Wahl Eversharp Hanlin Design 1920-1925

by Jim Mamoulides, February 7, 2025

Wahl Eversharp gold filled fountain pen with Hanlin design c. 1924

Best of both worlds

The Wahl Eversharp Hanlin design is a rare example of combining engine turned and hand engraving on the same writing instrument. Hanlin is a variation of the Ribbon or Colonial linear machine engraved design with panels of straight lines running the length of the cap and barrel divided with wide blank panels that are hand engraved with an ornate flower and foliage design. Design credit was given to John H. Worthy and Clarence W. Lund in the April 25, 1921 design patent application which was awarded on September 13, 1921. The patent only shows the design on a pencil but was obviously extended to fountain pens as well. It’s not clear from the application or the few Wahl documents I have how the design came to be named Hanlin. Solid gold pencils with the Hanlin design were already in production in 1920 before the award.

U. S. Design Patent 59,052, awarded September 13, 1921

The first self-filling pens made under the Wahl name, the "Wahl All Metal Fountain Pen," were introduced in 1921. They were not constructed as other contemporary pens that used metal overlays around a hard rubber core. That method was a logical step for companies converting from eyedropper pens, which used the hard rubber core to store the ink, to self-filling pens. Wahl marketed pens under the Tempoint name from about 1918 to at least as late as 1920 before branding their fountain pens as Wahl in 1921. Wahl metal fountain pens and Eversharp pencils are widely known for the large variety of engine turned designs used from 1917 through 1929.

The gold filled fountain pen shown in this article as well as other gold filled Hanlin design fountain pens and pencils may have been salesman’s samples or examples of off-catalog models. It can be dated to 1924 from the clip, which has WAHL stamped in the center.

A chronology of Hanlin design models

Hanlin is the single combined engine turned and hand engraved design offered from 1920 to 1925, though technically, it appears one final time on a single pencil in the 1929 catalog. Following is a chronology of the design’s use on pens and pencils for that period. Hanlin was cataloged only on solid gold pens and pencils, 14K yellow gold and 14K and 18K green gold.

1920 Catalog

The earliest appearance of the the Hanlin design is in the 1920 Wahl catalog on solid gold Eversharp pencils and Tempoint fountain pens. The design is unnamed, described as "the hand engraving is worked in between the engine turning" and as "an original and exclusive design." The fountain pens would be rebranded Wahl pens in 1921.

The 1920 line-up of Hanlin design fountain pens and pencils

Pencils:

• No. 99 14K solid yellow gold pencil with clip, 5 ¼ inches long
• No. 99SW 14K solid yellow gold pencil with ring, 4 1/8 inches long
• No. 99G 18K solid green gold pencil with clip, 5 ¼ inches long
• No. 99GSW 18K solid green gold pencil with ring, 4 1/8 inches long

Fountain pens (ringtop only and with Wahl Tempoint nibs)

• No. 307B 14K solid yellow gold pen with ring, 4 3/8 inches long closed
• No. 307BG 14K solid green gold pen with ring, 4 3/8 inches long closed
• No. 207B 14K solid yellow gold pen with ring, 3 5/8 inches long closed
• No. 207BG 14K solid green gold pen with ring, 3 5/8 inches long closed

1921 Catalog

This is the first year the design is referred to as Hanlin, saying in the description, "the popular Hanlin design."

The 1921 line-up of Hanlin design fountain pens and pencils

Pencils:

• No. 99 14K solid yellow gold pencil with clip, 5 ¼ inches long - $35
• No. 99SW 14K solid yellow gold pencil with ring, 4 1/8 inches long - $30
• No. 99G 18K solid green gold pencil with clip, 5 ¼ inches long - $40
• No. 99GSW 18K solid green gold pencil with ring, 4 1/8 inches long - $35

Fountain pens (ringtop only)

• No. 307B 14K solid yellow gold pen with ring, 4 3/8 inches long closed - $37.50
• No. 307BG 14K solid green gold pen with ring, 4 3/8 inches long closed - $37.50
• No. 207B 14K solid yellow gold pen with ring, 3 5/8 inches long closed - $32.50
• No. 207BG 14K solid green gold pen with ring, 3 5/8 inches long closed - $32.50

1922 Catalog

1922 is the first year clips are offered as a $2.50 upgrade on selected Hanlin design fountain pens.

The 1922 line-up of Hanlin design fountain pens and pencils

Pencils:

• No. 99 14K solid yellow gold pencil with clip, 5 ¼ inches long - $35
• No. 99SW 14K solid yellow gold pencil with ring, 4 1/8 inches long - $30
• No. 99G 18K solid green gold pencil with clip, 5 ¼ inches long - $35
• No. 99GSW 18K solid green gold pencil with ring, 4 1/8 inches long - $30

Fountain pens (ringtop only)

• No. 307B 14K solid yellow gold pen with ring, 4 3/8 inches long closed - $37.50 *
• No. 307BG 14K solid green gold pen with ring, 4 3/8 inches long closed - $37.50 *
• No. 207B 14K solid yellow gold pen with ring, 3 5/8 inches long closed - $32.50
• No. 207BG 14K solid green gold pen with ring, 3 5/8 inches long closed - $32.50

* A solid gold clip on these models was an additional $2.50

1923

I don’t have a copy of the 1923 catalog which would show any changes in the line from 1922 to 1924. The pencils were basically consistent from 1920 to 1925 with some changes in pricing. It's unknown if the 1924 fountain pen lineup appeared as early as 1923.

1924 Catalog

Fountain pen offerings expand in the 1924 catalog and are given a slate of new model numbers.

The 1924 line-up of Hanlin design fountain pens and pencils

Pencils:

• No. 99 14K solid yellow gold pencil with clip, 5 ¼ inches long - $25
• No. 99SW 14K solid yellow gold pencil with ring, 4 1/8 inches long - $23
• No. 99G 18K solid green gold pencil with clip, 5 ¼ inches long - $30
• No. 99GSW 18K solid green gold pencil with ring, 4 1/8 inches long - $28

Fountain pens (clips are stamped WAHL in the center)

• No. 600MBW 14K solid yellow gold pen with ring and No. 2 gold nib - $30
• No. 700MB 14K solid yellow gold pen with clip and No. 3 gold nib - $37.50
• No. 700MBW 14K solid yellow gold pen with ring and No. 3 gold nib - $37.50
• No. 800MB 14K solid yellow gold pen with clip and No. 4 gold nib - $50
• No. 600MBGW 14K solid green gold pen with ring and No. 2 gold nib - $30
• No. 700MBG 14K solid green gold pen with clip and No. 3 gold nib - $37.50
• No. 700MBGW 14K solid green gold pen with ring and No. 3 gold nib - $37.50
• No. 800MBG 14K solid green gold pen with clip and No. 4 gold nib - $50

1925 Catalog

The long ringtop fountain pen is dropped in the 1925 catalog and once again the lineup is given a slate of new model numbers. Note the illustration of the No. 4299B 14K solid yellow gold fountain pen shows a No. 2 gold nib, where the similar 1924 model No. 700MB and No. 700MBG were shown with No. 3 gold nibs.

The 1925 line-up of Hanlin design fountain pens and pencils

Pencils:

• No. 99 14K solid yellow gold pencil with clip, 5 ¼ inches long - $25
• No. 99SW 14K solid yellow gold pencil with ring, 4 1/8 inches long - $23
• No. 99G 18K solid green gold pencil with clip, 5 ¼ inches long - $30
• No. 99GSW 18K solid green gold pencil with ring, 4 1/8 inches long - $28

Fountain pens (clips are stamped WAHL at the top)

• No. 3299BW 14K solid yellow gold pen with ring and No. 2 gold nib - $30
• No. 4299B 14K solid yellow gold pen with clip and No. 2 gold nib - $37.50
• No. 5499B 14K solid yellow gold pen with ring and No. 3 gold nib - $50
• No. 3299BGW 18K solid green gold pen with ring and No. 2 gold nib - $35
• No. 4299BG 18K solid green gold pen with clip and No. 2 gold nib - $42.50
• No. 5499BG 18K solid green gold pen with ring and No. 3 gold nib - $55

There is an interesting footnote on the pencil and fountain pen pages in the 1925 catalog where the Hanlin design writing instruments are shown: “Solid gold pens [pencils] are made to special order only, and are not returnable in exchange for other merchandise.”

The Hanlin design makes a final appearance on page 69 of the 1929 catalog. Shown is pencil model with clip, number 3099C, in 18K solid green gold with a list price of $30.

Wahl engine turned and hand engraved metal pens have a strong following, with some collectors seeking complete sets of the designs across all the pen lines, including hard rubber pens, which also carried some of the same designs as the metal pens. Other collectors focus on just the pencils, in their various sizes and designs, or the ringtop pens, tiny jewels, which also came in several styles. Wahl pens and Eversharp pencils were very popular when made and are so durable that many working or repairable examples exist today, allowing for the possibility of a large and varied collection of quality writing instruments.

Wahl Eversharp gold filled fountain pen with Hanlin design c. 1924

Hanlin pens and pencils in solid gold are rare and as called out in the 1925 catalog, may have only been made to order. Such writing instruments would hold a special place in a Wahl fountain pen and Eversharp pencil collection.

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Acknowledgment

Thanks to Matthew Greenberger for his help with this model.

Reference Article on PenHero.com:

Want to learn more about Wahl Eversharp engine turned designs? Read the PenHero article, "Wahl Engine Turned Designs on Fountain Pens Guide 1919-1929."

References

Wahl Company catalog, Chicago, IL, 1920

Eversharp and Wahl Pen, General Catalog No. 100 The Wahl Company, Chicago, IL, 1921

Eversharp and Wahl Pen, General Catalog No. 101 The Wahl Company, Chicago, IL, 1922

Eversharp and Wahl Pen, General Catalog No. 103 The Wahl Company, Chicago, IL, 1924

Eversharp and Wahl Pen, General Catalog No. 104 The Wahl Company, Chicago, IL, 1925

Wahl Eversharp, General Catalog No. 298 The Wahl Company, Chicago, IL, 1929

Eversharp, Cornerstone of an Industry by Jonathan A. Veley, Total Printing Systems, Newton, IL, Copyright 2024 by Jonathan A. Veley, pages 57, 62, and 87

United States Design Patent 59,052, awarded September 13, 1921