Packard Button Filler

[Jeph]

This is a Packard button filler. They were a bottom tier US pen manufacturer from the 30's and 40's that as far as I can find nobody has ever identified. I have to agree that it was probably some marketing ploy associated with the car. What I want to know is, why didn't the big boys use beautiful colors like this?!?!?!? Imagine a Parker Vac sporting these colors and it would be time to mortgage your house to get one. Packards cost about the price of shipping. This one came with a huge Arnold nib, although the gold plating has long since departed. I think a Goulet #6 nib will fit perfectly. This one is deep in the que for restoration but I wanted to share the coloring.

94789479

[kia]

Wow, I really like that coloring! I agree, the "big boys" should use some more appealing colors. One of my favorite combinations is the silver and amber swirls, but I've never seen it done this nicely in pattern. Thanks for sharing!

[welch]

The Duofold and the Vacumatic have some knockout colors. Parker's "bottom line" Challenger was marbled; some of the Vacs, also. Dr. David I's Vacumania website has photos of splendid 1935 - 45 Parkers, as well as some eye-catching Sheaffer Balance pens.

I happen to like the 3rd tier marbled pens...never saw a Packard, though.

My hunch is that by the early '40s a single-colored pen was more in fashion. The Parker 51 was released in 1941, and stream-lined, hooded, designs might have knocked out the marbling. Compare automobile design after WW2, or building design. Nobody wanted "useless" decoration.

[Snargle]

I have a particular fondness for some of those second and third-tier pens in colorful marbled and patterned celluloid. Not only are they lovely to look at, but they're generally cheap and some are actually quite good writers, particularly the ones with gold nibs.

Here's a few from my collection:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JEQZl7GQ4jk/UZJxAH7qr4I/AAAAAAAAFrk/WfGV9h6134Y/w1024-h805-no/P1060099.JPG

There is a Waterman and Parker in that shot, but all the rest are lower-end pens.

[welch]

I love the colors, and I especially love third-tier pens like those in Snargle's picture. Lever-fillers are usually easy to get working, and the marbling is just fun to look at.