top of page
Simplo Gold Cap Top BHR Safety pen
This pen is from the personal collection of Ariel Zuñiga - a generous contributor on FPN, seminal Montblanc collector’s books, and now this website. Watch out for a series of reviews of truly rare pens thanks to AZ’s generosity!
This unmarked Simplo BHR Safety pen was made between 1910-14. Notice that it has no cap, body, or tail imprints. This makes it rather rare. While an overwhelming number of MBs had tail end imprints, some pens were exceptions to the rule showing no number or letter at the tail. Also, if requested MB would sell pens without any imprints on the barrel and cap sometimes, as per Collectible Stars I.
Notice the lovely horizontal knurling on the capt top and bottom of the barrel. This is characteristic of the early Rouge et Noir safety pens. Later safety pens had vertical knurling.
Another very unique characteristic of this pen is that it doesn’t bear the MB star logo on its cap top. This because the cap star logo was only developed in 1914, and before it, the pens had a full red cap, full white cap, gold cap top, or none. The initials on the gold cap head on this pen are, most probably, added by the owner. The nib on this particular pen is not period correct - it is from the mid-1920s. The correct nib would say “Simplo Pen Co” or “Simplo”.
Safety fillers are a wonderfully intelligent filling system if you ask me. The nib unit rests inside the barrel when the pen is capped. After uncapping, a turning knob at the bottom of the pen is used to extend the nib unit and lock its collar against the section so that no ink can flow out of the barrel. Because of the fact that the nib unit is always submerged in ink, this pen was advertised as never suffering from hard starts!
For bibliography, see Resources page -->link
bottom of page