The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-11-17
PENHOLDERS.
Hundreds Of Kinds Made Prices Range
From One Cent 60 $50.

From One Cent TO $50.
A simple enough thing a penholder might
seem TO be. but OF all simple things few
are produced in greater variety.
Penholders sue as are more commonly
used, that ia, other than those OF silver or
Of gold. are o made in hundreds Of styles
or variations. A single American manu-
faoturcr OF lead pencils and ~penholders
makes nearly 900 styles Of penholders.
To this now almost endless assortment
new styles are constantly added.
Those penhOlders OF the kinds more
commonly used. ranging in price at from
one cent to rs cents each. are sold in this
country to the number OF millions annually,
and American penholders are exported TO
all parts Of the globe.
There are penholders that can be bought
at Wholesale as low as 20 cents a gross;
such retailing at one cent each, and OF
these great umbers are sold; but what
with the general spread in the country
OF wealth or Of comfortable means. and
the general spread Of the present day de-
sire for something better. there are prob
ably now sold as many penholders Of kinds
hat retail for three or five cents. ~penhOlders
that have grace as well as utility.
When ~penholders were first introduced.
with the introduction of steel pens. those
assigned for common use were all very
plain and simple, the almost universally
used ~penholder being OF wood. straight
and round and Of a uniform diameter and
stained red, and having at one end a little
bent cylinder Of thin sheet steel, into the
. end Of which the pen was set.
Now penholders are made. as "a the
handle part. straight. swell and taper.
and in various other shapes. and the tips.
a. they are called, in which the pen is held
are made of steel. or brass. or nickel. or
cork, or rubber. And then there are pen
holders with the handle all Of wood. with
the tip at the extreme end not gripped in
the writer's hand, but a little embedded
ing of metal through which the pen Is
inserted into the handle: n there are PEN
holders all Of hard rubber. these made
also Of many different sizes and shapes
and OF many colors.
Wooden penholders are made Of cedar
or of wildwood, some finished in the natural
wood. polished. and some stained. and many
dipped or painted. There are to be found
such penholders in all colors.
And the tips are In almost as great a
variety as 20 shape or finish. There are
metal tips. plain n fiuted and spiral and
embossed. and these In various colOrs,
or va~riooIOred, or gilt; and cork tips OF
various shapes and sizes, and rubber tips
pneumatic. being not solid but hollow.
and so yielding under the fingers.
Among the ~penhOiders that might be
called odd shaped are some with the grip
part Of the handle triangular. and others
with the grip part Of the handle, or the
whole penholder, mad in the shape OF
half a hsxaEon. Such penholders are
used by draughtsmen, designers and card
writer's, who a penholder that picked
up and held in their accustomed manner.
will present the pen to the paper always
in exactly the same way. so producing
uniform results. And there are writers
who prefer such penholders because they
don't turn in h a n and so don't need
10 os held 30 hard.
When Il ONE 20 silver penhOlders you
might find OF these in a single stock pen
holders OF a hundred styles, ranging in
price from 81 to IS; p~enholders OF various
sizes nj of various shapes, including
Octagon. and twisted. and OF many kinds
OF finish, smooth and engine turned and
engraved, and chased. and etched. IN
designs OF many patterns. which may be
purely ornamental. or perhaps OF distinct
styles. OF Renaissance. Empire. George III.
70 match ink wells. paperholders or other
belongings Of desk sets.
And Of gold p~enholders. including holders
with pearl or with ebony handles gold
mounted, there would be found MAN. styles
ranging in price. with a gold pen. at from
IS TO $50, the gold penholders being finished.
smooth surfaced and polished and in vari-
ous styles OF Ornamentation. With a small
| pearl set in the end Of the handle. gold
~penholdcrs range in price. according TO the
work upon them and the size OF the pearl.
nc from $3.50 mp TO $50.
SO one may buy a penholder at any price
he desires to pay, from one cent to $50: and
between these prices he will find Denholders
in all but endless variety.