OK, I am in my thirties so I was not around for this kind of stuff, but apparently-there was a welder in Pennsylvania that was giving away fountain pens to promote his livelihood. I know this was probably considered normal back in the day, but I wish I could have been around back in those days. Even the lowest cost fountain pens right now would probably put promoting your company out of reach.
I just think that it is kind of interesting that not that long ago a welder was able to give away fountain pens to his customers and now most companies (even the largest high tech firms) give away the cheapest,worst writing pens that they can find to represent themselves.
After a cleaning, rinse and re-sac, this pens is still very functional. There's a little bulge in the middle of the plastic and the cap looks like it was put a little to close to a welding job, but it works and it has some history to it. So...Harry Anderson, thank you. You sir, probably have left this world, but your pen remains in good hands.
6 comments:
Great post. Could not have been said better. It is important to keep these old pens and pencils working.
I never realized that companies at some point actually gave out fountain pens. I haven't even been around as look as you, so I just assumed cheap ball points were always the way companies promoted themselves.
Nice post!
Where did you get this pen?
Raphael- It was a gift from my wife's grandmother. She handed me a very special box of pens a few years ago and I restored it last year.
Given the decreasing manufacturing costs I would think it would be cheaper to give out fountain pens now than it was then. Consider the Pilot Varsity or the Chinese pens [ie 10 for $25 at isellpens.com - http://www.isellpens.com/hero3.html]. Seems paradoxical until you consider the fact that this welder put so much effort and expense into promotion shows the pride he must have had in his craft and the value he placed on his customers.
What a fantastic idea, and a fantastic post, I had no idea this sort of thing used to happen. Thanks for educating me! :)
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