7 replies to this topic

[david i]

My big find from the Baltimore Pen Show (March 2012) was a superb Jade celluloid pen for my Jade celluloid collection. This one an oversized Belmont made for Rexall Drugs. Rexall had pens made by various pen manufacturers. As you might know, most Jade celluloid pens suffer discoloration, so-- as wtih diamonds-- color contributes to value. This one is mint stickered.

It's niche in the pendom hierarchy can be difficult to pin. At a time when big Jade pens with big nibs cost $7 or more, this alternate approach, a store brand, cost < $3. But, unlike many poseur second or third tier nibs, this pen seems to be of good quality with gold nib proportionate to size of pen. Many big cheap pens used tiny nibs or gold-plate nibs to save money. Not this one. I cannot comment if the trim is high quality gold-filled (vs thin plate) as with this mint pen the trim is clean in any case. Too, perhaps the nib is thinner than a Parker Duofold's, but... perhaps not. I have not weighed it.

This Belmont certainly provided a decent quality alternative to pricey pens by the big boys. As a small (today) make pen, in fact it is the only OS Jade Belmont I've seen. That it is mint stickered with "perfect" color is, frankly, a glorious thing from the collector standpoint.

We've had threads before about Belmont, the best perhaps by the late Dennis Bowden, who also had contributed on the subject to PENnant Magazine.

Some FPB Belmont threads:

http://fountainpenbo...reat-celluloid/

http://fountainpenbo...eorge-m-kraker/

Here's the pen

regards

David

[George]

Beautiful pen David. Are the ends of the pen plugged, or was this machined from a solid stock?

Regards,
George

[philm]

Nice David ~

I lean towards Kraker on this one. Dennis and I had numerous conversations on this topic (Dixie, Yankee, Pencraft, and Belmont/Monogram (pre - Moore)). One reason I lean this way are these Kraker pens, that bear a resemblance.





I also have similar examples in blue, marble, and yellow of similar Yankee and Dixie models.

As always, I wish we had written evidence.

Phil

[penmanila]

i'm not sure but i believe i saw that pen in baltimore... may have been the same table where i got the red vac, since i remember talking to the seller about dixies and yankees, which i have.... nice pickup!

here's my deep-blue dixie:

Edited by penmanila, 16 March 2012 - 08:26 AM.

[Richard]

I'll chime in here with the pen I got at Baltimore. It's not a Belmont, but it at least was made for Rexall. It was made by the Michael George Pen Company, which was one of George Michael Kraker's many aliases, and it went by the Monogram brand.



What initially tripped my trigger on these pens was the cool latching lever. It was patented by Rudolph Lotz, who was an attorney; I think Kraker designed it. You can see in the photo here that there's a little gadget at the right end of the lever. This is the latch; it's a spring-loaded plunger thingie inside the lever that catches on the end of the lever slot. Very cool.

This color is relatively rare among Monograms. Color me happy.

[philm]

Richard, David, Penmanila...

Yes, the Lotz lever (Lotz was also Kraker's attorney in Chicago, if my memory is correct), appears on earlier Kraker products. Here is a Pencraft / Chicago (pre Grand Haven MI, and Libertyville, IL, and probably post Minnesota Kraker), with the Lotz and older clip. Kraker did mix and match, as I have some Belmonts and Yankees with the older style clip and newer lever. Following Kraker's pens and travels can be a wild ride sometimes......

Kraker





Phil

[david i]

Beautiful pen David. Are the ends of the pen plugged, or was this machined from a solid stock?

Regards,
George

Hi George,

Good question. Really... two good questions, the first I guess being is whether the tubes (cap and barrel) are bored rather than wrapped, and the second being if the tubes were bored not wrapped,were they then plugged or was the boring of the tube done just far enough to leave a flat continuous end at one end of each tube.

The plastic does not appear to be wrapped (which would, I believe, necessitate an end plug).

What impresses me is that that the ends also appear not to be plugged. Even lofty Sheaffer put in plugs, which would seem to be an easier way to make caps and barrels... just bore out tubes and plonk in plugs with no need not to go too far while boring as to open the ends. Duofold has end pieces so even as bored (not wrapped) stock the tube could be swiftly done keeping tubes open at both ends (caps are always open. I've not checked the button end to see if all or just some have button holder plugged vs bored).

I'm not a pen maker, but this Belmont would seem thus to be of high quality, given the (imagined by me) hassle of boring rods but not so far as to open both ends. I guess the closed end could have an approximate boring done, then the cap taken down at other end, but still..

Thoughts?

david

[RossMcK]

Gorgeous pen, David - and I have the identical pen - same clip. same two bands, same lever, same color, with "Moore" on it. Since Moore made many of the Belmonts, I'd suspect Moore to be the manufacturer.

Ross