The Combridge Pen

[Deb]

(I promised to post on Wednesday. I'm a day early)

Many pens pass through my hands. Most are sold on but there are few I hang onto, either because they suit my style of writing very well or because they stand out in some other way.

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One of these is the Combridge pen. Though it doesn't say so anywhere on the pen it was manufactured by Conway Stewart for the stationery firm Combridge of Birmingham. The clues are in the logo on the clip and lever, C+B entwined very much in the same way as Conway Stewarts C+S logo. Then there's the fact that it so closely resembles other Conway Stewart pens of the time.

The pen measures 13.2 cm capped. It's in mottled hard rubber, a pattern I am especially fond of. It is well preserved in a rich red and black which remains dark and unfaded. The pen was made in the mid-1920s. The ball ended clip and "lollipop" lever are chrome-plated. There are no cap rings. In all it appears to be a fairly low-cost pen. The original nib may have borne the "Combridge" stamp but a replacement has been fitted, bearing the unicorn logo of the Unique factory.

This model, which is probably a later one, has a peaked clip screw. Earlier Combridge pens had a domed clip screw and Conway Stewart's unique flange lever. The barrel imprint is "Combridge Birmingham" and the letters CB contained in a triangle.

Though not especially common, Combridge pens are not rare. Combridge was a large stationers and sold many pens. Though the company was around from the Victorian period until 1994, it was in the early to mid 20s that these mottled hard rubber Combridge pens were sold. I would like to get one of the earlier flange lever pens and perhaps I will, one day.

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Why is this one of the pens that I retain in my collection (accumulation would be a better word)? There are several reasons. I have a fondness for mottled hard rubber pens and this is a very good example of that material. It's a pen with a story behind it and I always like that. Also, it came to me in a strange way. I had a little Conway Stewart Quail Stylo which E M Rose of Writetime pens wanted. He offered to make a trade and I chose the Combridge. By the way, have a look at Writetime. There are many excellent pens there, especially Conway Stewarts, and Mr Rose's prices are very good.

I've had this pen for several years. One thing I didn't mention is that it's a superb writer with a little line variation and it's often on my desk. It's one of that small group of pens that I would never consider parting with.

[migo984]

Thanks for a really interesting review, Deb. Combridge is not a brand I've come across before. That pen is right up my alley - unassuming, evocative, a pen with history, and a great writer too. Not at all showy or blingy.

I have a couple of pens that were made by "big names" for local high street pharmacy and stationery companies in the early-to-mid 20thC, likely given away as promotional gifts. I like that they tell a story in themselves.

[Deb]

Thank you. It's a great pen. I like the unbroken line that the absence of cap rings gives.

[FredRydr]

Deb,

Like you, I have a fondness for red and black mottled (and woodgrain, and ripple) hard rubber pens. You have a real gem! I learned from Mark Hoover that French pens from this era have about the most impressive mottled patterns. There is little interest in them so prices are relatively low for some very pretty pens.

Fred

[Deb]

I've had the occasional MHR French pen, and very nice they are too. French pens don't seem to attract much attention - I don't know why.

(before I came to Scotland I was Eastern Pennsylvania, BTW)

[penwash]

First of all, thank you for being one of THE SEVEN, Deb.

"Many pens pass through my hands" certainly rings true for me as well. Sometimes I wonder if I should have hung on that particular pen rather than selling it

This pen checks a lot of my favorite checkboxes. And the brand is new to me as well (I know quite a few British brands by now, but I'm eager to find out about more).

I like woodgrain a bit better than mottled RHR pens, but this pen suits my taste just fine.

[Deb]

I'll be writing more about British pens in the weeks to come but you can find more in my blog.

[amk]

That is rather sweet. I have a lovely red mottled hard rubber pen, longer and thinner, that says 'Typhoo Tea'... I wish I knew who had made it! It came in a job lot with a Parker 'big red' (original not the remake) and I like it almost as much as 'big brother'.

Yes, French red/black pens are lovely - ripple, mottled, 'tiger', all kinds of variations. They kept on making the same colour combination in celluloid, too, which I don't think was the case elsewhere - I have a couple of fat 1940s pens that I'm sure are celluloid but repeat the patterns of ebonite.

[Deb]

The Ty-Phoo Tea pen is not uncommon. Though various manufacturers' names are associated with these mottled hard rubber pens nobody really knows who made them. They are good quality pens with a small gold nib. Though all MHR Ty-Phoo pens resemble each other they are not identical, giving rise to the belief that several manufacturers had the contract at different times. A later version, essentially a bulb filler, was made by Langs of Liverpool.

[AzJon]

Mmmmmm....That's a lovely ebonite. I love the red and black ebonites (woodgrain, ripple, mottle). This one appears to have been very well taken care of. Thanks for the review!

[amk]

Thanks for the info, Deb. I may have to see if I can make a mini-collection of Ty-Phoo pens! it would be quite interesting to see the different versions together.

Thanks for the spelling correction, too, which led me to look up the history of the brand. Apparently it was hyphenated because it comes from the Chinese 'dai fu', meaning 'doctor'. A medicinal brew!