Introduction: Edison’s electric pen, developed in 1875 and patented in 1876 together with its battery, duplicating press, and other accessories, made low-cost copying available to anyone with [initially at least] $30 to spend. The first mass-produced electric-motor-powered appliance ever offered for sale, the pen was an immediate success, but it was superseded by improved methods after just a few years.
The first batch of pens was made by hand by John Ott, working under contract in Edison’s Newark Shop, while Gillland & Co. made the duplicating press, ink rollers, and other parts. Ott also made the tooling for the first production runs of the pens.
Once the pen went into regular production, Gilliland & Co., operating as Edison’s Electrical Pen & Duplicating Press Co., took over all the manufacturing. The company had offices at 41 Dey Street in Manhattan and a factory in Menlo Park.
In November 1876, Edison licensed the manufacturing and domestic sale rights for his Electric Pen and Duplicating Press outfits to the Western Electric Manufacturing Company of Chicago under the supervision of George H. Bliss, and Gilliland was then listed as General Eastern Agent. This page has a transcript of an original Western Electric manual for the electric pen.
The descriptions and prices on the left side of the table below are transcribed from a price list in the Collections of The Henry Ford museum (Dearborn, Michigan), Object ID 84.1.1630.32. This price list was created and printed using the electric pen and duplicating press, and was probably produced for the the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, where the electric pen was first displayed. The Exhibition opened on 10 May 1876, and the following month a bronze medal was awarded to Edison for the Electric Pen and Duplicating Press.
The descriptions and prices on the right side of the table are from a 12-page typeset pamphlet “Directions for the Setting up and Using of Edison's Electric Pen and Duplicating Press“, published by George H. Bliss, General Manager of Western Electric in Chicago, and dated 1877 in the records maintained by the Thomas Edison Papers project. From this it appears that the prices on the complete outfits and some of the spare parts were increased after Western Electric took over production and distribution of the system in November 1876, as noted above.
The third price list on this page is from Western Union’s 1884 general catalog of equipment and parts.
Further information on the electric pen may be found on the main page of this site.
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The complete outfit: Ink roller and duplicating press, pen stand, battery, pen, and stencil |
Electric Pen and Duplicating Press Price Lists
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1876 Price List |
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No 1 Outfit, 7 x 11 |
$40.00 |
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No 2 Outfit, 9 x 14 |
$47.50 |
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EXTRAS |
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No 1 Press 7 x 11 |
$12.50 |
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No 2 Press 9 x 14 |
$18.25 |
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Pen |
$15.50 |
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Roller for No 1 Press |
2.75 |
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Roller for No 2 Press |
3.50 |
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Battery |
6.50 |
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Pen Stand |
50 |
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Cord |
60 |
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Bottle watch oil |
10 |
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Screw driver |
10 |
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File |
20 |
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Zincs, per pair |
50 |
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Carbon plate |
25¢ |
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Carbon clamp |
25 |
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Platina pointed spring |
30 |
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Platina pointed screw and nut |
30¢ |
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Tube & screw (pen handle) |
75 |
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Glass jars, each |
40 |
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Porous cups, " |
50 |
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Needle shank |
40 |
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Ink, small bottles |
1.00 |
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Ink, large bottles |
2.00 |
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Oil stone |
25¢ |
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Stencil paper, No 1 Press, same as sample per quire |
40¢ |
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Stencil paper, No 2 Press, " " " " |
60¢ |
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1877 Price List |
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No. 1 Outfit, Foolscap size, 7 x 11 |
$50.00 |
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No. 2 " Folio " 9 x 14 |
60.00 |
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Parts and Supplies |
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No. 1 Press, 7 x 11 |
12.50 |
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No, 2 Press, 9 x 14 |
18.25 |
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Pen |
25.00 |
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Roller for No. 1 Press |
2.75 |
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Roller for No. 2 Press |
3.75 |
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Battery |
6.50 |
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Pen Stand |
50 |
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Cord |
60 |
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Bottle watch oil |
10 |
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Screw Driver |
10 |
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File |
20 |
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Zincs, per pair |
50 |
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Carbon plates, per pair |
50 |
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Carbon clamps, per pair |
70 |
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Platina pointed spring |
80 |
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Platina pointed screw and nut |
80 |
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Tube and screw (pen handle) |
1.85 |
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Glass jars, each |
40 |
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Porous cups, each |
50 |
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Needle shank |
90 |
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Ink, per bottle |
1.00 |
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Stencil paper, No 1 Press, same as sample, per quire |
40 |
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" " No. 2 press, per quire |
60 |
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Brushes, each |
25 |
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Blotters, hard, per quire |
60 |
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" soft, " |
50 |
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Print Paper, Note size, per quire |
10 |
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" " Letter " " |
15 |
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" " Legal Cap size, per quire |
20 |
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At some point after Western Electric took over the manufacture and distribution of the electric pen in November 1876, the company introduced a third size of duplicating press for 9" x 11" paper. The existing No. 2 outfit was renamed No. 3 and the new size became No. 2, so that the outfits could still be listed in order of increasing size.
A full-page letterpress flyer for the pen mentions that “The Electric Pen...was invented three years ago”, which would date it to about 1878, and lists the following outfits and prices:
No. 1 Outfit, with 7x11 Press, $40.
No. 2
Outfit, with 9x11 Press, $50.
No. 3 Outfit,
with 9x14 Press, $60.
The price of the No. 1 outfit was reduced to $40 from the $50 shown in the 1877 price list above, with the new intermediate No. 2 outfit now carrying the $50 price and the 9 x 14 outfit remaining at $60
A small advertisement published in The Railway Review at various times during 1883 listed the same three outfits, but with significant price reductions.
EDISON'S ELECTRIC PEN,
Manufactured and Sold by
Western Electric Manufacturing Co.
222 to 232 Kinzie Street, Chicago.
62 to 68 New Church Street, New York.
No. 1 Outfit Complete (Press 7x11), $25;
No. 2
Outfit Complete (Press 9x11), $30;
No. 3 Outfit
Complete (Press 9x14), $35. |
The No. 1 outfit was now $25 instead of $40, the No. 2 was $30 instead of $50, and the No. 3 was $35 instead of $60. No intermediate prices have yet been found, so the exact date of these price reductions is is not known.
The 1884 Western Electric catalog has two pages on the Electric Pen and its parts and supplies.
EDISON'S ELECTRIC PEN AND DUPLICATING PRESS.
This Duplicating Apparatus is especially adapted to the needs of Railway and Telegraph Companies.
It is unequaled for the speed, economy and convenience with which circulars, notices, diagrams, etc., can be prepared and issued.
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No. 1 Outfit, complete, printing 7x11
inches |
$25.00 |
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No. 2 " " " 9x11
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30.00 |
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No. 3 " " " 9x14
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35.00 |
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Presses No. 1, 7 x 11 |
$8.00 |
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Presses No. 2, 9 x 11 |
12.00 |
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Presses No. 3, 9 x 14 |
17.00 |
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Roller No. 1 |
2.25 |
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Roller No. 2 |
3.25 |
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Roller No. 3 |
3.25 |
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Pen |
8.00 |
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Battery |
5.25 |
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Pen Stand |
40 |
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Cord |
25 |
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Bottle Watch Oil |
10 |
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Screw Driver |
10 |
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File |
15 |
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Bottle Ink |
50 |
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PEN PARTS |
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Magnet, $1.20; Keeper, .20 |
$1.40 |
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Shaft (Clip, .30; Collar, .05; Shank, .25) |
60 |
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Iron Frame, $1.10, and two Binding Posts, .30 |
1.40 |
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Tube and Nut |
1.40 |
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Centre, .70; Balance, .90; Armature, 35; Hub, .15; Cam, .20 |
2.00 |
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Guide |
30 |
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Platina Pointed Spring |
50 |
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Platina Pointed Screw and Nut |
50 |
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Pen Centre Screw and Nuts, per pair |
40 |
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BATTERY PARTS AND SUPPLIES |
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Zincs, each |
$0.25 |
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Jars " |
25 |
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Porous cups, each |
35 |
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Rubber Discs, " |
40 |
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Carbons, " |
15 |
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Carbon Clamps, each |
25 |
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Binding Posts, " |
20 |
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Screw for holding Zinc and Carbon Clamps |
10 |
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Cross Piece |
30 |
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Shaft |
50 |
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Stand |
80 |
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Spectacles |
50 |
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Stencil Paper, No. 1 Press, same as sample per Quire |
50 |
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Stencil paper, No. 2 " per Quire |
50 |
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Stencil paper, No. 3 " per Quire |
60 |
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Brushes, each |
25 |
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Blotters, hard, per Quire |
60 |
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" soft, " |
50 |
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Print Paper, Note Size, per Quire |
10 |
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" " Letter " " |
15 |
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" " Legal Cap Size, per Quire |
20 |
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Carbon Paper, per Sheet, 5x8 |
10 |
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" " " 10x15 |
15 |
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Colored Ink, Red, Blue, Green and Purple
(a roller felt is
necessary for each colored ink) |
2.00 |
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Woodbury Holder |
5.00 |
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Reed Pen |
25.00 |
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Music Ruling Pen |
30.00 |
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" " Attachment |
5.00 |
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Roller Felt No. 1 |
1.50 |
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" " No. 2 |
2.25 |
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1884 Western Electric catalog pages 54 & 55
Scans courtesy of Doug Palmer |
A number of special-purpose items are included in this price list.
The Woodbury Holder was patented on 23 April 1878 by Frank P. Woodbury of Rockford Illinois. It was an attachment for the electric pen which kept the pen vertical but allowed the user’s hand to rest at a more comfortable angle.
The Reed Pen was devised by Edison around 1878, and was an exceptionally rapid form of the pen intended to be used only by by very fast, skillful penmen.
The Music Ruling Pen was a modified electric pen having five needles, used to draw musical staves. The staff (plural staves) is the name given to the five horizontal lines on which musical notation is written.
The Music Rulilng Attachment allowed an existing pen to perform the same function as the Music Ruling Pen.
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