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Crocker No. 25 “Ink-Tite” Blow-Filler Fountain Pen
Boston, Massachusetts, c. 1902–1908
Designer: Seth S. Crocker (pat. 1901); Manufacturer: Crocker Pen Co.
Hard rubber (ebonite), rubber sac, gold-plated trim
Inscription: original paper label, “No. 25 Med. $2.50.”
Crocker No. 25 “Ink-Tite” Blow-Filler Fountain Pen
Boston, Massachusetts, c. 1902–1908
Designer: Seth S. Crocker (pat. 1901); Manufacturer: Crocker Pen Co.
Hard rubber (ebonite), rubber sac, gold-plated trim
Inscription: original paper label, “No. 25 Med. $2.50.”
This early self-filling pen uses a pneumatic “blow-filler” system: the writer blows through a tiny hole in the barrel to compress the internal sac; releasing the seal draws ink into the reservoir. Advertised with the cheeky line “you blow it to fill it,” the No. 25 showcases turn-of-the-century experimentation just before lever and piston mechanisms became dominant. The surviving price sticker on this example anchors it to its contemporary market position as a reliable, mid-priced writing instrument.
This early self-filling pen uses a pneumatic “blow-filler” system: the writer blows through a tiny hole in the barrel to compress the internal sac; releasing the seal draws ink into the reservoir. Advertised with the cheeky line “you blow it to fill it,” the No. 25 showcases turn-of-the-century experimentation just before lever and piston mechanisms became dominant. The surviving price sticker on this example anchors it to its contemporary market position as a reliable, mid-priced writing instrument.
Beyond its novelty, the Crocker blow-filler marks a key step in American filler evolution. Seth S. Crocker’s Boston firm pioneered pneumatic solutions that later inspired refinements by his son at Chilton Pen Company in the 1920s. As such, the No. 25 stands at the beginning of a lineage that married playful ingenuity with practical engineering in the golden age of fountain pens.
Beyond its novelty, the Crocker blow-filler marks a key step in American filler evolution. Seth S. Crocker’s Boston firm pioneered pneumatic solutions that later inspired refinements by his son at Chilton Pen Company in the 1920s. As such, the No. 25 stands at the beginning of a lineage that married playful ingenuity with practical engineering in the golden age of fountain pens.
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