The Carter Pen:
An Ink Manufacturer's Dream
By Michael Carter
All rights reserved by author
The name "Carter's" has long been associated with one of
the world's foremost producers of fine writing and printing inks as
well as a full line of general office products such as glues, pastes,
inkwells, ink eradicators, stamp pads and paints. Founded in Boston,
Massachusetts by John W. Carter in 1858, The Carter's Ink Company would
eventually add a line of high quality fountain pens held near and dear
to all fountain pen collectors. These pens would be produced for only
a short period but would exude quality of design and materials unmatched
in their time.
Carter's packaging, advertising and products were on the cutting edge
of technology at the time. Packaging and advertising was obviously their
forte with such things as mirrored glass to ornate and colorful "point
of sale" standup signs. There were also magnificent embossed metal
wall signs with fully colored pen and ink related scenes. By far the
most famous of all Carter's ephemera has to be their beautiful and highly
collectible ink bottles. Their cathedral cobalt blue ink bottles are
highly desired by bottle, advertising, and pen collectors alike and
command prices un-heard of for ink and bottle related items. Tin signs
have sold for as much as $3700 and ink bottles for as much as $500.
The mirrored glass advertising is in a class by itself. Not only was
their packaging unsurpassed but the use of tricky names for its products
were the rule. Inks became "Carter's Inx." Carter's Ink Company
paste was called "CICO" paste and of course there is the famous
ink eraser, "Inky Racer." The latter came in a box featuring
a silhouetted running native, and the inside top of the box was decorated
with numerous similar figures. Other inks had such catchy names as "Ryto"
and "Blu-Rex." Name recognition was clearly the aim of the
Carter's advertising department and packaging and naming was their avenue.
Pen Manufacturing Begins
Carter's decided to get into that business at the height of fountain
pen fashion and popularity, the mid-1920s. It is rumored that Carter's
acquired the defunct Laughlin Pen Company patents, materials and some
equipment to begin production. Again, advertising and cutting-edge product
design would be the hallmarks of Carter's fountain pens. Slogans were
the new rule. When pen manufacturing began in 1926, Carter's knew that
its inks had made its reputation -and the company relied on ink to sell
its pens! The famous slogan, "You Know the Ink," appeared
in almost all of Carter's fountain pen advertisements. The company letterhead
carried another slogan: "This letter signed with Carter fountain
pen (sic)."
The pens themselves were beautifully designed from their elegant humped
spring clips to their unique cantilevered filling levers. A well-designed
lady's pen and pencil set came in a sharp matching celluloid case with
a flip-top lid that served as a desk or table stand. The company also
manufactured matching mechanical pencils in "propel, repel, and
expel" models, according to a 1929 product catalog. Desk pen sets
were made in both single and double pen sets with a variety of base
materials, designs, and colors. Early desk sets featured oversized unusual
tulip shaped hard rubber sockets with or without trim rings. Some of
the bases had magnificent figurals added in bronze or onyx. Desk pens
came in two sizes- No. 2 and No. 6. They were produced in most of the
regular pocket pen colors and materials. Prices in 1929 ranged from
$8.50 to an unbelievable $135!
Carter's top-of-the-line Pearltex models were made from real mother
of pearl using a patented process. These pens and pencils came in flat
top designs with hump clips or ladies models with ring tops. They came
with multiple trim rings, a lifetime warranty, and featured a 14 karat
"Carter Ink Pen" nib in sizes from No. 2 to No. 8. Beautiful
iridescent pearl colors such as Rose Petal, Wave Green, Cerulean Blue,
and Pearl White were manufactured. Prices in 1929 ranged from $8 to
$12.
The next line was the Coralite range. These were flat top pens and
pencils almost identical in design to the Pearltex but in the familiar
tight marbled materials. The colors were once again quite impressive.
Accor-ding to a product catalog, "they represent the present vogue
in what's what." The colors were blue, green, Lacquer Red, red/black
mottled, Turquoise Blue, and Squirrel Gray. The sizes and nibs were
the same as for the Pearltex and 1929 prices ranged from $3.50 to $9.50.
The basic line consisted of black polished and red polished hard rubber
pens with the same design and specifics as the others, priced in 1929
from $2.75 to $9.50.
Numerous design and trim changes were made through the years. Colored
trim rings were added to the flat top models at the top of the caps.
Also multiple trim rings appeared on caps at both top and bottom, some
with colored inserts inside the bands. Nibs were either Carter's "Inx,"
"Superware" or just the "14 karat." Stub models
appeared, featuring inset threaded barrels to keep cap diameter narrower.
Later models had no trim rings and flat, not humped, clips.
Final Pen Production
To survive the Depression the company made cutbacks in pen models and
production. Designs evolved into more rounded styles. The final Carter's
models featured rounded cap and barrel end caps in black, set off with
gold filled trim rings. Some variations appeared with tapered black
flat-ended trim caps with no trim bands, and some cased ladies' sets
appeared with rounded, painted metal end caps. These pens were offered
in the Pearltex and Coralite colors as well as some solid pastel colors.
The late models became very cheap with thinner materials and plating
and flat clips, and many had no clip or barrel imprints whatsoever!
The pens can be identified only by the imprinted nib and the shape.
The cash crunch, competition and slowing market took its toll and the
final Carter's pens were produced around 1932. Knowing that ink and
related office products had been its mainstay since 1858, Carter's abandoned
pen manufacturing and trimmed back its product line. Today the company
name still survives under parent company Dennison. The famous Carter's
name still appears on stamp pads, carbon paper and a few other items.
Interesting Notes
There were combination pen/pencils manufactured by Carter's. These
combos are now known in at least three different standard Carter's colors
but, as yet, have not been found mentioned or listed in any Carter's
catalogs or material. The huge bronze plaque from the original Carter's
factory building in Boston was salvaged and I have photos of it reposing
in a New England antique store! Carter's nibs were made in numerous
point styles and the majority exhibit quite a bit of flexibility. It
does not appear that the company tried to promote any one nib style
over another and medium points appear to be the most commonly found.
The unique large glass cube found embossed with just "Carter's"
in script or embossed with Carter's and logos on all sides is never
found with any top and there is great speculation as to what it was
used for. Was it a point of sale ink container, was it used to hold
some unknown container of ink, or was it a standard inkwell? The answer
is: a standard inkwell! It had an unusual domed brass(?) cover and was
obviously an inkwell - and I am quite sure it was not marketed but used
as point of sale ink sampler. Carter's cathedral ink bottles are seldom
found with their original labels. These beautiful labels printed in
yellow, red and blue, if present, will significantly increase the price
of the bottle.
Notes on Buying Pens
Carter's pens came in a variety of beautiful celluloids and all are
very susceptible to discoloration and swelling at the lever and section
(threads). This is obviously due in part to the thinner gauge stock
used for barrels and caps. This thinner gauge plastic causes headaches
for the repair person when removing sections because the plastic is
very prone to giving way to cracks or distortion from light heat used
to loosen stubborn sections. Nibs also seem to generally be of thinner
stock gold and this probably accounts for their nice flexibility on
the whole. Look for hairlines at the vent hole and where the nib is
"squeezed" into the section by the feed. You may want to use
a 10X magnifying glass as the lower nib cracks or "wrinkles"
as they are sometimes referred to are hard to see with the naked eye.
The beautiful humped spring loaded clips are another "horrid"
beast to the collector. The nature of their construction leads them
to break easily or in the very least become loose. The clips were made
with a thin spring steel piece inserted in the back which then tucked
into a groove between the inner cap and cap. This spring steel became
brittle with use and corrosion and easily snapped - result: lost clip.
With use, the small protrusion of spring steel in the cap became loose
- result: loose clip or no tension and these clips are near impossible
to adjust tension on the pen. An interesting note: the Carter's clip
is one of the few clips that can be installed with the inner cap in
the pen! If you know what you are doing, that is! The cantilevered pressure
bar and lever were easily broken and commonly replaced with standard
pressure bars. In my opinion this should not weigh heavily on valuation.
Replacement levers are as functional as the originals and make no visible
change in operation or appearance - of course it is always better to
have the original lever setup.
In Closing
Carter's pens were produced for a very short time and in somewhat limited
quantities. This can do nothing but make them a little harder to find
especially in the higher states of preservation. A mint Carter's commands
a mint price! They are beautiful yet simple in design. Historically
the name is unsurpassed for ephemera. With collectors of bottles, advertising,
and pens all competing for these items expect prices to continue to
rise as supplies decrease. If you are a pen collector make sure you
take a look at some of the Carter's ephemera for your collection, -
if you don't, you'll be missing a lot!
About the Author
Mike Carter is a pen collector and dealer living in Crystal MN. He is
the owner of Crystal Coin and Collectibles and publisher of Fountain
Pen Recycler, a vintage pen mail order catalog. Email: carterinx@aol.com
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