Conway Stewart No. 28 Tiger’s Eye c. 1949-1955

by Jim Mamoulides, July 28, 2023

Conway Stewart No. 28 Tiger’s Eye c. 1949-1955

Eye of the Tiger

Eye catching is a good way to describe Conway Stewart pens with Tiger’s Eye celluloid. The design spirals up from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the cap in alternating stripes and blocks in varying shades of luminous browns.

This Conway Stewart Number 28 lever fill fountain pen with Tiger’s Eye celluloid, c. 1949-1955, is just over 5 inches or 13 cm long and has a pointed black cap top jewel and gold filled trim. The washer type clip has the Conway Stewart logo stamped at the top face and a diamond shaped tip. The lever tab is stamped with the Conway Stewart logo inside a diamond. The trim is bright but shows typical signs of light plating loss. The barrel is stamped Conway Stewart 28 over MADE IN ENGLAND. The 14 karat gold nib is stamped Conway over Stewart over 14CT GOLD over 5.

Conway Stewart No. 28 Tiger’s Eye c. 1949-1955

Tiger’s Eye celluloid appears on seven Conway Stewart models: 23, 24, 27, 28, 58, 60, and Executive 60. The dates below are the model dates, not the use of Tiger’s Eye celluloid.

• No 23, an export model, c. 1949 to c. 1952, is about 12.7 centimeters long capped with three narrow cap bands.
• No 24, c. 1949 to c. 1958, is about 13 centimeters long capped with two narrow cap bands.
• No 27, c. 1952 to c. 1963, is about 13 centimeters long capped with a single broad cap band.
• No 28, c. 1949 to c. 1963, is about 13 centimeters long capped with a single narrow cap band.
• No 58, c. 1949 to c. 1963, is about 13 centimeters long capped with a two narrow cap bands on either side of a single medium band.
• No 60, c. 1950 to c. 1963, is about 13 centimeters long capped with a single broad cap band (domestic) and two broad cap bands (export).
• Executive No 60, c. 1952 to c. 1963, is about 13 centimeters long capped with a single broad cap band (domestic) and two broad cap bands (export).

No. 28 pens were made in black, cracked ice, tiger’s eye, burgundy/black marble, green/black marble, blue/black marble, burgundy hatch, green hatch, blue hatch, silver hatch, red herringbone, green herringbone and blue herringbone. The No 28's retail price (including VAT) in 1952 was 25/8 and in 1955 was 25/6. The model continued after 1955 but I don't know if the Tiger’s Eye celluloid was used later than 1955.

Performance

Conway Stewart No. 28 Tiger’s Eye c. 1949-1955

I’m attracted to interesting celluloids and the Conway Stewart Tiger’s Eye celluloid definitely stands out. Having seen many examples online I saw it first in person at an Ohio Pen Show. It’s more vivid and eye catching in person than the camera can capture. Conway Stewart made a great choice having the pattern spiral up from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the cap. It increases the visual interest in the alternating stripes and luminous blocks.

Conway Stewart No. 28 Tiger’s Eye c. 1949-1955 - nib detail

It's a typical size pen from the 1950s, just over 5 inches long capped and feels fine in the hand unposted. Conway Stewart nibs are usually quite good and this one was no disappointment. It was dip tested and puts a smooth, wet, medium/broad line on paper. It feels very close to being a stub nib, with wide strokes up and down and narrower strokes left and right, with a little sharpness feel at each left/right edge. Everything fits together nicely and works well. The gold filled trim has wear points that are very typical of Conway Stewart pens.

The Tiger’s Eye celluloid appears on seven different Conway Stewart models, all about the same size, with different trim levels, and made over a period of several years. To me the Tiger’s Eye outshines the rest of the pen and I would recommend looking for one with the best celluloid, a nice nib, and minimal brassing of the trim. A fine addition to any Conway Stewart collection.

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Acknowledgement

I highly recommend Steve Hull's book Fountain Pens for the Million, The History of Conway Stewart 1905-2005. It's over 225 pages and filled with hundreds of illustrations presented in chronological order beginning at their founding in 1905 through the end in 1975 and the brand's revival in the late 1990s. It can be obtained at englishpenbooks.co.uk.

References

"A Challenge To All Conway Stewart Collectors Please Respond, Fountain pens, Pencils, Ink-pencils & Ballpens—listing of known model numbers, as at May, 1999" collated by Barry Rose, Journal of the Writing Equipment Society, Number 55, July 1999, pages 13-15

"Conway Stewart Pens" by Jonathan Donahaye

Fountain Pens for the Million, The History of Conway Stewart 1905-2005 by Stephen Hull, 2020 Shelley and Peacock Marlow, Buckinghamshire, UK, pages 145-189, Appendix VII

Fountain Pens of the World by Andreas Lambrou, 1995 Zwemmer London, UK, pages 176-186

Fountain Pens United States and United Kingdom by Andreas Lambrou, 2000 Classic Pens Ltd Hertfordshire, UK, pages 188-209