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Choosing the Right Nib, Part III
A Look At Nibs
For Monoline Writing
By Bob Hurford
T
his is a huge category for nibs, easily the largest of any past. When the Remington Company introduced the typewriter
writing discipline. Not only were there thousands of in 1874 (the same company that made rifles and pistols for the
different types of pens made for monoline writing, but Union Army during the Civil War), it spelled the beginning of
many more could be adapted to the unshaded style by the end for the clerk/penman. The clerk/penman became the
simply lightening the pressure one places on the pen. clerk/typist.
Monoline writing has no shades. There are no thin and thick That hardly meant the end of penmanship. Good, legible
strokes as with copperplate, engrossers’ script or spencerian. That handwriting was still prized in business and it flourished in
means even, light pressure on the pen, which allows nibs to last schools where entire penmanship departments oversaw handwrit-
longer. ing instruction. A person with outstanding handwriting was
When one thinks of monoline writing, thoughts tend to busi- viewed as someone special and monoline script was the style most
ness penmanship. However, that is a small part of our writing practiced.
A monoline script sample from Zanerian College graduate Mary Champion from her book, The Champion Method of Practical Business Writing, 1921.
Though titled business writing, the book was a text for schools.
Henry P. Behrensmeyer is probably better known for his ornamental penmanship, but he taught penmanship at the Gem City Business College, Quincy, Illi-
nois, for fifty years. His is a distinctly different style than Mary Champion and its roots in spencerian-style penmanship are evident in letter construction, letter
spacing, and the connectors. From Mr. Behrensmeyer’s Lessons in Practical Penmanship, 1917.
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Above is an example of the Palmer Method, probably the most popular teaching curriculum in the first half of the 20th century. From The Palmer Method of
Business Writing by A.N. (Austin Norman) Palmer, 1915.
Nibs for monoline script reflected the prized nature of the The Nibs
penmanship and the intense competition among the various sup- Since the universe of monoline nibs is so vast, surveying even a
pliers for the public’s patronage. These steel pens were among decent fraction of the pens is far more than may be accomplished
the most ornate ever produced. Gold plated, silver plated, plus in a small article. The good news is that vintage nibs in this cate-
nibs colored in bronze, blue and green were common. Color gory are readily available and very inexpensive. As this survey was
could be obtained by selectively heating the nib in its final manu- being written, there were no fewer than eight boxes of monoline
facturing stages. Many companies licensed nibs from the various pens to be discussed here that were offered on Ebay and not a
manufacturers. One could buy a pen with the Sears name on it one received a bid.
or Rexall Drugs, to name only two. Nibs made for the Pennsyl- Equally good news is that there are a number of excellent pens
vania Railroad, Metropolitan Life Insurance or any number of still made today. This survey will focus on pens readers are likely
companies show up from time to time. All were for monoline to actually find: modern nibs and vintage points most commonly
writing. found on Ebay. As in previous reviews, modern nibs are listed in
Monoline nibs have one common trait: They are very, very bold type. Every pen mentioned here is a terrific writer in the
stiff. A slight shade could be rendered, but only with a lot of ef- fine to medium point range unless otherwise mentioned.
fort. They also tend to be quite long. None of the monoline The most common design among vintage points were the Fal-
nibs was ever meant to be used in an oblique holder. Due to the con pens and the “Bowl-Point,” noted for their keyhole-like eye-
even pressure required for the formation of letters, straight pen- let. These were also called “Bulb Points” or “Ball Points.” Of the
holders were deemed more practical.
Monoline penmanship with the steel pen has been pretty
much relegated to history’s dust bin, but I, for one, enjoy using
the old pens. Not only can they accommodate inks and paints
that would destroy any other type of pen, but monoline steel pens
also make very good drawing pens.
Turned-Up Points
Sometime in the latter third of the 19th century, pen manufactur-
ers began offering steel pens with what they called turned-up
points. It was a crimp at the point of the nib that kept the point
from snagging in the paper and was a terrific innovation.
Bowl-Pointed pens, from left to right: Leonardt 516EF Ball Pointed; Esterbrook
788 Oval Point; Spencerian #42 Bright Steel; Spencerian #42 Gold Point (gold
plated bowl); Spencerian Capitol Dome Point; Eagle Pencil Company E830 Bulb
Point; Brandauer Cebeeco (enitrely gold plated); William Mitchell #0591; Hunt
513 Globe Bowl Pointed; M.Myers & Company #9 Silver Series. All had
turned-up points. As one can see, pen manufacturers had no qualms about steal-
ing each others’ designs.
latter, the Hunt 513 is still made. The group in the above photo
is only a sampling of those pens available. If you see a similarly
designed pen not listed here, be assured that it is probably as stiff
and with a medium point as the nibs shown.
Penmakers also offered smaller bowl points. These tended to
have finer points and did not always have the turned-up point.
The turned-up point, top and side views. The crimp at the point of Falcon-style nibs were the most popular pens of their time, led
the nib was designed to keep the pen from snagging in the paper. by the Esterbrook 048 Falcon. The 048 was the all time best
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Smaller bowl-pointed pens,
left to right: Hunt 24
Ledger Pen; Hunt X-24
Silverine; Hunt 512 Ex-
tra Fine Bowl Pointed
(turned-up point);
Brandauer #536 Globe
Pen (turned-up point);
Esterbrook 717 Federal
Pen; Spencerian 21F
Differential Dome
Pointed (turned-up
point) .
Left to right: Hunt 41 Eddystone; Left to right: Esterbrook 810 Cashiers
seller. Falcon pens did not usually have the turned-point, but
Esterbrook 322 Inflexible; Esterbrook Pen; Esterbrook 756 School Pen; Eagle
were excellent monoline writers. As with the Bowl Points, the 322 Inflexible gold plated; Esterbrook Pencil Company E640 Auditor Pen;
Falcons listed here are just a representative sample. Falcons of 921 Radio Pen. MacNiven & Cameron Waverly Pen.
every make and model appear frequently on Ebay and are basi-
cally the same pen: fine pointed with a bit more flex than bowl
points, but not much. So popular were the Falcons that manufac- pen.
turers created “spin-offs,” smaller Lady Falcons. They are equally The Eagle Pencil Company E640 Auditor Pen is another very fine
stiff, but are small enough that they could work comfortably in an tip, but without the turned up point.
The Waverly Pen, made by Scottish penmaker MacNiven &
Cameron, is included because it appears on Ebay so often. It is a
good pen with a slight flex and a medium point. I suspect that it
is equally popular for its wonderful tin box.
Modern Nibs
There is a rich selection among nibs manufactured today for
monoline writing. Aside from the aforementioned Hunt 513,
there is the Hiro 700, made by the
English firm of D.Leonardt. It is
small and super stiff. A good nib, it
is also a good drawing pen.
The German penmaker, Brause
Nibs of the Falcon design, left to right: Esterbrook 048 Falcon Pen; Esterbrook & Company (marketed by Exaclair, Hiro 700.
920 Radio Pen; Esterbrook 905 Radio Pen (with the turned-up point); Hunt 97 Inc., of New York City), manufac-
Falcon; Hunt 98 Stiff Falcon; Spencerian Forty; Spencerian #30 Bronze Falcon tures four outstanding nibs for monoline writing. Its #65 is an
(which also came in green); Gillott #1155 Super Falcon; Eagle Pencil Company arrow-shaped pen that is super fine without the turned-up point.
E10 Falcon. The #29EF “Index Finger” is also super fine, but with a little
more flex.
oblique penholder if one so Two other Brause nibs have the turned-up point. The #46
chooses. Cito Fein is a gold-plated medium-pointed pen. The bright steel
A few vintage monoline pens #50 Pfannen has a fine point. All are extremely comfortable
had very fine points. The Ester- pens and handle a variety of inks quite well.
brook 322 Inflexible and its
smaller cousin, the Esterbrook
921 Radio Pen are two. The In-
flexible definitely lives up to its
name and both are excellent
writers and drawing pens. Hunt
Lady Falcons, top to bottom: Ester- had an almost identical model in Four excellent nibs from
brook 182 Lady Falcon; Hunt X-95 the #41 Eddystone. Brause & Company, of
Silverine; Spencerian #29 Lady Fal- Iserlohn, Germany. Left
Other good pens that show to right: #46 Cito-Fein;
con. Smaller versions of the regular
Falcons pictured at top of page.
up on Ebay are the Esterbrook #50 Pfannen; #29EF
810 Cashiers Pen and the Ester- “Index Finger;” #65.
brook 756 School Pen. The latter, with a turned-up point, is
smaller and will work in an oblique holder. It is stiff, but very
fine. Not only is it a great writer, but also works as a drawing
