J Ken Bull_The John Bull Collection 10/02/2012 15:40 Page 10
L G SLOAN In 1932 Mordan announced that in concentrating on the manufacturing side of their business, the distribution rights of their patented ‘Everpointed’ pencils and other products had been given to L G Sloan Ltd of the Pen Corner at 41 Kingsway WC2. Born in Edinburgh in 1859, Lawrence Gunn Sloan was largely responsible for the successful introduction of Waterman’s Ideal fountain pens in Great Britain and Europe in 1900 and was a highly respected figure in the stationery trade until his death in 1939. He was educated at George Watson’s College, Edinburgh, after which he spent two years in the City Chamberlain’s office. At the age of 17, and having gained useful financial experience, better opportunities attracted him to London, where he entered the stationery trade working for the Glasgow-based firm of William Collins, Sons & Co. His keen business aptitude and enthusiasm soon marked him out for advancement and when John Walker, manager of Collins’ London office, established his own firm, John Walker & Co of Warwick Lane, London EC, he persuaded Lawrence Sloan (and Sloan’s brother, Thomas) to join him. In 1882 Sloan accepted an offer from Maurice Hardtmuth to join L & C Hardtmuth (then in Long Acre, London EC), for whom, during the next seven years, he acted as packer, book-keeper and traveller, becoming one of the most successful stationery salesman in the country. Hardtmuth returned to Austria in 1899 leaving Sloan in charge to continue to develop the trade in Koh-i-Noor pencils and other Hardtmuth specialities. In 1900 he secured the European sole agency for Waterman’s pens. A firm believer in the benefits of advertising, Sloan was also a pioneer of retail price maintenance in the fountain pen field some years before the Stationers’ Association was established. In July 1910, L & C Hardtmuth Ltd was registered as a private company, the directors being Franz von Hardtmuth and his two brothers-in-law, Baron Ernest fehr Herring von Frankensdorf and Count Olivier G Lamezan-Salins, all of Budweis, Bohemia. Sloan was the ‘manager’ and held 100 ordinary shares, whilst the other 99% (held by Hardtmuth and his two sisters) were, as pointed out in a De La Rue advertising campaign of late 1914, "held by alien enemies". The campaign may have back-fired on De La Rue: though Waterman’s and L & C Hardtmuth parted company, Sloan was able to take over the Waterman’s agency and, operating as L G Sloan from 1915 (and L G Sloan Ltd from late 1917), further developed the business for Waterman’s products and acquired agencies for a variety of other items, including Dixon’s Eldorado pencils (1919) and S Mordan & Co’s pencils (1932). S Mordan & Co ceased trading in 1941 following the destruction of their factory by enemy action during WWII. The patents were sold to another pencil manufacturer, Edward Baker. The company was finally put into voluntary liquidation in 1952.
THE K B COLLECTION OF PENCILS L G SLOAN 202