The Mabie Todd Swan 4661 Eternal, a post war 'Torpedo' shaped Swan, was one of the flagship '46' pens of the range.
In the Swan numbering system used at the time, the '4' denoted a leverless filler, the first '6', a No. 6 nib, and the '61' signified that the pen was made in black hard rubber. The 4661 is much less common than the 4660, a black plastic version. It is unclear why Mabie Todd suddenly reverted to the use of hard rubber for this pen after decades of using plastics.
The pen has been fully retored and tested and is in excellent condition throughout. It is remarkable that the hard rubber shows no 'browning' due to oxidation of the surface, which has a good, deep shine and clear imprints. The Gold filling on the clip and triple cap bands is also first class.
The filling system is the original 'leverless' type, rather than the later 'twist filler. It is very easy to use and efficient, filling with a turn on the ribbed filler button.
The large 14 Ct Gold Eternal nib is quite spectacular, both in appearence and performence. The Eternal nibs were reputably made from Gold of twice the thickness of a standard nib so tend to be more firm but still don't have a 'rigid' feel. This one is a superb writer, it is wonderfully smooth and is a pleasure to use, it's a pity my awful scrawl does it no justice.
When capped the pen is a 'normal' 14 cm. in length with a sizable girth, giving it a distinct 'chunky' appearence, but when the cap is posted for use the length is a most impressive 17.1 cm. The width of the pen is now consistent with the length and result is now an extremely large pen with perfect proportions and an appropriately sized nib. It has a real 'presence'.
The Mabie Todd Swan 4661 Eternal is a fine example of English pen making at its best. It is a hugely attractive and practical pen which has a great deal of presence in an uderstated, rather than garish manner. The somewhat anachronistic use of hard rubber add to its status as a much sought after and extremely collectable vintage pen.