Here at A.V.P., we come across a wide variety of fountain pens and mechanical pencils. Most people are very familiar with the historically well-established companies like Parker, Sheaffer, Waterman and Conklin. But when it comes to the "third tier" pen producers, it's debatable if there was a more proficient producer then David Kahn and his Bergen, New Jersey WearEver Fountain Pen Company.
WearEver Pens was a brand of fountain pens and ballpoint pens that was in operation from roughly the late 1920's until the mid-1950's. The average pen collector may not specifically know the model names like, Deluxe, Pacemaker, Saber, Zenith or Pennant, but most would certainly recognize the models if they saw them - I've seen this pen before! In addition to the WearEver Brand pens, David Kahn produced Onward, Pioneer, Supreme and Jefferson Branded pens. Many of these pens are nearly identical in appearance, with the name imprint and a slight variation to the hardware differentiating the pens from one another. The company was originally founded around 1916, but it wasn't until the late 1920's that the brand became well-known. WearEver Pens were quite popular during their peak, and were known for their relative high-quality and affordable pricing. They were often sold in drugstores, department stores, and similar retail locations. During World War II, as with most companies, WearEver shifted their production toward military needs to support the war effort. There are many that claim the blind caps that are found on WearEver made, post-war button fillers are surplus tire valve caps that were produced by WearEver for the military. True or urban legend, I can't confirm, but if you look closely, they sure do resemble a valve cap. Military production helped keep the company viable during the war years, but as the war ended, a major shift in the pen industry began with companies pivoting away from fountain pens with the growth in popularity of the less "labor intensive" ballpoint pen. Post war, the WearEver Company continued to produce both fountain pens and ballpoint pens, but they faced fierce competition from brands such as the aforementioned Parker, Waterman and Sheaffer, among others. As "mid-century" dawned in the US in the 1950's, the company began to decline, and by the end of the decade it had unfortunately ceased operations in New Jersey. Today, WearEver Pens are highly collectible, particularly among vintage pen enthusiasts who appreciate the wide variety of models, colors, relative affordability, as well as their historical significance in fountain pen history. WearEvers are neat pens and with the breadth of models and colors in existence, there is great opportunity to amass a nice variety. The only real downside we see here at A.V.P. to the WearEver family of pens being their nibs that at times, do not aged well. The good news, if you want a nice daily writer, a simple nib change can transform that interesting WearEver from a dud to a stud. Happy hunting!
Some examples of David Kahn's pens are available for sale at A.V.P.