A 19thC Gilt Metal Combination Dip Pen & Protracting Pencil by S.Mordan & Co, London
SOLD
Origin: English
Period: Late Nineteenth Century
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1880
Length: 4.5 inches (compact)
Width: 0.5 inches
Maximum Length: 5.5 inches (with pencil/nib)
The part-fluted cylindrical barrel stamped S Mordan & Co, this example has no mechanisms, rather the user interchanges between the protracting pen and pencil neatly stored away at one end, whilst the screw off finial reveals the concealed lead reserve at the other.
Mordan pencils are renowned for quality, and are highly collectable, with early examples fetching several hundred pounds or more. This particular example is slightly more unusual as there is no sliding mechanism, and thus it is more incognito than its counterparts. There are no dings or detrimental marks present.
Sampson Mordan was born in 1790 and died in 1843. In 1822, Mordan patented the propelling pencil in 1822, and begun, via a few shrewd decisions, what was to become a hugely successful company. S. Mordan & Co. ceased trading in 1941, and the rights to Mordan patents were sold to Edward Baker. Various marks for the company were used, and this mark certainly dates it to after 1860.