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Laughlin Eyedropper


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#1 BamaPen

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Posted 08 May 2012 - 02:05 AM

My oldest son phoned me yesterday to tell me that he had been cleaning out the attic of our old house and found a box of old family photos, mostly my grandfather and great-grandfather, and in the very bottom of the box was a fountain pen. He knew I would be interested. The pen is imprinted Laughlin Fountain Pen and Detroit, Michigan on the barrel and Laughlin Co on the nib. He said that he could not figure out how one would fill it with ink, so I suggested that it is an eyedropper. The barrel and cap are plain, not chased, and there is no gold trim at all. There is no clip and no evidence that it ever had one. A quick Google yielded a number of images of advertising by Laughlin and it would seem that this is indeed a fairly early example of their eyedropper pens. They went into business in 1896 making eyedroppers and apparently they made sleeve fillers in their later years, up to about 1920.

I will see the pen tomorrow and perhaps be able to post some pictures then. He says that it is quite black, not brownish, so it seems that despite over 25 years in an Alabama attic with who knows how high temperature in the summer, it has not oxidized. Amazing!

If I am correct, this pen may have been my grandfather's, and that would give me the fountain pens of both my parents and both of my grandfathers - a Sheaffer TM Touchdown, a Parker 51 Special, a Hudson bakelite flattop, and now this Laughlin.


#2 Teej47

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Posted 09 May 2012 - 07:42 PM

That is just so cool! Congrats!

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#3 plmadding

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Posted 09 May 2012 - 07:55 PM

That is soooo cool that you have your parents and grandparents pens!!! I wish my family had not all lost theirs :(

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#4 Mike Kirk

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Posted 23 May 2012 - 03:57 AM

That's a great find! I'm looking forward to the photos! Please do take some.
OK, I'm a bit self-interested here, being a Michigan boy. :)

Mike Kirk
Wixom, Michigan

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#5 BamaPen

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Posted 23 May 2012 - 04:13 AM

That's a great find! I'm looking forward to the photos! Please do take some.
OK, I'm a bit self-interested here, being a Michigan boy. :)

Mike Kirk
Wixom, Michigan

I will post pix tomorrow, so check back

#6 Jerry Kemp

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Posted 18 November 2014 - 04:57 AM

Replying to an old post.

 

Congratulations on the find.

 

Laughlin MFG. actually was in business till 1959.

 

James W. Laughlin passed in 1957 at the age of 91.  His wife, Marguerite, kept the company running for 2 more years till she passed.



#7 Mlinear

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Posted 09 May 2018 - 04:07 AM

I am wondering what you found when you finally saw the Laughlin?

 

 I was in Nova Scotia and found an Laughlin  eyedropper.  It looked like it was brand new black with crisp chasing.  Mine had a tapered cap and I wondered if your did as well? After soaking the nib end in water with a drop of dish soap I filled it and it wrote beautifully.  No family history with mine but a very nice pen.



#8 BamaPen

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Posted 25 June 2018 - 12:42 PM

The revival of this old thread reminded me that I never got around to posting any pix of the Laughlin eyedropper.  So here goes:

laughlin-3.jpg?w=728&h=

laughlin-nib.jpg?w=1167&h=

laughlin-with-section-unscrewed.jpg?w=11



#9 AZuniga

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Posted 27 June 2018 - 01:53 PM

What a beautiful pen !

 

Thanks for posting the images... I hope you will fill it with ink and write with it, the pen and its history deserve it...



#10 Mlinear

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Posted 14 July 2018 - 06:57 PM

You have a beautiful pen.  It, like the one I found looks almost new.   I am wondering if you have had a chance to fill it and take it for a drive.  Mine has a very nice nib with just enough flex to give an interesting line.  I will post a photo of mine below for comparison.  

 

Can anyone offer a suggestion regarding posting photos?  I posted a photo that is supposed to be 500 pixels in width, added the photo the same way I had on FPN, and it looks like a postage stamp! I notice if I click on it the image it comes up as a nice sized image, but nothing like BamaPen's  in the actual post.

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Edited by Mlinear, 14 July 2018 - 07:12 PM.





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