BACKGROUND

The prime source for information about the Eclipse Pen Co. is a series of two seminal articles written by John Roede, published in the July and September 2006 issues of PenWorld. This draws heavily on Roede's excellent work, but presumes to add by clarifying some terms, illustrating some examples of models that had not been mentioned, and speculating about one name in particular which may have started as a sub-brand, but evolved into a model as well.

DEFINING TERMS

Sub-Brands
A sub-brand does not carry any branding from the parent company. Sub-brands, in current marketing-speak are "line extensions" intended to increase sales beyond the parent brand by:

1. Offering products of lesser quality, lower price with a different brand name so as not to taint the parent brand.

and/or...

2. Offering products of superior quality, higher price that would be tainted were they to carry the parent brand.

and/or

3. Simply cannibalizing the parent brand with a parody product and accepting a sale from where-ever it might come.

Today these tactics are used for products as diverse as canned soup and dish washers.

Eclipse sub-brands include Marxton, Park Row, Monroe, Deluxe and Jackwin.

Private labels
Companies also manufacture Private Labels...products designed for and branded to be sold by specific, dedicated retailers. In the case of Eclipse that would be Keene, a high end jeweler located in lower Manhattan, Montgomery Ward (Riverside) and Sears (Famous and possibly Lakeside).

Models
Models carry both the parent company name and the specific model designation, for example, Ford Explorer. Eclipse offered models named Safety, Zephyr, Moderne, Streamline, Hooded Knight and Vis-O-Ray.

Safety, however is a nuisance. Initially the pens carried only the Safety designation and would be considered a sub-brand. Subsequently the pens carried both the Safety designation and the Eclipse brand name, which would, if you accept the definition, make it a model. I worked with a fellow who bellowed one day, “You don't have to be right, but dammit, at least be consistent!”. I can feel his pain.

With that behind us, here is an overview of Eclipse models the Company offered from about 1920 to about 1950...

THE MODELS
The first model that Eclipse offered was Safety. An early appearance of the name occurs on the clip of this Big Red specimen with material and design that easily place it in the late teens/early twenties. There are a number of characteristics that clearly establish its Eclipse roots... the shape of the lever, section and feed.

This celluloid simulation of Mottled Red Hard Rubber follows suit.

At this point these pens could rightfully be called sub-brands. But then...

It was on the basis of the use of Safety with these pens that founder Marx Finestone applied for, and on March 14, 1922 was granted a Trade Mark (#153,372) for the term. A remarkable award since at that time many pens that had a screw cap also used that descriptor. Shortly after securing the mark Eclipse marketed pens like these.

This, a Black Chased Celluloid Combo carries the Eclipse brand on a ZClip (which dates it prior to 1923 when the proprietary Eclipse Klein Clip was introduced) and the model name, Safety, on the lever with the initial S in a wreath on the lever spoon. The pen includes the amenity of being threaded at both ends .

This partial overlay shows markings similarly located...

but to keep things confusing, this full overlay reverses the order, carrying Safety on the clip and Eclipse on the lever. With both in hand it seemed fair to think that perhaps at some time, these two pens might simply have had their caps switched, or be a mix-and-match of available inventory, but that proved wrong. The threads are different; the caps are not interchangeable.

With only these five pens in hand, one must conclude that Safety was both a sub-brand and a model; another of the inconsistencies that make this brand so fascinating.

Moving into the next decade Eclipse offered a paean to Parker with a model called Zephyr. Made at a time when much of the Company's line was manufactured in Canada, this pen carries enough imprinted information to justify sitting with a basket of apples on a quiet day to read it all. The section reads: Pat'd Reg'd USA Great Briton Canada. The barrel reads: An Eclipse Product Zephyr Made in Canada. And should there be any doubt, the nib reads Eclipse (in the brand's football logo), Canada. With a grateful display of restraint, the lever and clip are not marked.

Around the same time, roughly late ’30’s or early ’40’s, the brand offered this dignified example that carries no markings other than those on the nib… Moderne, the Eclipse football logo, Iridium Tip, Canada… with both the section and feed once again providing confirmation of its origin.

Perhaps a little later, but still in the '30's the brand's Canadian facilities offered this Streamline model. Here, all of the labeling is on the clip where Streamline runs the length in script, and Eclipse is at the top in the football logo. The model offered a visulated section and an enigma. Just below the end of the clip is the imprint of a Shamrock. I know of one other Eclipsaholic whose collection and knowledge far exceed mine. Neither of us knows what that is intended to mean.

The next model to offer evokes the clip treatment of a Skyline, with manufacturing likely shortly after WWII; heading into the closing years of the company. The button-fill Hooded Knight - a name worthy of a Marvel Comics Super Hero. We are once again offered more than full disclosure with imprints on the section and barrel, but this time the clip has not been spared. It reads Hooded Knight in stylized script with the Eclipse football logo. The wide, stacked-coin cap band completes the resonance of an Art Deco echo.

Lastly, we have the not so easily found VIS-O-RAY.

But first some background to explain its origins and to understand how the model fits into an Eclipse genealogy. For many years Monroe Gold was an important contributor to the Eclipse Canadian operation. On April 22, 1930 he secured a design patent, #81,002 for a key element... the stepped ends found on the premium sub-brand Monroe, which he immodestly named for himself. With patent in hand, he designed, manufactured and sold top of the line pens like these...

with an attention to detail that was carried right down to the imprint on the nib. In fact in this Big Red Combo ...

…he went so far as to use a special two piece pressure bar in an attempt to ensure that the necessarily shorter sac with its reduced capacity, was more completely collapsed when filling the pen.

The same stepped-end design element was carried down to the less expensive Deluxe sub-brand. While still sporting elaborate bands, these pens have no barrel imprints, although they are fitted with 14K Eclipse, Made in Canada nibs.

And finally the not so easy to find VIS-O-RAY. An example in Pearl Marble…

and another in Green Marble with snake-skin stripes.

Eclipse, a fascinating brand whose long history spans nearly 50 years starting in the teens with a ubiquitous BCHR eye drop…

…includes some splendid overlays from the twenties, like these in silver…

…into the thirties with materials like this…

…and declined into the fifties like so many others, with such deplorable products I won’t even show an example.

Acknowledgments:
Special recognition must be given to George Kovalenko whose wonderfully organized and beautifully presented book, Fountain Pen Patents 2, was invaluable in researching this article, and of course John Roede for the splendid work published in PenWorld. Phil Munson’s efforts in establishing the Eclipse/Keene connection must also be included.