Aikin Lambert Update

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I wrote about the early history of Aikin, Lambert & Co. in Volume 4, page 50, and Loyal Knight David Nishimura has ably documented J.C. Aikin’s asssociations with D.F. Foley (see http://vintagepensblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/dissolution-of-d-f-foley-co.html) and Aikin Lambert’s later transition from independent company to Waterman subsidiary (see http://vintagepensblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/waterman-and-aikin-lambert.html).

Aikin Lambert is one of those companies whose story intertwines with so many others.  The firm has wormed its way into several articles here, including those about the Chicago Gold Pen Company (Volume 6, page 114), L.C. Hardtmuth (Volume 6, page 218) and even Samuel Kanner and his flip-top Nupoints (Volume 5, page 111) – in each case,  Aikin Lambert made a quick cameo appearance, then darted back into the shadows.  

In recent months, a few more Aikin Lamberts have arrived which add a few more insights into the firm’s complex story.  This first one has a distinctly European look, perhaps somehow connected to the firm’s Hardtmuth connections:

There’s a nice monogram on the barrel that ends with “A,” but I’m not going to suggest any Aikin family connection.  Not that I didn’t go through my notes to see if any Aikins associated with the firm’s history went by the initials “E.K.”:

The trim on this hard rubber pencil is a little different, with more of a copper color than gold.  The firm’s name is imprinted around the nose:

This next one forced me to bid on a box lot of absolute junk, solely in order to get a closer look.  It was shown in partially closed position, but for what I paid I figured it was worth a shot trying to get it going again:

When it arrived, I was pleased in two respects.  The lighter fluid trick worked like a charm and I was able to get it working smoothly again, although there’s not much that can be done about the wear and dents.  I was also pleasantly surprised to see the ALCO hallmark on the barrel.  

This mark appears in American Writing Instrument Trademarks 1870-1953, registered for pens and pencils by the company on November 2, 1909.  The application was filed on November 24, 1908, but unfortunately at the time it was filed, the date the firm first claimed to use it was not typically reported:

I suspect this was made later, perhaps in the late teens, after the firm was absorbed by Waterman.  Since Waterman was so resistant to the notion of offering mechanical pencils, its earliest “sets” consisted of Waterman pens paired with Aikin Lambert pencils – it would be nice to find documentation of a Waterman set including a magic pencil like this one, but I haven’t seen anything like that.  

Here’s another “junker” that came my way.  The seller properly disclosed that the upper barrel was split:

The seller did not mention how heavy it is, and from the weight I surmise this piece is almost certainly at least 9k gold.  I have several of these extending combination pens and pencils; all were based on Albert Bagley’s patent of January 1, 1850, but I’ve found examples marked with the names of several New York firms.  I was hoping when it arrived I would find another maker’s name on it, but if nothing else it would be good for parts:

And perhaps a nib:

J.C. Aikin.  The holder itself is unmarked, and nibs are readily swapped out, but I’m inclined to think the nib is consistent with the holder: as documented in Volume 4, page 50, J.C. Aikin & Co. was founded in 1864 – on the late end for these fluted combination pen/pencil outfits, but still plausibly within the window during which these were made.

The machining on the barrel is a little different than what is normally found on these, and this is typical of the sort of patterns Aikin Lambert used.  Maybe another one will surface in this pattern, but marked on the instrument itself with Aikin’s name.  For now, at least, this one is staying just as it is, and exactly where it is: in the Aikin Lambert section, where the firm connects with yet another family of pencils.