Mallat
Mallat is one of the historical French fountain pen producer, and since it was founded in 1842 is also one of the oldest manufacturers of writing instruments in the world, and perhaps it can also be considered, for the invention of Siphoïde, the first producer having launched on the market a real fountain pen precursor.
Despite its beginnings the actual production of fountain pens started at the end of World War I, with a peak of production in the postwar period, when the company was noted for being among the first to use plastic. Fountain pen production stopped around the 60's, when they were removed from the market the success of the disposable ballpoint pens. Mallat fountain pens are of good quality and the older ones are still experiencing a quite good collector's interest.
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History
Mallat is probably one of the oldest manufacturers of writing instruments from around the world, its founding by Jean Benoit Mallat, traces to 1842. In 1852 Jean Benoit Mallat first patented a pen with metal nib and in 1864 patented the Siphoïde, a real ancestor of a fountain pen, and probably the first writing instrument equipped with a reservoir that has been produced and marketed.
From its beginnings, the company always operates in the field of writing materials with nibs and straws and other stationery items, while the actual production of fountain pens only began after World War I (although there are some who reports the date of 1916) with the introduction of various models: the Regulier an eyedropper filler model, the Sureté, a safety filler, and the Automatic, a lever filler. They were identified respectively by the letters "R", "S" and "A" before the number of model.
In the early '30s Mallat introduced the celluloid producing models with both lever and button loading system, using streamlined shapes and conical-shaped ends. In the 1930 they introduced the 120 a lever filler ladies model, produced in iridescent colors, and the 130, also a lever filler. The 150 and the Integral models, introduced in 1936, where instead button filler, produced with the goal of a better ink capacity, as dictated from the French market trend of that period.
Having overcome the unlucky period of Second War II, Mallat was one of the first european companies to realize the potential of injection plastics and began to shift production from celluloid to it. In 1943 the plastic made Plexigraf series was introduced, again a button filler. It was followed the next year by the Junior Plexigraf for the women and student market. The Plexigraf model will be produced for all the '40s in different versions, from the first one of 1943, named Plexigraf 14, to new models like the Plexigraf 225 and the Plexigraf 315, always made of black plastic to the coloured Plexicolor series introduced in 1946.
Alla fine degli anni '40, con l'affermarsi della moda della tendenza a mostrare la quantità di inchiostro rimasta venne prodotto un modello con caricamento a stantuffo, la 310. Negli anni '50 l'azienda centrò la sua pubblicità sui personaggi di Malatin e del cane Whisky (cercando di emulare il successo di Tintin) ed introdusse nuovi modelli, come Leda, Ambassador o Commodore, con cappucci ad incastro, in genere in metallo cromato o placcato oro, realizzati inizialmente con caricamento a pulsante di fondo ed in seguito convertiti al caricamento a fisarmonica.
La produzione specializzata di penne stilografiche venne chiusa definitivamente negli anni '60, poco dopo l'acquisizione della Edacoto. L'azienda restò però presente in maniera significativa sul mercato degli articoli da scrittura, per il quale vennero anche prodotte delle insignificanti stilografiche a cartuccia di fascia economica. A metà degli anni '90 venne acquisita da una multinazionale operante nel campo della cancelleria ed il marchio è ormai scomparso.
Template:CronoMarche |- | 1842 || Jean Benoit Mallat fonda la Mallat |- | 1852 || Jean Benoit Mallat brevetta una penna con pennino metallico |- | 1864 || Jean Benoit Mallat brevetta il Siphoïde, un precursore della stilografica |- | 1916 || inizia la produzione di stilografiche (incerto) |- | 1930 || introdotti i modelli 120 e 130 |- | 1936 || introdotti i modelli Integral e 150 |- | 1943 || introdotto il modello Plexigraf |- | 1944 || introdotto il modello Junior Plexigraf |- | 1946 || introdotto il modello Plexicolor |- |}
Template:LegendaModelli |- | Plexigraf || 1943 || |- |}