As some of you already know, I am a
fountain pen user (since I was a child) and collector. However, I have to admit that I became
fascinated by the ballpoint pen history and, in particular, by everything about Paper Mate as
soon as I read “The Incredible Ball Point Pen: A Comprehensive History and Price Guide” by Henry Gostony and Stuart
Schneider [1]. On the other hand, little has still been written about this writing instrument. That's the reason why my research mainly focuses on ballpoints.
There is much to be done there!
It is not going too far, I think, to say
that the ballpoint pen is one of the most amazing inventions ever made. And not
only because of all the science behind, but also due to its exciting and
sometimes turbulent history, specially in the early stages.
Two major breakthroughs of the twentieth century,
the Einstein's mass-energy equivalence equation and the ballpoint pen
(image from sciencelens.co.nz)
Experts agree that Paper Mate came to the rescue of the ballpoint pen just when, a couple of years after its introduction, it was
on the point of dying. In my honest opinion its salvation was, regardless the main figures, a question of time. But the fact is that it was Paper Mate's founder, Patrick Frawley, and no one
else who, with his extraordinary business acumen and owning the right product,
turned the public’s disfavor into satisfaction. Nowadays the ballpoint pen is so much a part of our lives.
My aim is to present a short series of
articles about the early history of Paper Mate. They will cover the period from
1949, with Frawley entering the ballpoint pen business, till 1964, when the
Profile model, which I consider the boundary between vintage and modern Paper Mate production, was introduced. These articles are being
written on the basis of well-known information sources such as the book by Gostony and
Schneider, patents, advertising on US national media, etc. Nevertheless,
they are not merely a comprehensive mix of those references. On the contrary,
I am also using little-known material which was produced at the same time this renowned manufacturer made history. Material I have
found after many hours of googling and which in short might be unknown for
the general public and even for the Paper Mate collector and researcher.
I hope not to disappoint you!
José Antonio.
PS: I would like to acknowledge Paul Bloch for inspiring me to write these articles. They came to my mind after he asked me for information about the early Paper Mate's production.
Brief historical overview.
Perhaps no one better than Gostony and
Schneider to describe (and make us enjoy) the situation of the ballpoint pen just before the birth of Paper Mate:
“By the end of the 1940s, people had
stopped buying ball points. After four years, the public lost faith in them
because of exaggerated, unrealized claims combined with poor performance. The
pens leaked, globbed, smeared, and were largely unreliable and unpleasant to
use.”
Ballpoints had developed a dreadful reputation for being annoying, undependable writing instruments. Banking and legal professions advised against their use, for low-rate ink drying favored signatures to be
transferred, a forger’s trick. Neither were ballpoints suitable in education. Therefore, in spite of being cheaper than fountain pens, ballpoints didn’t sell at all. Only a few manufacturers of the hundreds that arised during the second half of the fourties survived. The ballpoint pen, which had been the main character of one of
America’s biggest sales battle, as Nation’s Business [2] described the first year
of its introduction, was about to die.
One victim of that bloody battle was the Todd Pen
Company, a small firm located in Southern
California . This manufacturer had
put into market a retractable ballpoint which somehow resembled the 1946 Blythe’s
refillable push-button model, essentially a three-piece device with aluminum top and bottom ends screwed into a thermoplastic barrel produced by The Ball Pen Company (later B. B. Pen Company) leaded by Robert -Bob- Blythe [3]. A "shoulder-clicker” button, a washer clip (imprinted "MADE IN USA" and "TODD") and an inner spring completed this extremelly simple, yet
efficient design.
Todd retractable ballpoint
(image from pentooling.com)
The button exhibited a locking cam at its
top part. It had to be pushed down
first and then tilted aside to a locking position in order to extend the writing point. Retraction was achieved by shifting the
button till it was released. A retracting spring, located between the refill end and the lower end of the pen, kept the sliding parts in place tightly.
Apart from their resemblance, there is no clear connection between the Todd and Blythe pens. In fact, both of them shared design basis with at least another contemporary ballpoint, the Ball 'O' Graph.
Ball 'O' Graph retractable ballpoint
Notice the button's position when the point is extended (up) and retracted (down)
Apart from their resemblance, there is no clear connection between the Todd and Blythe pens. In fact, both of them shared design basis with at least another contemporary ballpoint, the Ball 'O' Graph.
The Blythe pen
(photograph from my personal archive)
The "shoulder-clicker" button at work
(photograph from my personal archive)
Ball 'O' Graph retractable ballpoint
Notice the button's position when the point is extended (up) and retracted (down)
(image from pentooling.com)
Patrick
J. Frawley, Jr. [4][5]
Patrick Joseph Frawley, Jr. (born May 26, 1923, León, Nicaragua - died November 3, 1998, Santa Monica, California) was the son of an American entrepreneur who made a living in Latin America. He was educated in San Francisco but at the age of 18, after being dropped out of college, he returned to Nicaragua and worked with his father. Frawley served with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. In 1945 he married a Canadian and settled in San Francisco. There he became engaged in a series of small-time business ventures that eventually landed him in possession of his own company, the Frawley Corporation, in July 3, 1946 [6].
Patrick J. Frawley, Jr.
(image from papermate.com)
Frawley always stood out for his
extraordinary business skill. According to the experts, he was, together with Fran Seech, responsible for the revival of the ballpoint pen as founder of Paper Mate.
A
new, successful ink.
Ink played an essential role in the
ballpoint pen development, which had reached an impasse by the end of the
forties. It is clear that an improvement of the existing inks, among other
breakthroughs, was absolutely necesary in order to make the ballpoint pen an
useful writing instrument.
Fired from a job with a Californian
ball-pen company when disaster hit the business, chemist Fran Seech, an Austro-Hungarian refugee, rented a cubbyhole laboratory and continued to improve the
ink formula he had been working for [7]. In 1949 he developed a glycol-based
quick-penetrating ink which dried instantly. Soon it proved to be a great
success.
Frawley
enters the ballpoint pen business.
Impressed by Seech’s discovery, Frawley
asked his father for a loan of $40,000 [1], secured the rights to the new ink and
took over the Todd Pen Company ($18,000) [4][7].
Paper Mate begins selling pens.
In June that year the Frawley Corporation commenced the manufacturing, sale and distribution of ballpoints [6].
At present it is widely accepted that the first Paper Mate pen was inspired by Blythe's one. However, the former was no more than the Todd pen imprinted “PAPER MATE” instead of "TODD" on the clip. The connection between this pen and The Ball Pen Company, if any, had to take place before Frawley’s arrival to the ballpoint pen business.
At present it is widely accepted that the first Paper Mate pen was inspired by Blythe's one. However, the former was no more than the Todd pen imprinted “PAPER MATE” instead of "TODD" on the clip. The connection between this pen and The Ball Pen Company, if any, had to take place before Frawley’s arrival to the ballpoint pen business.
Paper Mate's first pen
(photograph from my personal archive)
In detail
(photographs from my personal archive)
This pen included a refill with a crimp near the bottom which helped to keep the retracting spring in place.
The functioning of the first Paper Mate pen is absolutely similar
to that of both Blythe and Ball 'O' Graph ballpoints
(photographs from my personal archive)
Of course, an essential question arises by
itself: Why did Frawley use the Todd’s design, not his own, in order to start
with pen business? Probably he needed a suitable, already existing
pen for the commercial viability of his adventure to be checked before
approaching the time-consuming and expensive development of an entire new
design. Indeed, the Todd pen was refillable, retractable (capless) but, most of all, simple, i.e. inexpensive to manufacture. In addition, the Todd pen, in spite of being perhaps everything but eye-catching, was surely an efficient and reliable design. With no doubt it was also a matter of economic survival, a way of recovering the initial investment and make money till the arrival of the right product.
The Paper Mate was made to sell for 97 cents, but it didn’t at all [8]. Frawley first tried the San Francisco area
Not a few pens had been given to bankers. Frawley cleverly understood that it was absolutely necessary to recruit to his cause these professionals, among others, in order to change public's poor perception of the ballpoint pen. Shortly he began to receive letters from some of them. They showed themselves very satisfied with the pen's performance, remarking that the ink dried indeed instantly, what made it with no doubt suitable for banking. Such letters gave Frawley the idea of the copy point “bankers approve” as an excellent way of attracting customers. Since June 1949 it was successfully used for many years [6].
Not a few pens had been given to bankers. Frawley cleverly understood that it was absolutely necessary to recruit to his cause these professionals, among others, in order to change public's poor perception of the ballpoint pen. Shortly he began to receive letters from some of them. They showed themselves very satisfied with the pen's performance, remarking that the ink dried indeed instantly, what made it with no doubt suitable for banking. Such letters gave Frawley the idea of the copy point “bankers approve” as an excellent way of attracting customers. Since June 1949 it was successfully used for many years [6].
Long Beach Press Telegram, September 12, 1951
Frawley’s next step was to persuade dealers to take a dozen of his pens on consignment. In such a case, he would pay their profits in advance. Moreover, he would give them a generous advertising allowance. Consequently first Paper-Mate's advertising took place on a co-operation basis in local press. Promotion as much as a swell product proved to be essential for the growth of sales.
In an interview Frawley remembered his early attempts at advertising [1]. The Macy's Department Store had finally become one of his first customers. He had convinced Macy's to buy his pen and Macy's insisted on running a large advertisement in the San Francisco Examiner. "The ad cost $5,000, a huge amount in those days", Frawley stated. That advertisement said "Now Macy's brings you Paper Mate". Macy's even guaranteed the pen's performance. Frawley questioned the wisdom of the campaign, but Macy's was adamant. On the day of the sale, pens were piled high on tables and half a dozen of Macy's clerks waited for customers. Twelve hours later, only eighteen had been sold!
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, November 22, 1951
By the end of 1949 Frawley had finally sold $15,000 worth of pens.
Apparently, the Paper Mate kept the same retail price during its marketing period. There was a choice of four barrel colors: red, green, blue
and black. Refills cost 49c.
Syracuse Herald Journal, March 9, 1952
Pittsfield Berkshire Evening Eagle, March 20, 1952
The four barrel colours available: Black, red, blue and green
(picture from the book by Gostony and Schneider)
Advertising on a Paper Mate's first pen
(picture from ebay - seller mrpen_ourtownusa)
Some advertisements make reference to a “Standard" model. Rather than an official name, this may have been a way of telling it from the Deluxe model used by some dealers (Standard vs. Deluxe).
Halifax Gazette, August 14, 1952
There also existed an office version (in contrast to the regular one) without either push-button or clip, but a chain attached to the upper end of the pen instead. It was imprinted "PAPER - MATE" on the barrel. The refill was also different
from that of the regular version, a little bit longer, with a second crimp near its top (the first one being non-functional). The retracting spring was set in place between the top crimp and the pen top.
Details: upper end and barrel imprint
Office version of the first Paper Mate pen
(photograph from my personal archive)
Details: upper end and barrel imprint
(photographs from my personal archive)
Comparison between the regular (green) and office (blue) versions
Their different parts are absolutely interchangeable!
(photographs from my personal archive)
Refills of the regular (above) and office (below) versions
The location of the retracting spring is also shown
(photographs from my personal archive)
Personally, I have never seen any reference to the office version in documentation (catalogs, advertisements, etc.). Nevertheless, some advertisements read claims such as "Paper-Mate is used in nearly 1.000 banks ..." or "PAPER-MATE PENS are approved and used every day in more than 4.000 leading banks ..." I wonder whether this pen was part of the Paper Mate's product catalog or it was perhaps given for free to Banks in line with the company's commercial strategy. On the other hand, an article in Billboard, January 16, 1954 describes "venders" (coin operated machines) with Paper Mate ballpoints chained to their sides. Such machines were produced by Vendo, Kansas City, for the Tele-Trip Policy Company, which sold trip accident insurance. Located in airports, they allowed several passengers (as many as chained ballpoints existed) to fill their policy forms at the same time. Before that time, Paper Mate had also brought out sets for use in banks (appart from an "executive's desk pen set") [8]. My question is: Could the office version of the first Paper Mate pen come from one of these venders or sets? Or were these devices equipped with the later Deluxe model? Probably we will never be able to answer this question! But Deluxe pens were too expensive as to use them in public places ($1.69 vs. 97 cents).
Examples of the regular version are not frequently seen. But the office version seems to be much scarcer. As a matter of fact, I have only seen one specimen in all my life as collector: Mine!
It is important to note that Frawley always gave more emphasis to the new ink than to his first pen. Remarks such as “Most amazing new chemical discovery!”, “No more ink stains on hands or clothes … ever again.”, “... it positively cannot smear, blot or transfer.”, “Always a clean point.”, “Your writing dries in 1/89 second.”, “..., safe on checks.”, “Eight miles of permanent writing.” or “Washes right out of clothes.” took up most of the advertising surface. However, the pen features played a secondary role. As a matter of fact, Frawley would later admit that his first pen “didn’t work too well”. It was neither attractive. Seech’s ink was the only advantage over the competition. Frawley needed an eye-catching and precision built ballpoint pen that worked as fine as the best one put into market, even better.
Next article: The Deluxe model (mid 1950 - mid 1954).
References
[1] The Incredible Ball Point Pen: A Comprehensive History and Price Guide,
Henry Gostony and Stuart Schneider, Schiffer Pub Ltd, 1998 (ISBN 0764304372).
[2] Nation's Business, November, 1946.
[3] Silviu Pincu's "The Blythe connection" post on fountainpenboard.com
(http://fountainpenboard.com/forum/index.php?/topic/4299-the-blythe-connection/).
[4] Encyclopaedia Britannica
(http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/217640/Patrick-Joseph-Frawley-Jr).
[5] Spartacus Educational (http://spartacus-educational.com/JFKfawleyP.htm).
[6] Frawley Corporation vs. Penmaster Company, United States District Court N. D. Illinois, E. D.,
November 23, 1954 (http://www.leagle.com/decision/1954159131FSupp28_1152).
[7] Things You Never Knew About Your Fountain Pen, Modern Mechanix, September, 1956
(http://blog.modernmechanix.com/things-you-never-knew-about-your-fountain-pen/).
[8] Sponsor, February 22, 1954
(https://ia902500.us.archive.org/16/items/sponsormagazine-1954-02/Sponsor-1954-02-2.pdf).
Examples of the regular version are not frequently seen. But the office version seems to be much scarcer. As a matter of fact, I have only seen one specimen in all my life as collector: Mine!
It is important to note that Frawley always gave more emphasis to the new ink than to his first pen. Remarks such as “Most amazing new chemical discovery!”, “No more ink stains on hands or clothes … ever again.”, “... it positively cannot smear, blot or transfer.”, “Always a clean point.”, “Your writing dries in 1/89 second.”, “..., safe on checks.”, “Eight miles of permanent writing.” or “Washes right out of clothes.” took up most of the advertising surface. However, the pen features played a secondary role. As a matter of fact, Frawley would later admit that his first pen “didn’t work too well”. It was neither attractive. Seech’s ink was the only advantage over the competition. Frawley needed an eye-catching and precision built ballpoint pen that worked as fine as the best one put into market, even better.
Next article: The Deluxe model (mid 1950 - mid 1954).
References
[1] The Incredible Ball Point Pen: A Comprehensive History and Price Guide,
Henry Gostony and Stuart Schneider, Schiffer Pub Ltd, 1998 (ISBN 0764304372).
[2] Nation's Business, November, 1946.
[3] Silviu Pincu's "The Blythe connection" post on fountainpenboard.com
(http://fountainpenboard.com/forum/index.php?/topic/4299-the-blythe-connection/).
[4] Encyclopaedia Britannica
(http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/217640/Patrick-Joseph-Frawley-Jr).
[5] Spartacus Educational (http://spartacus-educational.com/JFKfawleyP.htm).
[6] Frawley Corporation vs. Penmaster Company, United States District Court N. D. Illinois, E. D.,
November 23, 1954 (http://www.leagle.com/decision/1954159131FSupp28_1152).
[7] Things You Never Knew About Your Fountain Pen, Modern Mechanix, September, 1956
(http://blog.modernmechanix.com/things-you-never-knew-about-your-fountain-pen/).
[8] Sponsor, February 22, 1954
(https://ia902500.us.archive.org/16/items/sponsormagazine-1954-02/Sponsor-1954-02-2.pdf).