer have the pen.
I have one, it took me some time to figure out what pen it was. I don’t understand which material it is made of. The nib is identical to the one in the photos of this post. The colour is brown, at least it looks like it and it is stained by water marks, the cap of a darker brown and this too is engraved with wavy lines. I am planning to give a bit of shine by using a bit of Renaissance Wax. How can i polish the gold nib which is a bit oxidised ? And what about the metal trimming that is oxidised as well ? Not to mention the clip whici I think has lost its plating. Is it possible to remove the clip without braking the cap and if so how ? Sac ordered.
I think your pen must be faded black hard rubber. If you use the search box you’ll find posts about re-blacking. I would avoid Renaissance Wax – again, use the search. A jeweller’s rouge cloth will brighten up the metal. There are various polishes you can use on the BHR but they won’t restore original colour. The Novus 3-part polishes are good. To remove the clip, seal any holes in the cap with Blu Tack. Fill the cap with cold soapy water and leave for a day. Empty out and heat the cap next the clip ring to prevent cracking. A hair dryer will work – don’t overdo it. Then use section pliers to begin removing the clip screw.
Actually the barrell seems made of two colours, black where you screw the cap on and brown afterwards. Strange
That’s usual with BHR fading.
I see what you mean, I fill the cap with soapy water and wait 24 h. Thank you