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The Century Pen Company


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#21 penguinmaster

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Posted 27 July 2010 - 01:35 AM

Glad to meet another Century enthusiast. The Fultz article is the best single source on the company. I believe, however, that Fultz was very wrong about the early years of the company (and have evidence to support my assertions). Also, Fultz missed that the thumb fillers are imprinted with a die maker's error, and the correct patent date is for Mooney's thumb filler. The library at UM-Whitewater has the papers of Nels Humphrey and minutes from the annual Board meeting for Century, so these are a great place to start if you want to learn about the company. I would also be happy to answer anyquestions that I can.


Dave


Dave,

Thanks for the welcome! I should clarify a bit of my statement about the Fultz article being everything. What I meant to say was the librarians I've chatted with at the library have told me the Fultz article has covered pretty much everything they have in the library so it would just be easier to read that, instead of digging through other stuff.

I have this weird dream that one of these days I'm just going to stumble on a box of Century stuff in some dusty corner of one of the buildings here. Hasn't happened yet! I suppose it would help if I put a WTB out to Whitewater and see if anyone bites out there! Who knows what's floating around in the houses!

-Tom



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#22 david i

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Posted 27 July 2010 - 04:56 AM

Dave,

Thanks for the welcome! I should clarify a bit of my statement about the Fultz article being everything. What I meant to say was the librarians I've chatted with at the library have told me the Fultz article has covered pretty much everything they have in the library so it would just be easier to read that, instead of digging through other stuff.

I have this weird dream that one of these days I'm just going to stumble on a box of Century stuff in some dusty corner of one of the buildings here. Hasn't happened yet! I suppose it would help if I put a WTB out to Whitewater and see if anyone bites out there! Who knows what's floating around in the houses!

-Tom






There is something to be said for a fresh peek at primary sources, when those are available. All of us can miss things... ;)

-david



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#23 djohannsen

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Posted 27 July 2010 - 08:43 AM

I have this weird dream that one of these days I'm just going to stumble on a box of Century stuff in some dusty corner of one of the buildings here. Hasn't happened yet! I suppose it would help if I put a WTB out to Whitewater and see if anyone bites out there! Who knows what's floating around in the houses!


The dream's not so weird - Lynn Sorgatz has some amazing Century pens that's he's found in the wild up there in Wisc (many people know Lynn, but I don't know how many people know that he's got an incredible collection of early Century pens). Living in Virginia, I don't have too much hope of stumbling across Century, so my dreams are of finding an Edison overlay (Edison was from Petersburg, VA and made/assembled pens of similar quality to Century).

Also, I typed a very quick message, earlier. I don't want to malign Fultz. Certainly his Pen World article is the best source on Century (it was what got me started and I still often look through it). The chief error in the article is his assertion that Century never assembled and sold pens until Humphrey bought in and the company moved to Whitewater. There is evidence (mostly in the form of a Printer's Ink article) that Palmer and two other Neenah, WI locals were selling Century pens since at least 1882. I would dearly love to get up to the Neenah library and go through the microfilm of the local papers from 1880-1894'ish to see what I could find...

Good luck with your hunting. I would love to hear if you ever find the Century goldmine (news of lesser finds would also be read with great interest).


Dave

#24 david i

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Posted 27 July 2010 - 08:48 AM

Not to be too showy or anything...

Shot these long ago. No, I don't own 'em...


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regards


David


David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
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#25 Terim

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Posted 29 April 2015 - 05:20 PM

Here's a full size red mottled hard rubber Century we picked up in LA .... Welty nib probably a replacement.

 

century_mrhr_5.jpg

century_mrhr_1.jpg

 

Really nice nib with excellent hairlines.

 

TERI


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#26 djohannsen

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Posted 17 August 2015 - 02:42 PM

Here's a full size red mottled hard rubber Century we picked up in LA .... Welty nib probably a replacement.

 

 

TERI

 

Great to see the Century thread still alive, and nice to see the mottled HR.  The pocket clip on your pen is different than my recollection (however, my collection has been in a drawer for 5-6 years without being touched, so the memory is a bit fuzzy), but Century seems to have been game to assemble from whatever parts they could get.  I also agree that the Welty nib is probably a replacement, but hasn't information come to light over the past several years that Welty had some dealings with Barrett (Century's chief supplier of parts)?

 

 

Dave



#27 Halfhyde

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Posted 24 November 2015 - 06:17 PM

I know this thread is a few years old but thought you might want to see my Century anyway

 

It is one of their mechanical pencils. It is 5 1/4" in length

 

Uninked imprint on barrel: 

CENTURY

WHITEWATER, WIS.

 

 

Michael Little

Phoenix, Arizona

 

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#28 Paul K

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Posted 25 November 2015 - 03:26 AM

Here's one for the Century guys. 

 

Speculating here, but I think this pen was painted at the factory. 

 

73B466C7-465D-46A2-A653-B6001DDD8BDB_zps


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