Mercier
1950s
About This Model
French minor fountain pen brands do not appear to have been well documented, in English, Italian, or French. There are numerous brands, including such names as SOMA, Stylochap/Old Chap, Mon Plaisir, Mercier, Visor and many others. French pens do have some common comparative characteristics: they are often a bit shorter than American and English pens, are almost always button fillers, often carry "necktie" clips instead of straight clips. I've found their nibs to be responsive and a bit more likely to be medium writers than American pens of the same years.
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.
Price: $58 Sold