The Adam Park Project

Item Information:

Catalogue Number: 02/03/001 Source: TAPP Archaeology Surveys Location: No.2 Adam Park Report No: Report No.6 Artifact Type: Personal Kit Production Date: 0012-12-11 00:00:00 Dimensions of Item: 125mm x 10mm Copyright with The Adam Park Project

Other Description:

Pen top was inscribed with the word 'Blackburn' along the clip

Historic Context:

Blackbird pens by Mabie & Todd were a popular brand in the war years. One of the longest-lived makers of writing equipment, Mabie Todd & Co. began producing dip pens and mechanical pencils in New York City in the 1840s. They added gold nibs to the range through an association with Bard Brothers. Mabie Todd & Bard (as the firm was then known) took out its first fountain pen patent in 1878, and over the next decades its constant innovation put it at the forefront of quality fountain pen manufacture. The export to the UK began early, and a London office was opened in 1884. Manufacture of pens in the UK began around 1909, and by 1915 the UK side of the business had become so dominant that it bought out the original New York firm.