Gillott 404
| |
| Gillott 404 | |
| Manufacturer | Joseph Gillott's Steel Pens |
| Nib No. | 404 |
| Descr. | |
| Tip | F |
| Markings | Exterior |
| Mark 1 lateral L | 404 |
| Mark 2 | JOSEPH |
| Mark 3 | GILLOTT'S |
| Mark 4 | WARRANTED |
| Mark 5 endcap | F |
| Mark 6 lateral L | ENGLAND |
 | |
Described in current advertising (Calligraphic Arts) as "Joseph Gillott No. 404 Pen Nibs - considered by many to be the best and most popular nib made by Joseph Gillott. A favorite for general use!"
Described in contemporary advertising (Zanarian) as: "No. 404. Warranted public pen with bead." Traditionally, the word "warranted" meant that the nib was 14 kt gold, but later it came to mean only that there was some gold in the nib--either gold-plated or even gold-washed. A paper insert included in Gillott's boxes sometimes explained further, "Warranted School and Public Pens, which are especially adapted to their use, being of different degrees of flexibility, with FINE, MEDIUM, and BROAD POINTS, suitable for the various kinds of writing taught in Schools." (And no, neither contemporary nor current advertising ever described this as Gillott's File Not Found Pen #butthanksforasking)
Other contemporary advertising (Pinterest) describes the #404 with a "fine point. Uses: lettering, sketching, etc."
The Blam Nib site says (in Swedish) that the 404 is slightly stiffer than the Gillott 303.
Joseph Gillott's "tag line" advertising routinely touted his company's special appointments, as "Pen Makers to His Majesty the King," and "Metallic Pen Maker to the Queen." They also undertook a publicity campaign to warn the public of counterfeit Gillott's nibs, produced under the names Gillot and Gilott.
Versions
There are no additional versions of the Gillott #404 Pen in the Chappy's Nibs collection, as pictured below (bronze-finish).
Photos
Click any image for a full-resolution photo: 1650 x 480. The image with the ruler is 2300 x 1196.
