Perry 19&20
| |
| Perry 19&20 | |
| Manufacturer | Perry & Co. |
| Nib No. | 19&20 |
| Descr. | Viaduct Pen |
| Tip | F |
| Markings | Exterior |
| Mark 1 body lateral L | F |
| Mark 2 | PERRY & Co |
| Mark 3 | Nº 19&20 |
| Mark 4 | HOLBORN VIADUCT |
 | |
In 1877, Perry & Co. moved its London office from 37 Red Lion Square to 19/20 Holborn Viaduct (see Grace's Guide to British Industrial History). Therefore, "No 19 & 20, Holborn Viaduct" is actually more like the street address of the manufacturer than it is a proper pen number. Also, it's extraordinarily unusual for a pen to be marked with two separate numbers. However, modern advertising for this nib (see Kallipos and Museum of Writing), and listings in collections, seem to consistently show 19&20 as the nib "number."
That said, illustrations and names on an original 19&20 box also clearly show this as Perry & Co's "Viaduct Pen."
AAAndrew's Steel Pen blog says that "James Perry and Josiah Mason were among the the foundational innovators and inventors who took the craft of making pen nibs and turned it into an industry." Perry began by making his own nibs by hand, then partnering with Mason, who would manufacture the Perryan-branded nib for decades. Mason’s factory in Birmingham (London) eventually became the largest pen factory in the world, and in 1876 Mason and Perry's companies would merge, with Wiley & Sons, to create the new Perry & Co. (Grace's Guide) After the decline of dip pens, British Pens acquired the pen businesses of Perry & Co and other nib manufacturers like John Mitchell and Joseph Gillott's (1961). The Perry brand is no longer active.
Versions
There are no additional versions of the Perry №19&20 Viaduct Pen in the Chappy's Nibs collection, as pictured below (bronze-finish).
Photos
Click any image for a full-resolution photo: 2200 x 640. The image with the ruler is 2500 x 1300.
