Eversharp/en

The Wahl Eversharp was founded as a manufacturer of pens in 1917, but in reality the company was founded in 1914 when the Wahl Adding Machine decided to expand and spearhead the first in the world of mechanical pencils, and then what of fountain pen. The company continued its activity until the crisis of the '50s. Activities stopped in 1957, when the division which produced the pens was bought by Parker.

Despite the Wahl Eversharp has not distinguished itself in the world of fountain pens for the introduction of substantial technical innovations it has always produced high quality pens and good finishes. The characteristic for which the Eversharp has shone in fact was the style, producing, at the apex of his success, some of the most beautiful pens ever made and distinguished by the wonderful achievements in Art Deco style. Thanks to remarkable success from its golden years it will be fully included, though in position less important than the other, between the Big Four.

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History

The Wahl Eversharp, hereinafter known simply as Eversharp, was born in 1914, following the decision of the Wahl Adding Machine (a company that produced mechanical calculators) to expand its activities. This is one of the few cases in the early history of fountain pen of the century in which a producer of success starts from the decision of a company to expand into another business sector making an investment, and not from the commercial exploitation of an invention.

The activities of Eversharp in the field of writing instruments began in 1914 with the launch of homonym mechanical pencil. For many times it was said that that was the Ever-Sharp pencil created by the Japanese inventor Tokuji Hayakawa, that two years earlier had founded in Tokyo a homonym company, today still active as Sharp. In reality subsequent searches have shown that the pencil Eversharp was invented by Charles Keeran in 1913, and then the invention was sold for production to the Wahl Adding Machine.

In 1917, continuing with its policy of expansion, the Wahl Eversharp acquired the Boston Pen Company, a company that already started producing good fountain pen in ebonite characterized by a clip wheel. The pens were marketed branded Wahl, promoting as capable to alleviate the wear on the edges of the pockets thanks to their peculiar Roller Clip.

The success of the new model, called Tempoint was great and Wahl Eversharp climbed on top of sales ranking, but the unexpected success involved considerable problems for the production, which was not efficient. That is why the company invested heavily in improving production structures and in 1921 launched a new line of metal pens, called Wahl All Metal Fountain Pen for which they have prepared an efficient production line. These pens have not to be confused with an earlier production line, dated between 1919 and 1920, of overlayed metal pens, still using the Roller Clip.

The attention production efficiency and the intent to pursue a policy of industrial expansion always remain a constant in the history of Wahl Eversharp, as well as the presence of wrong investment decisions, such the one that caused the decline and the end of the company. The first of these misplaced investments was, in 1922, the acquisition of a factory for the production of ebonite tubes. This led to some of the most beautiful pens in ebonite ever produced, but the investment was wrong, as it was done just before the advent of celluloid pens.

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Signature models

Some Eversharp models from 1927.

Throughout the first part of '20s the company continued to produce pens in ebonite, the line Tempoint was completed in 1922, the pens in ebonite produced since 1923 are called frequently by collectors Signature using the nib name. But despite being produced in many different versions both in style and materials, the company continued to refer to them simply as Wahl Pen. The pens were produced in different sizes depending on the nib, the wheel clip was reserved for models of biggest dimension, for nib measures 4 and 6, while to meet the military regulation was introduced a model with a elegant curved clip, welded directly onto the metallic head of the cap, with an elegant tulip shape, which is indicated by collectors as Tulip Clip, that was produced in two sizes. The pens were made in black or red ebonite decorated with engravings, which in 1926 was added the Rosewood color.

Due to the heavy investment made Wahl Eversharp was late on the field of materials and began production of celluloid colored pens in 1927, lagging behind competitors (between the Big Four only Waterman was slower to adopt the new material). Initially were introduced only three colors: Jade Green,Royal Blue and Coral while maintaining the production of ebonite pens.

The next year the company completely redesigned its line of products, going almost totally to celluloid, also for the Black and the Rosewood colors, and introducing the new Black Pearl color; but some of the new models still made in ebonite can be found. The big novelty however was a revolutionary mechanism that permit to use different kinf of nibs on the same pen, called Personal Point. Up to 14 different nib types were available, which, thanks to a screw mechanism, could be mounted directly on the pen by the dealer.

The mark of Gold Seal life-warranty.

The same year was also introduced a warranty for life called Gold Seal, recognizable by the mark shown in the figure, as a response to the Sheaffer White dot. The Gold Seal remained in use, with some variation in size, on every model produced by Wahl Eversharp until the Skyline. The mark is made by two check signs to form a "W" that remind the name of the company. It happens sometimes to find pens in which the Gold Seal presents a hole, this is not considered a flaw because it was the company that carried out the drilling to mark the lack of guarantee for the models put into liquidation.

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Full Deco Band series

Still in 1928 was added to the models line a new large pen, made in an art deco style and characterized by a band decorated with a greek motif, called by all collectors Deco Band. Initially the pen was produced in celluloid in the Jade Green, Royal Blue, Rosewood, Black Pearl and Jet Black colours, but there are some rare ebonite versions in black and also red (extremely rare) engraved with a greek motif. In 1930 then was introduced the new Brazilian Green color, but the new pen, still mantaining the same dimensions, also had a different cap band.

In 1929, with the success of the Streamlined style introduced by Sheaffer with his Balance model, Wahl Eversharp launched the Equipoised model, with slender form. The first version of the pen, for its excessive similarity with the Balance, was restyled almost immediately, to reach its final form, which had streamlined body and cap ended by a conical shape, in 1930. It was produced in the same colors of the celluloid Deco Band, but there are some rare color like Oxblood (blood red and black, called also Flamingo) and Bumblebee (yellow and black or yellow and blue), used mainly in desk sets and ladies pens.

File:1931-12-Doric-Sets-Desk.jpg

Advertising for the Doric model in 1931.

But the real masterpiece of Wahl Eversharp will saw the light in 1931: the Doric, celluloid multifaceted pen, in pure Art Deco style, which is said to be inspired by the columns of Greek temples. The new pen, one of the most beautiful pens ever built, was made of celluloid in five colors from exotic names, Kashmir, Morocco, Cathay, Burma and the classic Jed Black. To those was added, although it did not appear in advertising and was produced only for a very short period, the Black Pearl, which therefore is very rare.

Nello stesso anno la Wahl Eversharp lanciò anche una linea economica, la Oxford, sempre in celluloide, e con pennino d'oro. Queste penne, pur essendo economiche, sono quasi sempre penne di buona fattura e all'epoca avevano un ottimo rapporto qualità/prezzo. Per buona parte degli anni '30 la produzione della Eversharp è dominata dalla Doric e vedrà l'introduzione del pennino gradabile nel 1932, un redesign della penna nel 1935 e l'introduzione del meccanismo dell'Ink Shut-off nel 1936, che venne adottato poi anche dal nuovo modello Coronet, altro capolavoro dell'Art Decò.

Schema dell'Ink Shut-off.

L'Ink Shut-off, illustrato nella figura, fu un'altro degli investimenti poco azzeccati dell'azienda: promosso come un meccanismo che permetteva di bloccare l'afflusso di inchiostro al pennino quando la penna era chiusa per impedirne l'uscita in caso di depressione, (come accadeva nei viaggi aerei, allora in forte espansione) era in effetti poco efficace, tanto che l'azienda fu forzata a ritirarlo dal mercato dalla Federal Trade Commission.

Nel '37, seguendo di nuovo una innovazione della Sheaffer, vennero introdotti anche dei modelli di Doric con corpo trasparente e riempimento a siringa rovesciata (denominato Plunger Filler), lo stesso caricamento venne adottato anche per dei modelli economici, simili alla Doric ma prodotti in versione liscia. Alla fine degli anni '30, nonostante l'introduzione di altri modelli economici come la Pacemaker e la Air-lite la Wahl Eversharp continuò costantemente a perdere quote di mercato.

Per questo motivo nel 1940 la compagnia dette vita ad una completa ristrutturazione, Wahl Company si fuse con la sussidiaria Eversharp Inc. e la conduzione venne affidata Martin Strauss che lanciò nel 1941 la nuova linea Skyline, di nuovo distinguendosi per la particolarità del design della penna, affidato ad Henry Dreyfuss, e per una campagna promozionale di successo. La Skyline realizzò forti vendite, riportando la Eversharp ai vertici del mercato, ma questo è stato anche l'ultimo dei modelli di successo dell'azienda.

Nel 1943, nel tentativo di seguire il successo della 51 della Parker, venne introdotta la Fifth Avenue, un modello realizzato in plastica e con pennino coperto, che al contrario della 51 ebbe scarso successo. Il grosso delle vendite restava quello della Skyline tanto che nel 1946 la linea Fifth Avenue venne dismessa. Nonostante la compagnia fosse solida, la Eversharp si trovò di nuovo ad affrontare un periodo di declino.

Paradossalmente fu proprio la decisione di investire massicciamente su una innovazione tecnica all'epoca rivoluzionaria, quella della penna a sfera, ad infliggere un colpo mortale alla ditta. Nel 1945 la Eversharp iniziò ad interessarsi allo sviluppo della penna a sfera acquisendo i diritti di sfruttamento della penna Biro dal produttore argentino, la Eterpen Co. ma prima del lancio della sua CA (Capillary Action) un'altra ditta la Reynold's International Pen Company immise sul mercato un'altra penna a sfera. La cosa diede origine ad una furiosa battaglia legale che però non ebbe esiti dato che l'invenzione era già coperta da un brevetto, scaduto, del 1888.

Nonostante questo la Eversharp lanciò in grande stile la nuova penna a sfera nel 1946, ottenendo nell'immediato buoni risultati, ma il successo fu breve e si scatenò immediatamente una guerra sui prezzi con i concorrenti. Inoltre in breve fu evidente che la nuova tecnologia era immatura: la gran parte di queste penne a sfera infatti funzionavano in maniera parziale e la Eversharp dovette sostenere enormi spese per riprendere indietro penne in garanzia, il che comportò grandi perdite a causa dei forti investimenti effettuati sia per la campagna pubblicitaria che per la creazione degli impianti di produzione della nuova penna.

L'investimento fallito nella produzione della penna a sfera fu un colpo fatale per le finanze della compagnia; essa cercò un rilancio tornando nel più consolidato mercato della penna stilografica, e nel 1948 commissionò a Raymond Loewy, un famoso stilista, il disegno di una nuova stilografica la Symphony; anche questa però non ebbe un gran successo e le fortune della Eversharp andarono progressivamente scemando, come i suoi profitti, fino alla liquidazione della divisione produttiva alla Parker nel 1957. Dopo tale data restano solo tracce del marchio nella produzione, a fine anni '50, di alcune penne economiche per la Parker.

Template:CronoMarche |- | 1905 || Nascita della Wahl Adding Machine Co. |- | 1914 || Introdotta la matita meccanica Eversharp |- | 1917 || Acquisizione della Boston Pen Company |- | 1917 || Il nome della compagnia diventa The Wahl Company |- | 1918 || Introdotta la linea Tempoint in ebanite |- | 1921 || Introdotta la linea Wahl All Metal Fountain Pen di penne in metallo |- | 1922 || Acquisto della fabbrica di ebanite Washington Rubber Co. |- | 1922 || Dismesso il modallo Tempoint |- | 1923 || Continua la produzione di penne in ebanite denominate Signature |- | 1926 || Introdotta l'ebanite Rosewood (???) |- | 1927 || Introdotti i primi modelli in celluloide, nei colori Jade Green, Lapis Blue e Coral Red. |- | 1928 || Introdotti i pennini intercambiabili Personal Point |- | 1928 || Introdotto il marchio di garanzia a vita Gold Seal, |- | 1928 || Introdotto il modello Deco Band |- | 1929 || Introdotto il modello Equipoised |- | 1930 || Introdotta la celluloide nel nuovo colore Brasilian Green |- | 1931 || Introdotto il modello Doric |- | 1931 || Introdotta la linea economica Oxford |- | 1932 || Introdotto il modello Bantham |- | 1932 || Introdotto il pennino graduabile Adjustable Point (?) |- | 1934 || Registrato il brevetto (nº US-1980159) per il pennino graduabile Adjustable Point |- | 1936 || Introdotto il modello Coronet |- | 1936 || Introdotto l'Ink Shut-off |- | 1937 || Introdotto il caricamento a siringa rovesciata denominato plunger filler |- | 1938 || Introdotto il modello Pacemaker |- | 1938 || Introdotto il modello Air-lite per le scuole |- | 1940 || Il nome della compagnia venne modificato in Eversharp Inc. |- | 1940 || Dismesso il modello Bantham |- | 1940 || Registrato il brevetto (nº US-2255093) per l'alimentatore Magic Feed |- | 1941 || Introdotto il modello Skyline creato da Henry Dreyfuss |- | 1941 || Dismessi i modelli Doric, Coronet e Pacemaker e la linea Oxford |- | 1943 || Introdotto il modello Fifth Avenue |- | 1945 || Introdotto il primo modello di penna a sfera, la CA (Capillary Action) |- | 1945 || Dismesso il modello Fifth Avenue |- | 1948 || Introdotto il modello Symphony, disegnato da Raymond Loewy |- | 1948 || Dismesso il modello Skyline ? |- | 1953 || Introdotto il modello economico Ventura |- | 1953 || Dismesso il modello Symphony |- | 1957 || La divisione strumenti di scrittura della Eversharp Inc. venne ceduta alla Parker |- |}

Template:LegendaModelli |- | Wahl Engine Turned || 1921-1928? || Midget, Lady, Junior, Medium, Standard, Large |- | Deco Band || 1928-1931? || |- | Doric || 1931-1941 || |- | Skyline || 1940-1948 || Demi, Standard, Executive |- |}

Riferimenti esterni

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eversharp
• http://www.pendemonium.com/pens_eversharp.htm
• http://www.rickconner.net/penspotters/eversharp.html
• http://www.rickconner.net/penoply/we.0.html
• http://www.penhero.com/PenGallery/Eversharp/WahlEversharp.htm
• http://www.billspens.com/billspens/eversharp/eversharp.htm
• http://www.pensburymanor.com/