Pen
Object number2018.7.4 a,b
Manufacturer
Sanford
Date1990-2018
OriginJapan
MediumPlastic; Metal; Ink
Credit LineGift of Tim Menees
DescriptionBlack plastic roller ball pen, Uni-Ball Micro. Cylindrical matte black body with flat bottom and silver tip. Black ink. Removeable cylindrical black plastic cap with vent holes at top and silver metal clip. Marks(a)Bottom has raised text at center "JAPAN / [Japanese character] 5" and around perimeter "66Z8J".
(b)
Clip has text "JAPAN / SANFORD / uni-ball / MICRO".
Side of cap has text at base "JAPAN".
Historical NotesPart of a collection of supplies used by cartoonist Tim Menees during his career as a cartoonist for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and as a contributor for the Pittsburgh Quarterly. Menees grew up in Seattle and worked as a reporter and columnist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer before moving to Pittsburgh in 1976. Menees was the cartoonist for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette for almost thirty years. Since 2006, he has been a frequent contributor to the Pittsburgh Quarterly. Menees purchased a Pelikan 120 pen (2018.7.3) and filing rock (2018.7.8) around 1976-1978 because it could handle India Ink. These were used until about 1990. He stopped using these because of ink spilling. He switched to markers, both Sharpies and other marker-type pens. According to Menees, cartoonists always tried different types of pens to see what worked. He used the larger markers (like 2018.7.2) to shade grey, because brown copies as gray when in black-and-white.
Previous owner
Tim Menees
Related institution
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
(founded 1927)
On View
Not on view
American Safety Table Company
