Accession No.:
2012.218
Description
Ballpoint pen, 'The Reynolds Rocket', of metal alloy, ribbed body. The pen top has a gap in it so that it fits over the the pen clip which is an integral part of the body. On the clip is inscribed 'REYNOLDS MADE IN USA'.Inscription
Inscribed on clip: REYNOLDS MADE IN USANotes
Alan Cole.Milton Reynolds came across a Birome ballpoint pen, the prototype of Biro's invention, during a business trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Recognising commercial potential, he purchased several ballpoint samples, returned to the United States, and founded Reynolds International Pen Company.
Reynolds bypassed the Birome patent with sufficient design alterations to obtain an American patent, beating Eversharp and other competitors to introduce the pen to the U.S. market. Debuting at Gimbels department store in New York City on 29 October 1945, the pen sold for US$9.75.
Gimbel's sold many thousands of pens within one week. In Britain by the end of 1945 the Miles Martin pen company produced the first commercially successful ballpoint pen under the 'Biro' name. Reynolds' ballpoint did not live up to consumer expectations in America. Ballpoint pen sales peaked in 1946, and consumer interest subsequently plunged due to market-saturation.
By the early 1950s the ballpoint boom had subsided and Reynolds' company folded.
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