Conklin Chicago Enduras c. 1939-1941

by Jim Mamoulides, December 8, 2023

Conklin Endura black pen

My Kind of Town

At first glance the two Conklin pens in this article could be Endura Symetrik pens from 1930s. They have all the elements shown in the Andreas Bienenstein Symetrik design patent, D83,592, awarded March 10, 1931: a rounded balance shape, a spring loaded clip, two cap bands, a crescent symbol on the cap, and a crescent symbol on the nib. The clip, the 1936 Conklin patented type, and nib, a Cushon Point type, could date the pen possibly as early as 1936. The barrel imprint tells a different story. It’s stamped THE Conklin PEN CO. over CHICAGO, ILL. U.S.A. over ENDURA – D- 83592 over REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. This is a Chicago Conklin. A Chicago syndicate consisting of A. J. Parrson, M. H. Jacobs, and Max Horwitz purchased Conklin on July 13, 1938, and moved existing stock of unfinished pens and parts to Chicago. This dates it no earlier than mid 1938, and likely later as there would have to be some amount to transition time from Toledo to Chicago operations and production.

Why That Patent?

United States Design Patent D83,592, awarded March 10, 1931

The imprint points out the 1931 design patent. Why would that be important to the new owners of Conklin? Certainly, it wasn’t about the overall shape of the pen. Balance shaped pens were commonplace in the late 1930s. My guess is the crescent symbol on the cap and nib were worth protecting, visually establishing the pen as a Conklin, one of the top brands since the early 1900s. Considering Conklin’s financial problems and transition to new ownership, it was a way to tell the public and warn knock-off competitors that this was the real deal Conklin pen, despite the Chicago imprint.

The Quiet Years

Conklin Endura black pen

I haven’t seen many of these pens and found no primary company information about them. No price lists, catalogs, dealer sheets or advertisements. Conklin Enduras are named in a few retailer ads in 1938. I don’t think ads that year refer to Chicago Enduras as retailers would already have Toledo made and marked stock and I seriously doubt Chicago imprinted pens were circulating much only a few months after the sale of the company. I only found one United States retailer ad specific to the Endura between 1939 and 1945. It was in the January 31, 1939 Columbia, South Carolina The State newspaper and it only mentions the pen by name with no pricing and no mention of Chicago. Outside the United States, primarily in Australia, Conklin Enduras are named in ads from January, 1939 through December, 1941, were available in black and “attractive colours” and priced at thirty shillings. It seems to me during that period that Chicago marked Enduras would have made it onto those Australian dealer shelves.

Conklin Endura burgundy pen and pencil set

The lack of advertising from 1939 through 1941 is an indicator that Conklin probably did not provide much in the way of co-marketing funds to retailers for advertising. The pens also were not nationally advertised much if at all, as I could find no Conklin company ads that mention them. Chicago Enduras must have sold in stores on brand awareness alone. The burgundy marble pen gives some help with a personalization that reads L. HOOPER over A. I. P. 1940. Without any better information, I’m going to date these pens from 1939 to 1941.

Identification Guide and Features

Conklin Endura burgundy pen and pencil set

These 5 1/4 inch long Conklin Enduras have the 1936 patent spring loaded clip and the 14 karat gold Cushon Point nib, both quality elements from 1936 and 1937 Conklin pens. The Conklin crescent appears below the clip on both the pen and pencil, instead of above it as in the design patent, and is another nod to earlier Toledo made pens. It does not have the crescent stamped lever, indicating that Toledo made parts were probably starting to be used up. Original United States selling prices and colors other than black and burgundy marble are unknown. Since there are no primary reference materials, the best we can do is document from known examples to create the guide below.

• Black or marbled celluloid cap and barrel
• Known colors are black and burgundy marble, other marbled colors are likely
• Gold-filled clip and trim
• Conklin stamped 1936 spring loaded patent clip
• Two plain cap bands
• Threaded cap
• 14 karat gold Cushon Point nib with Conklin Crescent logo, stamped Conklin over Cushon over POINT over 14K over U.S.A.
• Nib grades unknown, probably from available stock, and could potentially include extra-fine, fine, medium, coarse, medium stub, broad stub, left oblique, two way, and recorder in extra-fine, fine, and medium, which were available in 1937
• Lever filler
• About 5 1/4 inches long capped
• Pricing was probably the same as similar earlier models at $5.00, and matching twist-action pencils were likely $3.50

The burgundy twist action pencil has a different imprint. Stamped on the barrel is: TRADE Conklin MARK over CHICAGO, ILL. U.S.A.

Performance

These Chicago Conklin Enduras show a consistent quality with earlier Toledo made pens and pencils. It’s very possible they were made using parts already in inventory at the Conklin Toledo factory. The only visual difference between these pens and earlier Toledo made pens is the imprint and the lever. The lever on earlier Conklins is shorter and has a round tab with a crescent design. The lever on these pens is straight. The burgundy marble pen and pencil have a gold filled crescent inlay just below the clip while the black pen has only a crescent shaped stamping. Is this an indication that the black pen is later production? The pens are otherwise identical, so who knows?

Conklin Endura black pen

The pens are standard lever fillers, filled by inserting the nib in ink and lifting and releasing the lever, counting about 20 seconds, removing the nib from the ink, and wiping the nib and section. The sections appear to be solid black hard rubber. Neither has been serviced, so I could only do a dip test. The nibs write like any other Cushon Point nib, smooth, even, and not overly wet. The fit and finish, gold plating and detailing of these pens is similar to other late Toledo Conklins, excellent.

Conklin Endura burgundy pen

The higher quality, earlier Chicago Conklin pens are fairly uncommon. These Enduras are worth collecting as they are good pens and could be restored to be nice writers. My experience is they are less valued than earlier Endura Symetrik pens primarily because they are Chicago pens. If you like the unusual and the history, they make very nice additions to a Conklin collection.

I would very much like to expand this article with more photos of these pens. If the reader would like to send images or loan pens for photos it would be appreciated.

---

References

Advertisement, The Capital Journal, August 19, 1938, page 4

Advertisement, The Peninsula Times Tribune, September 7, 1938, page 2

Advertisement, The Queanbeyan Age, Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia, December 16, 1941, page 3

Advertisement, The Queanbeyan Age, Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia, January 06, 1939, page 2

Advertisement, The State, January 31, 1939, page 18

“Conklin Pen Company Sold” Cincinnati Enquirer, July 14, 1938, page 1

United States Design Patent D83,592, awarded March 10, 1931

United States Design Patent D99,262, awarded April 14, 1936