This large Mabie Todd Swan leverless filler with a size 6 Eternal nib was only produced in low numbers for a short period of time, it is quite a rare pen.
The Mabie Todd factory was severely damaged by bombing in 1940 and, just as the company were recovering from this, the Board of Trade imposed harsh restrictions on the numbers of pens that could be made. The pens produced in 1941 and 1942, this is one of them, are recognisable by the 'type B' imprint and the fact that very few were numbered.
The pen is constructed in black celluloid with Gold filled clip, triple cap bands and a 'medallion' inset into the cap bearing the Swan logo. It has an excellent surface and a clear type B barrel imprint. The Gold filling has held up very well indeed.
At the time this would have been at the top of the range and, despite the restrictions, Mabie Todd did not compromise on quality and fitted a very large and expensive No.6 Eternal nib. The Eternal, as the name suggests, was designed to be long lasting and robust. It is made of much thicker Gold than the standard Swan nibs so tends to have a firm action. This nib is a gem, it writes with a wonderfully smooth, firm line but has the pleasant 'soft' feel that is often associated with nibs of the highest quality.
At 13.6 cm. capped, the pen has a very solid, 'chunky' feel, when posted it becomes an extremely long but well balanced pen at 17cm. in length with proportionate girth. It is handsome and distinguished with a great deal of presence. The las photo shows the pen alongside a 'standard sized' swan pen from the same era.
I have seen the pen described as a Swan model '2060', this could well have been the number if the pen had been imprinted but I have yet to see one of these pens with any model number indication on the pen. The number '2060' was used, and displayed on the later 'Torpedo' shaped pen, perhaps it is used in a retrospective sense for this model. The pen disappeared from the 1943 catalogue and was not made again in this 'flat top' style.
Although the pen is highly collectable it would also serve well as a pen to be used regularly. It is a superb writer that certainly 'makes a statement'.