This Waterman's 52 in hard rubber was made in the U.S.A. in the 1929, but assembled with an English nib, and hallmarked in England by the Waterman agents, 'L.G. Sloan Ltd.' The Sloan company amalgamated with the American 'L.E. Waterman Co.' to become the English 'Waterman Pen Co. Ltd.' in 1946.
This pen is a full size clipless version, a much smaller '52 1/2 V' model was also produced. The '52' refers to a lever filler, '5', and a No. 2. nib.
The pen came to me with a contemporary accommodation clip in the box which was clearly intended to be fitted to the pen, but probably never was. The cap shows no signs of having a clip fitted but, as it is the correct clip, I thought it best to show it in position, I think it looks rather good. Fitting the clip on a semi-permanent basis would only involve squeezing it tight to the cap, perhaps with a little gentle heat.
The pen has been conservatively restored and is in extremely good vintage condition. It has aquired a very slight, even, brownish patina which was left alone, in the spirit of conservative restoration. It is very subtle, only really noticeable when compared to a 'true' black. It is quite attractive and adds to the authenticity of the pen. The filling system works well and takes up a good volume of ink. The 14Ct. Gold 'Ideal' nib writes with a medium line and has a good, responsive flex to give line variation. Someone with a decent 'hand' would enjoy producing impressive results.
This is clearly an 'upmarket' Waterman's 52 as it has two solid 9Ct. Gold bands on the barrel. There is also a band at the top of the cap which has a slight narrowing at one point. It is not hallmarked so may be rolled Gold. Both barrel bands, which are in excellent condition, are hallmarked as 9ct. Gold (9 375), and one carries the makers mark 'F.D.W.', for 'Frank D Waterman'. The hallmarks carry a date code for 1929.
The box, it has to be said, has seen better days, as one would expect at 94 years old. It is, however, the correct and original L. G. Sloan box and should be kept with the pen.
At 17 cm., 6 3/4 inches, in length when posted it is an enormously long, slim, and elegant pen with a very good balance and feel. The hard rubber construction gives the pen a very solid and warm quality, it is a most tactile pen.
The Waterman's 52 is a much sought after pen, it is often said that no vintage pen collection should be without one. Good Gold banded versions, such as this pen are very thin on the ground.