Late thirties Blackbirds of this type are common; the red marbled ones not so much. Paul, who kindly gave me these photos tells me this is only his second after many years of restoring Mabie Todd pens. This one is a little faded but still outstandingly attractive.
Must have been gorgeous when new – pretty fine looking even now.
For “a tool” – something that is used, not just looked at – it amazes me how well some of these older pens hold up. A sign of quality materials and manufacture/design I suppose…
Those red marbled ones do stand out. There’s really no difference in quality between Swans and Blackbirds. The nibs are thinner and sometimes shorter – that’s all. Another step down to the Jackdaw and the quality difference begins to show.