1912 Ad Waterman Ideal Fountain Pen Traveling Outfit Writing Utensil TRV1 Clearance Extremely

This is an original 1912 black and white print ad for Waterman’s Ideal Fountain Pen with Traveling Outfit, a product by the L. E. Waterman Company, located at 173 Broadway in New York.

CONDITION

This 99+ year old Item is rated Near Mint / Very Fine. Light aging throughout. No creases. No natural defects. No tears. No water damage.

• Product Type: Original Print Ad; Black / White
• Grade: Near Mint / Very Fine
• Dimensions: Approximately 4.25 x 5.25 inches; 11 x 13 cm
• Authentication: Serial-Numbered Certificate of Authenticity w/ Full Provenance
• Protection: Packaged in a custom archival sleeve with an acid-free black board (great for display, gift-giving, and preservation)

Waterman’s Fountain Pen.

Inventor Lewis Waterman, of New York, began his career as an insurance broker. The legend goes that while Waterman was meeting with an important client, the pen he was using leaked all over a critical document that was to be signed by the client. Upon Waterman’s return, after attempting to retrieve a new document, he found the client had signed with another broker. This chain of events led to Waterman designing fountain pens in his brother’s workshop, and eventually selling them out of a cigar shop after he patented the pen in 1884. Waterman guaranteed his pens for five years, advertised in the popular magazine The Review of Review and intrigued customers soon began to place orders for Waterman’s fountain pens. Upon Waterman’s death in 1901, his nephew Frank D. Waterman took over the business, increasing sales substantially, and the company became internationally-known for its quality and reliability.

Early Waterman pens had 14K gold nibs that provided smoothness and flexibility; the rest of the pen was made out of hard rubber. The #42 retracting-nib safety pen, #52 screw-cap lever-filler and #12 slip-cap eyedropper were common models.

Incredible Fact:

Perhaps the company’s biggest claim to fame was the solid gold Waterman pen that was used in signing the Treaty of Versailles.

Copyright 2016, Period Paper LLC

Keywords specific to this image: Vintage Advertising

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