The 1920s was an excellent decade for the courageous owners. Not only did they trademark the name of the business ‘Conway Stewart’, but also their list of filling mechanisms available expanded to include eyedroppers, lever fillers, pump fillers and safeties. While the first of these pens were almost indistinguishable from others of that period, by 1925 Conway Stewart was coming into their own in terms of design.

A trademark for the name “Dinkie” was registered in 1924, along with a patent for a new locking lever mechanism. Conway Stewart was rapidly growing in popularity and demand. So much so that they were taking away market shares from other dominant pen manufacturers. Another introduction around this time was the use of brightly coloured celluloid. In the 1920s, Conway Stewart were offering dozens of different colours in their various lines, and the customer could choose from either the simple and conservative, the bright and cheerful, or the downright flamboyant.

The pens of this period were very well made, and of high quality, yet remained affordable. The wide range of models and materials allowed Conway Stewart to truly offer “something for everyone” when it came to fountain pens. This reasonable pricing and successful marketing contributed to the success of Conway Stewart for the next decade. They invested in new premises in 1927, which became their headquarters for the next two decades. As the depression of the 1930s hit, Conway Stewart was in the enviable position of marketing pens that were considered “good value”.

Although this decade proved to be a low point for Conway Stewart in terms of profit, they were able to ride out the depression successfully. Colourful plastics soon became a signature for Conway Stewart. It is interesting to note that they did not designate titles for their designs. The names we recognise today have been adopted by collectors over the years. As an example, Cracked Ice and Reversed Cracked Ice were used for many of their models for over 25 years, together with Tiger Eye, another favourite.

By the middle of the decade, Conway Stewart was ready to expand, and in 1935 they went public, with shares being offered to raise capital. Advertising campaigns managed to keep the name Conway Stewart in the forefront of the public mind, in much the same way as advertising by Sheaffer, Parker and De La Rue. The 1950s proved to be a continuation of the “golden age” for Conway Stewart, with many of their materials from this era being eagerly sought after today by collectors around the world.

The Herringbone pattern and many versions of marbled colours are very popular today. Even more notable is the Number 22 Floral, with its flowered design set on a cream background. Today, over fifty years after its launch, there are still many discussions concerning the Floral. Was production limited due to the complexity of the material or was the market not ready to accept such an exotic plastic? Either way, whenever a mint No.22 Floral is found for sale today, there is always a demanding audience of pen collectors.

Unfortunately, the 1950s also ushered in the era of injection molding for the manufacture of pens. This led to the use of solid coloured plastics in place of the wonderful patterned celluloids. By 1957, the Conway Stewart line was represented with pens that, while still very well made, and reliable writers, were not in the same league in terms of appearance. It was at this time that the first ballpoint pens were offered by Conway Stewart.

Fortunately, a company called Bespoke British Pens Limited bought most of the stock from the factory in Plymouth and all the technical drawings of all the pens. The directors were Alastair Adams (previously Managing Director of Onoto), David Cooper (previously Marketing Director of Onoto), Peter Robinson (previously Managing Director of Carville who made the components for the Parker Duofold and Onoto), and Francis Katz (a lawyer, an avid pen collector and owner of Inkwell Pens).

Originally based in the Isle of Wight, they later set up a workshop in Emsworth in Hampshire near to where their Production Director, Peter Robinson, lived. In early 2015 they started to assemble Conway Stewart pens from the original components and sold them worldwide directly to the public via the website and through a select small number of retailers. The range of Conway Stewart pens on sale on the website grew each month as new pens were launched using the original materials acquired from the Plymouth factory. 

The range included the Churchill, Winston, Series 100, Series 58, Wordsworth, Wellington, Nelson, Marlborough, Belliver, Capulet, Dandy, Bard, Coronet, Duro, Henry Simpole’s: Marilyn Monroe pen, Raleigh, and the Regency. 

These pens used the original CS branded nibs bought from the administrators, but soon these nibs were all sold, so the Flag 18ct gold semi-flex nibs were launched. The “Flag” was naturally the British Union Jack flag to show the world that Conway Stewart pens were still alive and being made in Great Britain. The same nib company that made the original CS nibs was used to make the Flag nibs, and they were engraved in Birmingham, England with the Flag logo. These new nibs were universally praised for being smooth and beautiful writers straight from the box, and many regarded them better nibs than the old CS nibs. 

The company continued to supply pens to some of the world’s most prestigious companies such as Rolls Royce who ordered 35 bespoke Sterling Silver pens for their 2018 Silver Ghost Limited Edition model.