About This Pen

This pen is a nice example of a hitherto unknown brand to me, GA Mercier, a French advertising firm that apparently also made pens. It is a piston-filler and quite large, 13.2cm capped, both characteristics that are atypical in French pens. It is made of black plastic, with a large translucent gold ink window. I’m convinced that it is from the early 1950s, both from the plastic from which it was made and the over the crown clip style, a direct evocation of French Waterman’s revolutionary “New Look” pen of 1949 (see picture in Tim’s Collection…). The nib is marked GA Mercier, which is also very unusual for an inexpensively made pen; it is a delightful firm fine writer. This pen seems to need a right-handed writer. And, please don’t use red ink in this pen, to avoid staining that beautifully clear view window.