Conway Stewart pen/pencil set
1956-63
About This Model
Conway Stewart was a major manufacturer of good to great fountain pens in England for a hundred years, from 1905-2005. During the pre-WWII years they sold far more pens than any other brand in England; one major author believes more than all the other companies' output combined. They were very well-made, good-looking, and great writers with soft, wet, and often flexible nibs. It is interesting that they produced a bewildering quantity of models and colors, including some bright floral patterns in casein during the pre-WWII shortage years.
About This Pen
This is a delightful Conway Stewart pen and pencil set for ladies, in green marbled celluloid. The pen is a No.12 from 1956-63. It is 12.7cm long capped and 1cm wide, perfectly balanced for a smaller hand. It is in excellent all-around condition, with almost no evidence of wear or use. The trim is all clean and shiny; there is no missing plating. The imprint is shallow but clear. The gold nib is presumably original, marked “Conway Stewart 14C”, and carries a size mark of 3N. I can’t seem to find what the “N” stands for, although it is listed as one of the nibs that came with a No. 12, but this is a gently stubbed nib that writes a very elegant broad line. Note: 12s are among the pens that CS made using casein in the postwar years, rather than celluloid. Casein dissolves in water, so please do not soak this pen! The pencil is a Nippy No.3, and it matches the pen. The set is listed as a match in Hull’s definitive text, so one can assume they were sold together. The pencil is 11.2 cm long, a touch shorter than the pen, and its mechanism works well.It is also very clean and shiny, but has a crack under the clip. The pencil is stable with the crack, since in a mechanical pencil the barrel is supported by the mechanism underneath.However, the set’s price reflects this flaw, because the pencil is being given away with the pen.
Price: $100 Sold