Many Brand Names - one Manufacturer

Many well-known manufacturers of fountain pens produced in addition to their own brand name, subsidiary brands, which as a rule were intended to cover a different price segment. Since the subsidiary brand was probably not intendet to show a direct relationship to the main brand, the lower-price pens were often sold without any reference at all to the original manufacturer. In this way, the pens under the subsidiary brands »OMEGA«, »Lilliput« and »Perkeo« produced by KAWECO for example, and amongst others the Montblanc subsidiary brands »Reflex« or »Quail«, showed no reference at all to the manufacturer.

KAWECO-OMEGA ca. 1920

The customer therefore associated only the best quality with the main brand, with the subsidiary brands representing a somewhat lower level of quality. It was only in the 30's that it gradually came to be the practice to cover all price segments with one brand name. In this way Montblanc introduced the split into the I to III series, and KAWECO for example also designated its safety pens with glass nibs of the »Ko-Mio« subsidiary brand with the additional inscription »Made by KAWECO«. Since the main brand was known to be of very good quality, the customer also came, by means of the brand reference, to attribute an acceptable quality to the lower-price pens as well.

KAWECO safety pen with glass nib.

In addition to own subsidiary brands, pens were also made for other companies or businesses as their own brands. Amongst others, the brand names of »Kimmelstiel« and »Stöffhaas« by Montblanc are known in this respect. One large buyer of »relabelled« pens, as early as the 30's, was the Taylorix company, which was then as now engaged in the sale and distribution of office supplies.

KAWECO produced for Taylorix

After the war, Pelikan, Geha and Haro also produced for Taylorix. Some of the known Pelikan models in the Taylorix version are the 130 IBIS, the 140 and the 100N. None of these carries a direct reference to Pelikan. Even the beak clip of the 140 model was replaced by a droplet-shaped clip (similar to the 100N).

Pelikan 100N produced for Taylorix

The designations on the holders (e.g.: 6-GP DEF) for Taylorix have the following meaning:

6 -- Pen for writing through carbonated copies (designation of the product group)
G -- Gold nib
P -- Manufactured by Pelikan
D -- Pen for writing through carbonated copies
F/EF -- Nib width

List of known subsidiary brands/production names for outside companies

Pelikan

Taylorix : Models 100N, 130 IBIS, 140
Ruf-Buchaltung: Model 140

KAWECO

OMEGA
Lilliput
Perkeo
KO-MIO
Swallow (wahrscheinlich zugekauft)

Montblanc

Aladin
Clou
Cyclop
Diplomat
Gidania
Golding
Helm
Hergo
Jemen
Kimmelstiel
Liberty
Monte Rosa
Omnibus
Pilot
Quail
Reflex
Royal (KADEWE)
Schwarzer Bär
Simplo Gold
Tatra
THU-WU
Ursus
Westminster

Should you have evidence of any further subsidiary brands, please let us know -- we will continue to keep the list up-to-date.

Martin Lehmann

Penexchange

Many Brand Names - one Manufacturer