There are currently over 120 Mordan pencils in my writing equipment collection. Most of them can only be dated to within a few years of their manufacture based upon the maker’s mark used at the time of production, as many early pencils were not stamped with full hallmarks.
Not long after John Hawkins and Sampson Mordan filed the first patent for a mechanical pencil in December, 1822, Hawkins was bought out and Sampson Mordan and Gabriel Riddle became business partners (October, 1823 through the end of 1836). Finding examples from the Mordan/Riddle partnership period with full, clear, hallmarks and in good working condition can be a challenge. However, the increased home time during the current pandemic situation has resulted in significantly more screen time for me, which occasionally translates to time spent searching the globe for new sources of items for the collection, trying to fill some of the gaps.
For quite some time now I have been slowly assembling examples of pencils from each year of the partnership of Sampson Mordan and Gabriel Riddle. One of the longest-standing gaps in this grouping has been an example of an 1829 Mordan/Riddle. In April, I came across one that was listed online at an antique shop in the UK and I snapped it up.
“S.MORDAN & Co:s PATENT” – 1829 – includes “SM-GR” maker’s mark, which was used from 1824-1830, as well as full hallmarks for London, 1829. For a mechanical device that is 191 years old, this pencil is in amazing condition ; the hallmarks are clear, the casing is clean (no dents or dings in the silver, and no sign of rubbing), the tip is undamaged, and the mechanism is fully functional.
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| Mordan/Riddle – 1829 |
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| Mordan/Riddle 1829 |
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| Hallmarked London 1829 |
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| Waffle seal |
While this fills one opening in the collection, there are still a few examples from the early 1830’s that I need to find.
And for those that might be mildly curious, here are some examples of a other early Mordan hallmarks & maker’s mark combinations …
“MORDAN & Co PATENT” – This maker’s mark was used in 1823 & 1824 – The combo below is an example of one of these very early Mordans. It has been well used by previous owners, as evidenced by the rubbing and minor dings, but the markings are still visible, and the pencil and pen holder mechanisms remain fully functional. The nib (pen) holder has a Joseph Bramah clip, and the lion passant appears in several places, certifying the quality of the silver. It is approx. 13 cm long (5.25″) when extended.
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| Mordan Combo – 1823/1824 |
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| Bramah Clip |
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| MORDAN & Co PATENT |
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| Mordan Combo – Double-ended |
This little aide memoire, or tablet, pencil has a nicely engraved barrel and is only 8.5 cm (3.25″) long. The maker’s mark on it is a bit of a mystery. At first glance the maker’s mark appears to the the same as above – “MORDAN & Co PATENT”. However, if you look closely, there appears to be the remnants of a very faint “S” just to the left of “MORDAN”.
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| “S”? MORDAN & Co PATENT |
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| A “mystery” or a “missed read”? |
I have not been able to find any references to Mordan having ever used “S MORDAN & Co PATENT” as a maker’s mark. Without the “S”, it is an 1823-1824 pencil, but if that is an “S” then I’m not sure where it fits in, although likely within the same general time period. Perhaps it is filling a gap I didn’t even know existed?
“S.MORDAN & Co MAKERS & PATENTEES” – There were a few variations of this maker’s mark which were used from 1830-1844. This mark, along with a hallmark that included “SM-GR” indicated a manufactured date period between 1830-1836, while “S-M” on its own was used from 1837-1844.
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| S.MORDAN & Co MAKERS & PATENTEES 1830-1844 |
This pencil has the maker’s mark above but is absent of other markings/ hallmarks that would help narrow its date of production, so the manufacture date range is a 15 year period, from 1830-1844. The pencil is 11 cm (4.5″) when extended. It is fully functional, with a rarer “onion” finial.
“S.MORDAN & Co MAKERS” – This maker’s mark was used from 1845 – 1852. This pencil is also in working order; it has a very slender barrel (just 5 mm in diameter vs. 10 mm for 1829 pencil). It is 11 cm (4.5″) when extended and has a shield-shaped finial .
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| S.MORDAN & Co MAKERS 1845-1852 |
With the variety of markings that Mordan used, along with the rarity of the early, fully hallmarked examples, filling all the gaps may be impossible, but the search is always fun… the biggest downside is that staying at home for too long may quickly become quite expensive!
