Mabie Todd introduced their first lever filler in 1920, originally only in a size 2. The Swan SF1 was launched in 1922. The early pens, this example, were all fitted with New York nibs as Mabie Todd were still importing nibs from the parent company at the time.
The pen was avalable as 'plain' or 'mounted', meaning it was adorned with gold filled trim. This is a mottled red hard rubber mounted version with three gold bands, a clipless pen, it is a very respectable 16 cm. in length when posted for use.
The pen has been restored and is in excellent working condition troughout. It has a good surface with crisp imprints, the gold flling is also in good order. The cap is a smooth screw fit, tightening with two and a half turns, it has a mottled hard rubber end plug carrying a clear Swan motif.
The locking lever was a Mabie Todd patent, which 'prevents the lever from catching in the pocket when putting pen away'. A new ink sac was fitted and the system works well. the 14Ct New York nib writes with a smooth, fine line. It would particularly suit someone with small handwriting or use for more detailed work. Although, understandably, many users now prefer to use the pen with the capo set aside, these early pens were designed to be used posted and have a better balance in that configuration.
A big favourite with collectors, particularly the red hard rubber version, the Swan SF130 is a high quality pen which, after about a hundred years, is still performing its job admirably.