I’m quite familiar with gold and gold plated Swans but I’ve never had a Conway Stewart of this type. A correspondent sent me photographs of a pen he has recently acquired, asking if I can tell him anything about it. He believes it to be all metal, not overlay. I was able to track down some late thirties rolled gold Conway Stewarts, Nos 175, 275 and 775. None of them look quite the same as this pen though its shape suggests a similar date.
The owner of the pen (and I) will be grateful for any information you can provide.
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there is what appears to be an identical pen in Steve Hull’s book on the C.S. brand, although can’t see if that example has a cartouche on the barrel, as with this one.
There are two similar pens shown on page 185 – the difference being that one lacks the spiral patterning – the caption accompanying these two pens reads ……… “Two Conway Stewart RG pens with short levers, origin and date unknown (possibly USA, c1960).
Very nice pen by the way, and presumably uncommon.
Of the two ‘plating’ processes, RG generally has the lesser amount of gold content, and is produced, usually, based on a fused process, whereas GF has a greater gold content and is supposed to meet a higher standard of fineness. If these particular pens were made in the States, then we may not know the specifics of the gold content.
Not sure I understand the owners comments about – ” He believes it to be all metal, not overlay.” – am I wrong in suggesting that if we look inside the cap and barrel we will see the answer to this question?:-)
As regards the question of whether or not the pen is all metal, you’re right, of course, and perhaps the owner will clarify this for us.
The pictures on FPFTM p185 are of pens I used to own, and I know of a couple of others. I agree with Steve’s comment that they are of US origin, though I’d put them closer to 1950 than 1960. There is correspondence showing that CS were actively sourcing gold nibs from the USA in the late 1940s/early 50s (I have a nib for a No 60 pen marked 14k .585 , so presumably American, from the same era) and I believe these pens arrived in the UK at about the same time, possibly as a small batch for trial marketing. They may even have been supplied as component parts, assembly to be finished by CS themselves.
I seem to remember that they were unusual for CS in that the section is a screw fit.
Thank you for that, Andy – just what I was hoping for.
Having had a closer look at your pictures, it would seem that the ‘Gold Filled’ imprint that can be seen around the bottom of the barrel confirms the US origin. I did begin some research into an actual manufacturer but this was never completed.