Wahl Art Deco Machine Engraved Patterns 1921-1929

by Jim Mamoulides, January 12, 2004, updated May 27, 2018

Wahl Model 433A Colonial Design gold filled fountain pen c. 1921-1924

A canvas for wonderful designs

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 using 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 Model 22 Barleycorn Design pencil c. 1921

Entering the fountain pen market late, Wahl skipped this step and used the metalworking expertise learned from mass producing Eversharp pencils to create an all metal fountain pen line. Wahl took advantage of the larger internal space from a thin wall metal pen and used larger capacity ink sacs. The new pens were lighter and stronger than hard rubber pens, and Wahl advertised them as "wear proof" and "unbreakable."

Wahl Model 36 Crisscross Design pencil c. 1921

The all metal construction also made a great canvas for a host of wonderful machine engraved designs, which were very popular and stylish in the 1920s. Most of the patterns are cut into the metal with an engraving machine, or "engine turned" as described in Wahl catalogs and advertising. Almost all patterns have a blank space, or cartouche, for personalized engraving on the barrel. Many examples found today will include jeweler personalizations, some of which are quite ornate in themselves and can enhance the attractiveness of the pen.

Wahl Model 308 Diamond Design ringtop fountain pen c. 1922

Leaving out the hand engraved and partially hand engraved designs, such as Hanlin, this is a list by catalog date of machine engraved or engine turned designs. Lacking a complete set of catalogs from 1921 to 1929, there may be a few missing patterns or date gaps.

Wahl Model 326AW Grecian Border Design gold filled ringtop fountain pen c. 1922-1924

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. This list of designs begins with the 1921 catalog.

Wahl Model 305 Ribbon Design ringtop fountain pen c. 1921

A chronology of common Wahl engine turned designs

The Hanlin combined machine and hand engraved design is not included below. It was offered from 1921 to 1924. Hanlin is a variation of the Ribbon Design with hand engraving done in wider blank panels. Plain, unengraved pens were offered in 1921 and 1922, and pencils from 1921 to 1929. A hexagonal plain pencil was offered in 1921 and an octagonal plain pencil was offered from 1922 to 1925.

Wahl Model 431D Check (Unique) Design silver filled fountain pen c. 1921-1924

1921 Patterns

Illustrations of the 1921 designs are shown starting from the beginning of the article, above. As new designs appear, they are in each year's section below.

Wahl Model 23 Waveling Design pencil c. 1921

• Barleycorn Design: A barleycorn engraved pattern repeating around the cap and barrel, offered only on pencils.
• Checkerboard Design: A repeating pattern of panels of squares in plain blocks and straight lines repeating around the cap and barrel, offered only on pencils. Introduced on pens in 1924 and illustrated in that section below.
• Colonial Design: A repeating pattern of straight lines around the cap and barrel.
• Crisscross Design: Repeating panels of crisscross engraving around the cap and barrel, offered only on pencils.
• Dart Design: A repeating pattern of panels of straight lines with a small curve out that create an arrowhead effect around the cap and barrel, offered only on pencils. Introduced on pens in 1922 and illustrated in that section below.
• Diamond Design: A repeating pattern of diamond shapes in a diamond pattern on a straight line background around the cap and barrel.
• Grecian Border Design: A repeating panel consisting of a continuous wide line with square turns set in a line pattern around the cap and barrel.
• Ribbon Design: A repeating pattern of four straight lines and a space around the cap and barrel.
• Ripple Design: A repeating pattern of straight lines with a small curve out that create a ripple effect around the cap and barrel. Introduced on pens in 1922 and illustrated in that section below.
• Unique Design: A repeating panel of checks in a line pattern around the cap and barrel. Called Check from 1922 onward.
• Waveling Design: A repeating pattern of wavy lines in a zigzag around the cap and barrel, offered only on pencils.
• Zigzag Design: A repeating pattern of wavy lines in a zigzag around the cap and barrel.

Wahl Model 457A Zigzag Design gold filled small size fountain pen c. 1921-1924

Wahl Model 657A Zigzag Design gold filled fountain pen c. 1921-1924

1922 Patterns

Wahl Model 322AW Dart Design gold filled ringtop fountain pen c. 1922-1924

Check (formerly Unique), Checkerboard (pencils only), Colonial, Crisscross (pencils only), Dart, Diamond, Grecian Border, Ripple, and Zigzag continue. Waveling becomes Waveline. Dart and Ripple first appear on pens.

Wahl Model 329AW Ripple Design gold filled ringtop fountain pen c. 1922-1924

1924 Patterns

Wahl Checkerboard Design white gold filled ringtop fountain pen c. 1924

Wahl Checkerboard Design 12 karat yellow gold filled small fountain pen c. 1924-1926

Check, Checkerboard, Colonial, Dart, Diamond, Grecian Border, Ripple, and Zigzag continue. Checkerboard now offered on pens. Added is:

• Chancellor Design: Repeating panels with diamond shapes on a straight line background around the cap and barrel.
• Wave Design: A panel of straight lines with a small curve out grouped evenly that create a series of two waves repeating around the cap and barrel, offered only on pencils. Introduced on pens in 1925 and illustrated in that section below.

Wahl Model 218 Chancellor Design ringtop fountain pen c. 1924

Wahl Chancellor Design 12 karat yellow gold filled medium size fountain pen c. 1924

1925 Patterns

Wahl Model 421A Check Design gold filled medium size fountain pen c. 1925

Check, Checkerboard, Colonial, Dart, Diamond, Grecian Border, and Ripple continue. Wave now offered on pens.

Wahl Model 645D Wave Design fountain pen c. 1925

Wahl Model 645D Wave Design fountain pen c. 1925

1927 Patterns

Check, Checkerboard, Colonial, Dart, Diamond, Grecian Border, and Wave continue. Added are Gold-On-Silver Designs where part of the gold fill is cut away and a design is engine turned on the silver base:

Wahl Model 3214P Niagara Design ringtop fountain pen c. 1927

• Niagara Design: Coral shapes cut into the base metal.
• Wedgewood Design: Engine turned straight and ripple line patterns cut into the base metal.

Wahl Niagara 12 karat yellow gold filled over silver medium size fountain pen c. 1927

Wahl Model 4213P Wedgewood Design fountain pen c. 1927

Also added is an Oxidized on Silver Design:

Wahl Oxidized Grecian Border Design fountain pen c. 1927

• Oxidized Grecian Border Design: Oxidized black Grecian Border on plain silver plate finish on the cap and barrel.

1928 Patterns

Check, Grecian Border and Wedgewood continue. Oxidized Grecian Border continues on pencils. Added is:

Wahl Console Design fountain pen c. 1928

• Console Design: A set of repeating panels of bell and flower shapes around the cap and barrel.

Wahl Console Design fountain pen c. 1928

Also added are Tinted Designs where part of the metal fill is cut away and a design is engine turned on the metal base and then covered with translucent enamel:

Wahl Model X3218G Straight and Ripple Line Panels Design with blue-green enamel ringtop fountain pen c. 1928 and Model X7332 Colonnade Design ringtop fountain pen c. 1928

Wahl Colonnade Design 12 karat yellow gold filled fountain pen c. 1928

• Colonnade Design: A stacked ring design with cut out black enamel tinted panels repeating up the cap and barrel.
• Lakeside: A champlevé technique design where the cap and barrel are engraved with repeating panels of a wave pattern that is overlaid with tinted enamel.
• Ring Colonial Design: The Colonial design with a pair of wide rings cut in a repeating pattern up the cap and barrel. The three cuts are filled with black enamel.
• Straight and Ripple Line Panels Design: Engine turned straight and ripple line patterns cut into the base metal and then overcoated with a translucent enamel. Blue-green and rose-pink enamel was used.

Wahl Model X7164 Ring Colonial Design fountain pen c. 1929

1929 Patterns

In 1929 Wahl began to stamp the cap top band with "WAHL - EVERSHARP," helping to date these pens.

Check, Colonnade, Diamond, Grecian Border, Lakeside, and Ring Colonial continue.

Wahl Lakeside Design fountain pen c. 1929, note that the enamel has worn off

Table of Patterns 1921-1929

Pattern	1921	1922	1924	1925	1926	1927	1928	1929
Barleycorn	X
Chancellor			X
Checkerboard	X	X	X	X	X
Colonial	X	X	X	X	X	X
Colonnade							X	X
Console							X
Crisscross	X	X
Dart	X	X	X	X	X	X
Diamond	X	X	X	X	X			X
Grecian Border	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Hexagonal	X
Lakeside							X	X
Niagara						X
Octagonal		X	X	X
Oxidized Silver Grecian Border						X	X
Ribbon	X
Ring Colonial							X	X
Ripple	X	X	X	X
Straight and Ripple Line Panels Design							X
Unique/Check	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Wave			X	X	X
Waveling/Waveline	X	X
Wedgewood						X	X
Zigzag	X	X	X

 

Wahl Grecian Border Design and Console Design fountain pens

Wahl machine turned pens have become a focus niche, with some collectors seeking complete sets of the patterns across all the pen lines, including hard rubber pens, which also carried some of the same patterns 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 and durable so many good examples exist today, allowing for the possibility of a large and varied collection of quality writing instruments.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to Sid Saperstein for providing 1927-1928 catalog reference material.

Thanks to Matthew Greenberger for providing several of the pens photographed in this article and help with some of the patterns.

Thanks to Scott Miller for providing a Niagara Pattern photo for reference.

Thanks to David Nishimura for data on pattern names.

References

Eversales The Wahl Company, Chicago, IL, 1927

Eversales The Wahl Company, Chicago, IL, 1928

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

Fountain Pens of the World by Andreas Lambrou, © 1995 Zwemmer, London, United Kingdom

Wahl-Eversharp, Christmas Catalog The Wahl Company, Chicago, IL, 1926

Saturday Evening Post, December 15, 1928

Wahl-Eversharp, General Catalog The Wahl Company, Chicago, IL, 1927

Wahl-Eversharp, General Catalog The Wahl Company, Chicago, IL, 1928

Wahl-Eversharp Personal-Point Fountain Pens, General Catalog 298 The Wahl Company, Chicago, IL, 1929