Eagle Pencil Company Reversible Nickel Plated Penholder c. 1870s-early 1900s

by Jim Mamoulides, June 28, 2024

Eagle Pencil Company reversible nickel plated penholder c. 1870s-early 1900s

It's Reversible!

While working on background for an article on the Eagle Arrow Penholder, a nifty patented device that updated the simple reversible pocket penholder as seen here with a feature that allows the user to extend the nib (which was called “pen” at the time, thus the name penholder) using only one hand, by holding it button side up, pushing the button on the end of the barrel, which dropped the nib section out, locking it in place and ready for writing. More on that penholder in a future article!

This research led to discovering more about early reversible pocket penholders. Already familiar with this type working on an article on one made by the American Lead Pencil Company, many others I found are of a similar design. They are usually a nickel plated tubular shaped device where the cap holds the nib and is inverted for writing and reversed back when not in use, making it ink safe for a pocket or purse. Advertisements for nickel plated reversible pen holders go as far back to at least 1878.

Reversible penholders were a solution for the traveler. Choose your favorite nib, slide it into a tab that holds it in the cap, put the cap on the barrel, and you can go out with it in your pocket, ready to pull out for writing. Since many places visited might have inkwells available for customers, the penholder can be retrieved from the pocket, the cap reversed and plugged into the barrel, and the traveler now has a full length dip pen in the hand. When finished, the nib can be wiped, the cap reversed with the nib back in the barrel, and it’s ready to go back into the pocket with no worries about ink stains. Very clever and useful. Pack a screw cap ink bottle and you can write anywhere!

Illustrated Catalog, Eagle Pencil Company, c. 1900, page 79

Although I couldn't find any specific advertisements for this penholder, a similar penholder is shown in the c. 1900 Eagle Pencil Company catalog on page 79 under the heading “Nickel Penholders” and “REVERSIBLE.” There were three sizes offered:

• Model 1000 Small - $2.50 to retailers for 72 units (half a gross)
• 1100 Medium - $2.75
• 1200 Large - $3.00

Eagle Pencil Company reversible nickel plated penholder c. 1870s-early 1900s shown closed and open

Model 1000, shown in the catalog, appears to be about the same size as this example. It is shown with the Eagle Pencil Company logo engraved or stamped on the barrel and a different raised decorative band on the barrel near the opening. It’s not known if this example is from earlier or later than the one shown in the catalog.

Given the price to retailers works out to .35 cents each for model 1000, it’s no surprise to see advertisements for similar pen holders at a penny a piece.

There is a fancier model with a spiral shaped case shown and it sells for the same price:

• Model 1002 Small - $2.50 to retailers for 72 units (half a gross)
• 1102 Medium - $2.75
• 1202 Large - $3.00

Identification guide and features:

This simple, plain example is similar to many other reversible pocket pen holders made in the late 1800s through the early 1900s. This 4 5/16 inch dip pen holder (capped) is designed to house the nib unit safely in the barrel when not in use and reversed and inserted into the barrel when needed, making the pen holder convenient for pockets and purses. The barrel is stamped EAGLE PENCIL CO. NY. Given only the 1900 catalog date, I can only speculate that these were made at least as early if not much earlier than 1887, when Eagle introduced the Arrow Pen-Holder, an improvement on this type. The following is for this example only:

• Nickel plated brass cap and barrel
• EAGLE PENCIL CO. NY stamped on the barrel
• Decorative raised band near open end of barrel
• Has a tab holder for pen nibs in the writing section
• About 4 5/16 inches long capped, expanding to 5 ¾ inches long with the penholder open and not including the length of the attached nib
• Probably sold for a penny (without a nib)

Eagle Pencil Company reversible nickel plated penholder c. 1870s-early 1900s

Performance

Just like the reversible American Lead Pencil Company penholder, this was also a lot of fun. It came with an unbranded steel nib stamped “PALMER METHOD” over 25 and ENGLAND stamped at the base. It’s deceptively short closed, but goes from 4 5/16 inches long capped, to 5 ¾ inches fully open, a nice writing size. It’s slender, about pencil diameter, and the nickel plated surface is not slippery in the hand. It’s also very light.

There are quite a few scuffs, dings and areas with some nickel plating loss. This is to be expected when one of these is well used, but it has held up nicely for something over 100 years old.

The Palmer Method nib was quite flexible and fun to dip and doodle on paper. The good news is nice steel nibs in a wide range of sizes and flexibility are available that can be slipped on and used with this penholder. You will have to repeatedly dip and write as you go, but it was more fun than I expected. Another really fun pen holder in a convenient small and light weight package.

These may not be available for a penny any more, but they show up from time to time for very little money. I'd like to see one with the Eagle Pencil Company logo stamped on the side. I bet it looks as nice as the American Lead Pencil Company penholder reviewed back in 2022. If you like dip pens, these are fun and really work as intended!

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Links to Referenced PenHero.com Articles

American Lead Pencil Company pen holder c. 1914, by Jim Mamoulides, February 28, 2022, Copyright © 2022 Jim Mamoulides / PenHero.com LLC.

References

Advertisement, The American Stationer, August 11, 1887, page 261

Advertisement, The Baptist, Memphis, Tennessee, June 29, 1878, page 495

Advertisement, The Brooklyn Citizen, Brooklyn, New York, September 6, 1896, page 24

Advertisement, The Daily Register, Wheeling, West Virginia, September 13, 1892, page 5

Advertisement, Vermont Christian Messenger, Montpelier, Vermont, July 8, 1886, page 5

Illustrated Catalog, Eagle Pencil Company, New York, NY, page 79, undated, marked received by Department of the Interior, Stationery Division, March 10, 1900