The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen.

[keoghpc%]

The following couplet appeared weekly in the Oban Times newspaper
(Scotland) for very many years. It was an advert for MacNiven and
Cameron, wholesale stationers, Edinburgh and I think the Camerons were
related to the then proprietors of the Oban Times.
"They come as a boon and a blessing to men,
the Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen".
These, I believe were nibs for dip pens. Has anyone had dealings with
them?
--
Ed.

yes i have a have a box old waverley nibs and pens,***@tcd.ie

[e***@gmail.com]

Note the image here - do you see it?? :)

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The following couplet appeared weekly in the Oban Times newspaper
(Scotland) for very many years. It was an advert for MacNiven and
Cameron, wholesale stationers, Edinburgh and I think the Camerons were
related to the then proprietors of the Oban Times.
"They come as a boon and a blessing to men,
the Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen".
These, I believe were nibs for dip pens. Has anyone had dealings with
them?
--
Ed.
The following couplet appeared weekly in the Oban Times newspaper
(Scotland) for very many years. It was an advert for MacNiven and
Cameron, wholesale stationers, Edinburgh and I think the Camerons were
related to the then proprietors of the Oban Times.
"They come as a boon and a blessing to men,
the Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen".
These, I believe were nibs for dip pens. Has anyone had dealings with
them?
--
Ed.

[Kim Miller]

The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen".
What a kind man you are, Mr Hyde, to have posted this! I first read this
quip several decades ago, had forgotten it in its detail, and have been
trying for some years to recall it. Now, thanks to you, I have it. I
believe I shall steal it and use it in my e-mail signature!
I cannot help with the Pickwick or the Owl pen (Can anyone else give us
details?), but I can speak a bit to the Waverley: The Waverley was indeed a
steel nib for a dipping pen, but it's great advantage was that at the tip of
the nib where the two tines meet was affixed a small ball of metal, just as
we think is now normal on a standard fountain pen nib.
Conventional practice at the time was to have the nib end in a sharp point.
While the sharp point allows for a very thin line (helpful with a flexible
nib when one is a 19th Century schoolboy attempting to master Copperplate),
but it also digs into the paper when used improperly (by that same
schoolboy), can flick ink about if dug in to that paper and the tension is
released abruptly, and in general can serve better as a dart than as a pen
(by a schoolboy of any era).
The Waverley, with its "ball" point, wrote smoothly, without digging into
the paper. It did not provide as much contrast between think and thin lines
as did its sharp predecessor, but as a practical writing nib for general
writing it was far superior and thus, in the opinion of its makers, "a boon
and a blessing to men." And quite right they were, too, in my opinion!
Thank you again for solving a minor, but irritatingly unsolved mystery.
Philip J. Kuhl
Arlington 4, Virginia

[Kim Miller]

The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen".

The only thing I can think of is a possible connection with famous
writers. Charles Dickens wrote the Pickwick Papers and Sir Walter
Scott wrote the Waverley Novels. The only owl I can think of is
Edward Lear's "The Owl and the Pussy Cat" but perhaps some other
contributors to the ng know a bit more.
--
Ed.

I found this thread 21 years later!

I was researching my PENN family tree and asked my aunt why my father was called Waverley. She mentioned that my grandfather loved the jingle of the Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen so went on to call him Waverley PENN.

Regards
Kim