This hundred-year-old coin/matchstick filler is something of a mystery. I can’t tell who made it or which was its country of origin. The ebonite retains its glossy black colour and there are no cracks, scratches or bite marks. The accommodation clip bears a shield with a stars and stripes motif. A new sac has been fitted and the pen fills and writes well (see writing sample). The original nib had been removed before the pen came to me and I replaced it with a super-smooth Swan Eternal No 4, which is a firm fine.

A great rarity and a surprisingly practical writer.

(3000)