D. Leonardt & Co.

Leonardt Ltd.
Private
Industry Metallurgy
Founded 1856 (1856) in Birmingham, England [1]
Founder Diedrich Leonardt [1]
Headquarters Highley, Shropshire, England
Area served
 Worldwide
Products Corner parts
Website leonardt.com

Leonardt Ltd. (formerly D. Leonardt & Co.) is an English company that specializes in finishing of metal components,[2] manufacturing products such as such as corners for stationery such as leathergoods, photograph albums, menu covers, pattern and carpet books, binders and portfolios.

The company also produced writing instruments, that included dip and fountain nibs, ballpoint pens, holders and mechanical pencils,[3] which set Leonardt as one of the oldest manufacturers of dip pens, having produced them since its establishment in 1856.[4]

History

A vintage D. Leonardt & Co. "Eureka" pens box.

The company was founded in 1856 by Diedrich Leonardt to manufacture dip pens. After two large expansions led by Leonardt in 1863 and 1867, D Leonardt & Co. developed large export market in South America and Eastern Europe, and produced pens for the King of Italy. The manufactured pens were considered to be of high quality and included their famous patent ballpoint pens,[5] such as the "Automatic Wonder Pen", a new type of fountain pen introduced in 1871.[6]

Despite most manufacturers of nibs established in Birmingham having since closed their factories,[1] Leonardt & Co. is one of the few companies that have remained in the industry since its founding, although the company ceased to produce pens. The only British companies that currently manufactures dip pens are Joseph Gillott's and William Mitchell.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 More about the Pen Trade in Birmingham (Archive), 1 Jul 2010
  2. ↑ Sub-contract metal finishing on Leonardt Ltd. website, 11 Apr 2017
  3. ↑ Index summary at Leonardt official web
  4. ↑ "The company" on Leonardt website
  5. ↑ The manufacturers on The Pen Room website (Archive), 18 Feb 2012
  6. ↑ "Penning an Empire: A Brief History of D. Leonardt & Co". Lungsal. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
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