Esterbrook 940 v1: Difference between revisions
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There are four distinct versions of the Esterbrook #940 Radio Pen in the Chappy's Nibs collection: | There are four distinct versions of the Esterbrook #940 Radio Pen in the Chappy's Nibs collection: | ||
* [[Esterbrook 940 v1 | '''Version 1:''' ]] | * [[Esterbrook 940 v1 | '''Version 1:''' ]] silver-plated finish, company listed as | ||
* [[Esterbrook 940 v1 int | '''Version 1 int imprint:''' ]] | * [[Esterbrook 940 v1 int | '''Version 1 int imprint:''' ]] silver-plated finish, same as Version 1 except with interior imprint | ||
* [[Esterbrook 940 v2| '''Version 2 gold:''' ]] | * [[Esterbrook 940 v2| '''Version 2 gold:''' ]] silver-plated finish | ||
* [[Esterbrook 940 v3 | '''Version 3:''' ]] | * [[Esterbrook 940 v3 | '''Version 3:''' ]] silver-plated finish, company imprint ESTERBROOK | ||
(These version names are defined for this collection alone, and are not necessarily industry-wide terms.) | (These version names are defined for this collection alone, and are not necessarily industry-wide terms.) | ||
Revision as of 03:29, 23 February 2021
| |
| Esterbrook 940 v1 | |
| Manufacturer | Esterbrook |
| Nib No. | 940 |
| Descr. | Radio Pen, Version 1 |
| Tip | |
| Markings | Exterior |
| Mark 1 lateral L | 940 |
| Mark 2 | R.ESTERBROOK & CO'S |
| Mark 3 | RADIO PEN |
 | |
Described in contemporary advertising (Zanarian) as: "No. 940. 'Radio.' The points of these pens have a perfect oval that comes in contact with the paper and makes them glide over the surface with a smoothness that is delightful."
The 1938 Esterbrook Catalog says, "Slightly flexible, medium, Radio. Most popular Radio pen. Ultrasmooth. Gray finish. Gold plated"
The Esterbrook Project describes this nib as having "a pinched waist body with a spoon head and sharp, turned-up tip. The vent hole is a large baseball bat shape. Firm flex." The #940 Radio is distinguished from a nib with the same descriptor, but a different number--the Esterbrook #787 Radio Pen.
AAAndrew's Steel Pen blog references a history of Turned Up Point Pens in The American Stationer (2/12/1889): "The first steel pens made in Birmingham about the year 1837, while providing a ready made instrument for penmen, failed to give that ease in writing which was the characteristic of the old quill. [Steel pens] were uniformly fine pointed and naturally more or less scratchy. The remedy for this was not found until a generation later, when ... the happy idea occurred to turn up the points. ... The penman can write longer with less fatigue than with the ordinary styles. The tediousness of writing is almost entirely avoided, and the relief is so complete that it converts a drudgery into a delight."
Brandon McKinney's analysis of the markings and grindings date this version of the #940 Radio Pen as about 1918.
Versions
There are four distinct versions of the Esterbrook #940 Radio Pen in the Chappy's Nibs collection:
- Version 1: silver-plated finish, company listed as
- Version 1 int imprint: silver-plated finish, same as Version 1 except with interior imprint
- Version 2 gold: silver-plated finish
- Version 3: silver-plated finish, company imprint ESTERBROOK
(These version names are defined for this collection alone, and are not necessarily industry-wide terms.)
The nib pictured below is Version 1.
Photos
Click any image for a full-resolution photo: 1925 x 560. The image with the ruler is 2300 x 1196.
