Stratford 77 c. 1940-1943

by Jim Mamoulides, June 6, 2019

Stratford 77 Brown Lineal Pearl with matching pocket knife c. 1940-1943

Scoop!

The Stratford 77 fountain pen and pencil set appears in newspaper advertisements as early as August 23, 1940 and is mentioned in newspaper and magazine advertisements as late as November 15, 1943. Stratford was a brand of Salz Brothers Inc., located at 44 West 28th Street in New York City in what is now known as the Salz Building. The Stratford 77 was positioned as a value priced pen with the look and features found on more expensive choices from other manufacturers.

Stratford 77 Jade Lineal Pearl c. 1940-1943

This 5 inch long button fill (also called a stud or knob filler) fountain pen is made of a striped celluloid very similar to the first generation Conklin Nozac Penline c. 1936-1937 and the c. 1939 Eagle Prestige, both higher priced pens. It operates much like a Parker button filler, by removing the blind cap from the end of the barrel, inserting the nib in ink and pressing the button to compress the ink sac and fill the pen. The ink level can be checked through a clear window in the section. Even though advertisements show a generic looking nib, all examples I've seen have a nice looking gold plated nib stamped with the Stratford 77 logo, a look one would expect on a more expensive pen. The pen also has a breather tube in the feed, which can be seen through the section.

Advertisement from The Dayton Daily News, November 26, 1941

Several collectors have pointed out that the 77 emblem inlaid in the top of the cap is very similar to an inverted Eversharp double check mark, which for that brand meant “Guaranteed Forever." I'm guessing this is probably not a coincidence.

Advertisement from the New York Daily News, December 15, 1940

Although initially sold for about a dollar for the pen and pencil set, by 1943 the Stratford 77 sets were being discounted. Some 1943 advertisements show prices of 79 cents for the set.

Identification guide and features:

• Striped celluloid cap and barrel in gray, brown, green and black, given several names in advertisements including Grey Lineal Pearl, Brown Lineal Pearl, Jade Lineal Pearl and Jet Black, and also called silver grey, golden brown, emerald green, and jet black, and sometimes including metallic pearl or simulated pearl in the description
• Gold plated round 77 logo inset above clip
• Gold plated clip stamped with the Stratford logo at the top
• Gold plated cap band
• Threaded cap
• Gold plated stainless steel nib, stamped Stratford over 77 over U.S.A.
• Nib grades unknown
• Button filler
• About 5 inches long capped
• Retail price for the pen and pencil set was $1.00 or 99 cents

Performance:

Stratford 77 Grey Lineal Pearl c. 1940-1943

The Stratford 77's designer borrowed a number of elements from successful pens. The tapered shape and striped celluloid is similar to the c. 1940-1948 striped Parker Duofolds and continues with the button filler. Making the blind cap from the same material as the cap and barrel is a nice touch. The 77 emblem is borrowed from the Eversharp Gold Seal emblem. Several pen manufacturers were featuring clear feed windows by the time this pen was marketed, so this was following a trend. Likewise with the breather tube from the feed.

Advertisement from The Morning Call, November 29, 1940

Though several advertisements describe the nib as flexible, no example I tried was anything but a reasonably smooth nail with a pencil like quality on paper. The pen has good balance in the hand, with or without the cap posted. The fit and finish is actually quite good and unlike many lower price pens from this period, the celluloid is still nice and the parts are still tight. A cleaned up and serviced Stratford 77 would make a nice looking decent writing pen.

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References

Life - November 15, 1943, page 6

New York Daily News - December 15, 1940, page 30

New York Daily News - February 10, 1943, page 16B

The Dayton Daily News - November 26, 1941, page 3

The Morning Call - November 29, 1940, page 9