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"Circuit Board" WASP Clippers


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#1 matt

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Posted 28 November 2015 - 04:38 AM

If you want something fun to chase, try circuit board WASP Clippers.  Four price points/price codes - 195, 295, 395, and 500; 8 distinct pens and 3 pencils; 14 different pens if you count both vac-fil and lever; 5 colors; and 3 different "generations" of style, trim, and pattern.  They seem to have been made from about 1938 to the early 40s.  I've tried to chase only examples in green.

 

Starting with "generation" or type:

1.  Straight sided cap and barrel, faceted jewel on both cap and barrel/blind cap

2.  Slightly tapered cap and barrel, shallow dome metal jewel on cap only.  Type 2 vac-fil can be found with the same groups of 4 narrow clear stripes as Type 1 and with wide clear stripes.

3.  Different pattern to the plastic - wide black or clear stripe and a black plastic cap jewel.  David has a pocket knife in type 3 plastic.  Some here have claimed to have examples with black jewel on type 2 plastic, but no pictures have been posted.

 

195 Standard - approx 5" length, .4" barrel diameter

195 Ladies - 4.5" length, .4" diameter

295 Standard - 5", .45"

295 Ladies - 4.5", .45"

395/500 Standard - 5", .45"

395/500 Large - 5 1/8", .51"

 

Color:  black, grey, brown, green, plus the addition of blue in generation/type 3.  The "Large" pen was not made in black.

 

gallery_151_19_491421.jpeg

 

From l-r: 

(1) 195 thin vac-fil Standard with Junior nib,

(2) 195 thin lever fill Standard with 4 nib,

(3) 195 thin Ladies lever fill with 4 nib (not made in vac-fil),

(4) 295 full size Standard vac-fil with 6 nib,

(5) 295 full size Standard lever fill with 6 nib,

(6) (gap in photo - don't have example) 295 full size diameter vac-fil Ladies with 6 nib (not made in lever fill), 

(7-8) 395 Standard with monotone 7 nib, 

(9-10) 500 deluxe Standard with wide cap band and two-tone 7 nib.

(11-12) 395 Large with 7 nib

(13-14) 500 deluxe Large with wide cap band and two-tone 7 nib.

 

gallery_151_19_657734.jpeg

 

1.  Late type 2 vac-fil with wide clear barrel stripes

2.  Ladies size type 2 pencil.  Note the "cap band" is on the barrel.

3.  Type 1 Standard size pencil, 1.1mm lead.

4.  Type 2 Standard size pencil, .9mm lead.  Note that type 2 has a longer, skinnier tip, a different barrel taper, and different cap/barrel lengths than type 2 (but same overall length).  I have a pencil with a type 1 cap and a type 2 barrel; the result is about a 1/4" shorter.

5.  Deluxe pencil.

6.  Type 3 thin Ladies lever fill pen with 4 nib.

7.  Type 3 pencil (in blue).

 

Watch for Gregg shorthand mark:

 

gallery_151_19_53692.jpeg

 

and reverse trim grey:

 

gallery_151_19_31100.jpeg

 

This picture, snagged from a recent ebay lot, is the only stickered example I've seen.

 

gallery_151_19_37654.jpg


Edited by matt, 28 November 2015 - 04:59 AM.


#2 matt

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Posted 29 November 2015 - 07:25 PM

Edit to above:  I just got photo confirmation from elsewhere that the black plastic jewel can occur on the earlier 4-skinny-black-lines plastic, not just the later single-black-lines pattern.



#3 david i

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 01:56 AM

Here's a fun fresh shot I took tonight. If you know your WASPS, you'll know why this cluster of blue circuit board pattern pens is neat.

 

wasp_circuitboard_blue_5pens950a.jpg

 

regards

 

david


David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#4 david i

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 03:55 AM

Here we go. 40 pen tray laden with WASP circuit board pens.

 

wasp_circuit_40pentray_1400a_iphone.jpg

 

-d


David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#5 matt

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 04:58 AM

Interesting:  all of your "streamline" deluxe (wide cap band) pens are full size; none are Large/oversize.  I wonder if the Large was dropped when the Clipper was streamlined?  You'd think that in 40 pens, you'd have found one.



#6 david i

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 05:45 AM

Interesting:  all of your "streamline" deluxe (wide cap band) pens are full size; none are Large/oversize.  I wonder if the Large was dropped when the Clipper was streamlined?  You'd think that in 40 pens, you'd have found one.

 

Advertising is limted for the Type 2/2nd Generation pens. It is my belief they were offered only slender and standard.  There are both sizes showing in the tray shot.  I've been to, what, 100 pen shows?  Never have seen an OS 2nd Gen pen.

 

regards

 

d


David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#7 david i

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 05:16 PM

I tend to separate the Type 1 and Type 2 pens before diving into analysis, as there are significant differences between the generations.

 

regards

 

d


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