The Mabie Todd Blackbird 5241, introduced in 1943, is a lever filler in a very attractive marbled pearl green and nickel plated trim. It is one of the very limited range of pens that were allowed to be produced during the war years, sometimes referred to as 'austerity pens'.
This example has an excellent finish with clear imprints on the cap, barrrel, section, and feed. The nickel plated, ball ended clip carries the Swan pen logo and the ends of the barrel and cap are plain, high gloss black.
The pen has been fully restored and tested. The lever filling system works very well and the 14 Ct. Gold Blackbird nib writes with a medium line and has a little flex providing line variation. Someone with a decent 'hand' would enjoy producing impressive results with this nib.
At 12.4 cm. cappped and and 15 cm. posted the Blackbird 5241 is a good sized pen with a high quality, well balanced feel. These marbled pens were also unique in the true sense of the word, the production process does not allow for the details of the pattern to be repeated.
The last photograph shows the pen alongside its image in Stephen Hull's excellent 'The Swan pen' book.
At around eighty years old this pen was made to give lasting service and will continue to do so for many yeasrs to come. It is a practical and attractive vintage pen with a sound pedigree.