Roy Conklin started in
the fountain pen business in 1891, however it wasn’t until 1898 along with C B Grundy that they established the Self-Filling Pen Company which subsequently become Conklin Pen Manufacturing company in 1901 in Toledo. The success of the company was mainly due to the invention of the Crescent Filler, the first really functional automatic filling mechanism. This pen came into world prominence after it was endorsed by Samual Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) stating “I prefer it to ten other fountain pens because it carries its filler in its own stomach, and I cannot mislay it even by art or intention. Also, I prefer it because it is a profanity saver; it cannot roll off the desk.” . The Conklin pen company had stiff opposition from the big four USA manufacturers of the day :- Parker, Sheaffer, Waterman and Eversharp. This prompted them to compete with more established designs with the introduction of lever fill fountain pens such as the Endura, Symetric, Glider and piston filler pen, Nozac. During the Great Depression they also introduced budget pens however like many pen manufacturers albeit with its initial inovative crescent filling pen design the company underwent a gradual decline. In 1938 the company assets where acquired by investor group Chicago Interests limping on through WWII and completely ceasing production around 1955. In 2000 the reimagined Conklin Pen Company was founded, who professed to adhere to the spirit of the original Conklin pen company, making pens based on the original designs. In 2009 this was in turn bought by the Yafa pen Company. Pens are no longer made in Ohio, however the top end offerings, including the Crescent Filler, are made by Italian prestige brand, Stipula. Still based on the original designs, and featuring some extremely attractive resins, they offer good looking, reasonably priced pens based on designs from the golden age of pens.