PenHero 365: Conklin Glider
by Jim Mamoulides, February 6, 2010
Conklin Glider gold and gray striped celluloid fountain pen closed open
The Conklin Glider was the last quality pen made by the venerable company, and describing it as a quality pen is something of a stretch. After the company was purchased by a Chicago syndicate in 1938, it appears, looking at example pens, that the company initially continued to make some of the late Toledo models and changing the imprint on the barrels to Chicago, possibly indicating that the inventory and assembly was moved to Chicago after the sale. At some point the new owners had to start making their own new pen lines. They also must have blown most of their money on the sale as from the dates on Conklin advertisements and catalogs I've collected, there appears to be no national advertising after the sale until possibly 1945, the date of the earliest black and white Glider advertisement I've found. Conklin placed a full color advertisement for the Glider in the January 19, 1946 Saturday Evening Post, and that is the sum total of Glider ephemera I have encountered, two ads. Dating the Glider is squishy, but with some confidence it can at least be an early post war new model for Conklin.
The Glider has the general Conklin Symetrik cigar shape, but with a point on the cap top and barrel end. The Glider was advertised in four unnamed colors, in a striking striped celluloid, including alternating blue / gray stripes, alternating red / gray stripes, alternating gold / gray stripes, and all green stripes. Of interest is that there are identical pens to the striped Gliders in marbled colors and alternating strips of web and shell colors. I would safely also call these Gliders as they are no different than the striped pens. In addition, as part of my personal interest in Gliders, I have found examples of the striped Gliders in three barrel diameters, with the largest diameter pens having a 3/8 inch wide cap band. In all cases, the pens have the same overall shape, nib, clip, lever, visulated section and trim color. This tells me that the Glider came in three diameters, two trim levels, and more than just stripes. The standard striped Glider, as shown here, sold for $2.75 in 1945 and 1946.
Conklin Glider gold and gray striped celluloid fountain pen closed
The Glider is such a mix of good and bad, it makes you wonder if the company was simply assembling pens from whatever was on hand and buying the rest on sale. On the plus side, Conklin must have had a huge stock of the very high quality 14 karat gold Cushon Point nibs, which graced the top of the line Nozac pens in the 1930s, as these nibs were one of the major selling points in the advertisements for this pen line. Considering the general lack of quality fit and finish of the rest of the pen, I'm not surprised that the nib is featured. It's a cheap pen, but it writes great! The ink view window is a nice touch. Also, the striped celluloid is really quite striking, and can be buffed to a very high gloss.
Conklin Glider gold and gray striped celluloid fountain pen open
On the down side, Conklin brought nothing else from its legacy of quality and patented features to the Glider. The clip is not spring loaded. There is no lever lock to hold the lever flat in place with the barrel. Wearever did a better job with the gold plating on their pens in this price range. You can expect to find Gliders with absolutely no plating at all, where the steel clip is gray and the brass cap band and lever are yellow. A pen with complete plating still looks cheaply done, and the surface of the plated elements does not look completely polished anyway. Some pens will show quality lapses where the striped celluloid shows twists or bends, and finish problems where pits or bumps can be seen or felt in on the surface. Cap bands are often loose. Remember that Cushon Point nib? It's a cheap pen, but it writes great!
This Conklin Glider is a standard size, lighter weight pen, weighing 0.5 ounce and being 5 inches long with the cap on and 6 3/16 inches with the cap posted on the end of the barrel. Gliders post securely, and I prefer to write with the cap posted on the end of the barrel.
Conklin Glider gold and gray striped celluloid fountain pen open with boxed Conklin Glider red and gray striped fountain pen and pencil set
The Conklin Glider is a straight up lever fill pen. The pen fills by inserting the section in the ink bottle, flipping the lever once, waiting ten seconds, and wiping the nib and section. The visulated section is a nice touch, letting you check ink level as you write, monitoring what you have left in the pen before you need to refill it.
Conklin offered 14 karat gold Cushon Point nibs in a wide array of types, including extra fine, fine, medium, coarse (broad), and stub medium, stub broad, left oblique, two way, and Recorder in extra fine, fine and medium. One would suppose that if these were leftover nibs from the Toledo operation, then some of these nib types may have been available on the Glider. I personally have only found extra fines, fines and mediums. The nib on this Glider is a wet and smooth writing medium, and it so outdoes the rest of the pen, its obvious what the selling point was. Gliders, with the original equipment nib are a steal. No wonder their nibs get robbed.
Conklin Glider Reptilian gold and gray striped celluloid fountain pen cap and nib detail
I think the secret is out on Gliders. At one time, these were bargain bin pens at pen shows and antique stores. Recently, I've noticed that pen dealers have been raising prices on them, especially if they have a Cushon Point nib and the rest of the pen is in good shape. Some collectors take the Cushon Point nibs from Gliders and use them as replacements on Nozacs and other high end 1930s Conklins. If you are interested in Gliders, check to see it has the original type nib and look for bad plating loss and warping. Even unsold new stock pens will show some rough and uneven finish on the celluloid. Watch for darkening of the color, it should be vivid. Because there are multiple sizes and colors, there are a lot of Glider variants out there to collect, and a nice collection would not break the bank and would yield a set of durable, great writing pens.
Selected References
Conklin Dealer Brochure 1937, Conklin Pen Company, Toledo, OH, USA
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