1876 Thomas Edison Electric Pen

lot/1876 thomas edison electric pen Rx4rgY2 633293787 / For sale

lot/1876 thomas edison electric pen Rx4rgY2 633293787

For saleAuction results

lot/1876 thomas edison electric pen Rx4rgY2 633293787

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1876 Thomas Edison Electric Pen

Description: 1876 Thomas Edison Electric Pen An Ultra-Rare Thomas Edison Electric Pen-European Variant (c. 1876-1878) Patented August 8, 1876 (US Patent 180,857) by Thomas Alva Edison. Batteries sourced separately, not originally part of the pen, but of the period. A premier investment-grade technological artifact representing the world's first commercially produced, electric-motor-driven office appliance. While domestic American models were marketed extensively, European distribution was distinct, highly controlled, and produced in far fewer numbers, making surviving European variants exceptional rarities on the market today. In August, 1876, John Breckon and Thomas Clare established the Edison Electric Pen & Duplicating Press Company in London after acquiring the British rights. Distribution quickly expanded across continental Europe through designated agents and specialized fabricators, including French instrument maker Hardy in Paris. European examples suffered low original production numbers and low survival rates over the past 150 years, making European-market units far scarcer than domestic US models. Provenance: Private Collection of Mark Osdene, Madison, Wisconsin Acquired directly from the above by Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz for the History Channel series American Pickers (Season 14, Episode 3, "The Superfan"). Pickers Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz acquired it for $12,000. On-air evaluation and auction records confirm that complete or rare European examples regularly achieve between $15,000 to $20,000 at auction. Kennedy's Auction Service, Selmer, Tennessee (acquired by current owner) Private Collection, USA Archival Provenance: British Library Findings & Literary Endorsements Recent historical research archived at the British Library in London illuminates the prestige and cultural impact of the pen in Victorian Europe. The Letts, Son & Co. Archive: A rare original 24-page promotional pamphlet preserved in the British Library—published by London agents Letts, Son & Co. Ltd. titled "The Edison Electric Pen and Duplicating Press"—documents the early adoption of the European variant between 1877 and 1878. The Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland) Connection: Among the testimonials recorded in the British Library archive is an endorsement by Charles L. Dodgson, Mathematical Lecturer at Christ Church, Oxford—immortally known under his pen name Lewis Carroll, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Dodgson praised the European pen outfit for reproducing academic examination papers and mathematical formulas, writing: "For simplicity, expedition, and cleanliness in working, it seems to me to be quite unrivalled, and those who, like myself, often require twenty or thirty copies of a paper of questions or formulae, &c., will save the cost of the machine in printer's..." [cite: 1] Dimensions: 9 x 12 x 9 in. (22.9 x 30.5 x 22.9 cm.), Description:, 1876 Thomas Edison Electric Pen An Ultra-Rare Thomas Edison Electric Pen-European Variant (c. 1876-1878) Patented August 8, 1876 (US Patent 180,857) by Thomas Alva Edison. Batteries sourced separately, not originally part of the pen, but of the period. A premier investment-grade technological artifact representing the world's first commercially produced, electric-motor-driven office appliance. While domestic American models were marketed extensively, European distribution was distinct, highly controlled, and produced in far fewer numbers, making surviving European variants exceptional rarities on the market today. In August, 1876, John Breckon and Thomas Clare established the Edison Electric Pen & Duplicating Press Company in London after acquiring the British rights. Distribution quickly expanded across continental Europe through designated agents and specialized fabricators, including French instrument maker Hardy in Paris. European examples suffered low original production numbers and low survival rates over the past 150 years, making European-market units far scarcer than domestic US models. Provenance: Private Collection of Mark Osdene, Madison, Wisconsin Acquired directly from the above by Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz for the History Channel series American Pickers (Season 14, Episode 3, "The Superfan"). Pickers Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz acquired it for $12,000. On-air evaluation and auction records confirm that complete or rare European examples regularly achieve between $15,000 to $20,000 at auction. Kennedy's Auction Service, Selmer, Tennessee (acquired by current owner) Private Collection, USA Archival Provenance: British Library Findings & Literary Endorsements Recent historical research archived at the British Library in London illuminates the prestige and cultural impact of the pen in Victorian Europe. The Letts, Son & Co. Archive: A rare original 24-page promotional pamphlet preserved in the British Library—published by London agents Letts, Son & Co. Ltd. titled "The Edison Electric Pen and Duplicating Press"—documents the early adoption of the European variant between 1877 and 1878. The Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland) Connection: Among the testimonials recorded in the British Library archive is an endorsement by Charles L. Dodgson, Mathematical Lecturer at Christ Church, Oxford—immortally known under his pen name Lewis Carroll, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Dodgson praised the European pen outfit for reproducing academic examination papers and mathematical formulas, writing: "For simplicity, expedition, and cleanliness in working, it seems to me to be quite unrivalled, and those who, like myself, often require twenty or thirty copies of a paper of questions or formulae, &c., will save the cost of the machine in printer's..." [cite: 1], 1876 Thomas Edison Electric Pen, Batteries sourced separately, not originally part of the pen, but of the period. Provenance:, American Pickers, Archival Provenance: British Library Findings & Literary Endorsements, Dimensions: 9 x 12 x 9 in. (22.9 x 30.5 x 22.9 cm.), Dimensions: 9 x 12 x 9 in. (22.9 x 30.5 x 22.9 cm.), Dimensions:

Estimate:$10,000

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