Some collectors avoid pens with any initials or inscription engravings, believing that their pen is of a higher value if there is less evidence that it has been used. On some pens that may be true. Other pens are rare enough that it makes no difference to any collector. Still other examples are so routinely monogrammed that the engraving becomes an expected feature of the pen. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and, in general, I enjoy inscriptions. There are several reasons why inscriptions may be of interest, any one of which may be combined with another.

• The use of names that are no longer current today
• The dedications themselves make one curious about the occasion which prompted them
• Some inscriptions help with historical questions or are of historical interest because of the persons involved
• The beauty of the engraving itself

Unless noted otherwise, all of the following examples are by Mabie Todd & Co. or Mabie, Todd & Bard and were manufactured right here in the USA.  A detailed photo of the inscription is included where necessary.

The Name Game

Do you know the names Buckmaster, Georgina, or Tourigay? I’d never even heard of people with those names before until I found them inscribed on fountain pens. What nationality is Tourigay?:

	W. P. Buckmaster - Rauch Pencil & Pen Holder
	Georgina Wouldn't you expect the engraving to be a little less masculine?
	Yuge Tourigay

Name the Occasion

Some of these inscriptions are self explanatory, but others make you wonder about circumstances surrounding the presentation.

	Golden Wedding G.W. Does this mean that in only 23 more years my wife will give me something like this?
	Gratitude
	Pres. to Canon H. Drew by the St. Matts Y. Ms. B. C. on his departure from Buckley Jan. 1905
	To D. Miller From His Fellow Workers Bo'ness, Jan '09 (Bo'ness is short for Borrowstouness, Scotland - exports from U.S. to Great Britain still going strong)
	The above inscription is one that not only arouses curiosity about the reason for the presentation, but is also of historical significance.  The pen, like many from this period, was manufactured in New York, but appears to have been sold through the London location.   Even as late as 1927, the English company had many overlays furnished by the New York company.  The inscription on this Mabie, Todd & Bard eyedropper indicates a date of 1909, but Mabie, Todd & Bard had reverted to its original designation of Mabie, Todd & Co. and incorporated as same in 1907.  Either the pen was held in stock in London for a couple of years or MT & Co. took some time to change the dies for their imprint.
	J. M. Hale Elgin House Kingswood
	Richmond Lodge 1011 Presented to Bro. Fred K. Blower, Secretary By Bro. F. T. Seals, W. M. 1921-1922
	This safety eyedropper is another example of a New York-made pen that was sold in England.  In fact, it may have been manufactured for that market.   Mabie Todd did make lever fillers and eyedroppers simultaneously, but the English market offered eyedroppers much longer than the US did.   The masonic emblem engraved on the cap does not have the "G" in the center (the "G" was abandoned in England).

History's Mysteries Asked and Answered

Some inscriptions inspire questions, like the Mabie, Todd & Bard pen with a later date than one would expect referenced above.  Others provide historical evidence that might not be available elsewhere.  Still others document historical events.

	Matron 1918
	Both pieces of this set are inscribed "Matron 1918."  This is of interest because the date substantiates when Mabie Todd used this type of lever.  The split lever was patented in 1918.  Another Mabie Todd with the same lever mechanism has a 1919 date, as does a Mabie Todd which uses the same lever that appeared on all their lever fillers for the next 15 years.  So we know from a combination of patent information and imprints that the split lever was used for only 1 to 2 years by the company.  As one would expect from the short production run, split lever models are very difficult to find.  I've only seen four.
	C.A.C. World War Service Dinner May 1919
	C.A.C. stands for the Coast Artillery Corp.  The red enameled crescent is a reference to the particular Coast Artillery Corp unit(s) involved.
	P.W.M. 18.10.18.
	Another WWI pen.  The date format of the inscription on the band indicates that this pen was also exported for sale to English clients.
	Horace Greeley to Harry H. Leeds
	The Black Hard Rubber pencil and pen-holder bears the inscription.  People of my generation will remember Greeley from their history lessons as an extremely influential New York newspaperman who founded the New York Tribune in 1841.  There is no way to verify that this pen was actually his, but he was living at the time it would have been made.  The identity of Harry Leeds remains a mystery.

Mabie, Todd (& Bard) advertised their engraving as an enhancement to a pen.  Here more examples of pens engraved with names or initials:

So next time you are shopping for a vintage pen, you may want to consider that one with the inscription a little more carefully.  Have a nice search!