I prefer it to ten other fountain pens, because it carries its filler in its own stomach, and I cannot mislay even by art of intention. Also, I prefer it because it is a profanity saver; it cannot role off the desk.

In 1916 Conklin developed a patented spring loaded pocket clip, and in the 1920s began exporting pens to Europe and South America. 1921 saw The Crescent Filler the top selling pen on the market. While the pen was mechanically superior to the Schaeffer Lever Filler, the popularity of the Sheaffer pen led Conklin to design its own lever filling pen. A well-made and efficient lever filler, The Duragraph was introduced in 1923, and its success led to the developement of the Endura in 1924.

With marketing agility, and artistic flexibility in following market changes and innovative designs by competitors, Conklin introduced the streamlined Symetrik in 1929. Following quickly on its heels, in commercial-design and developement terms, the technologically advanced Nozak, with an inventive piston filling mechanism, was issued in 1931. Three years later, in 1934, what was to be the last new Conklin design, a Word Gauge model, was released.

In 1938, in a move, still puzzling to the business world in general, and to pen collectors in particular, Conklin was sold to a Chicago syndicate. For seventeen years, no new models were produced, and in 1955 all production ceased. Forty-five years later, at the turn of the millennium, to the gratification of all true historical pen buffs, and general business history enthusiasts as well, carefully following the original designs and utilizing artisanal craftsmanship, Conklin was revived as the Conklin Pen Co., Inc.

Today, at its facility in Englishtown, New Jersey, Conklin Pen Co., Inc. continues the revival of the vision and goals of one of the most distinguished and creative pen makers to grace either side of the Atlantic—or the Pacific, for that matter. Both, the 100th anniversary Conklin Crescent Filler Limited Edition, celebrating the pen that won the praise and name of Mark Twain; and the reissuance of the Conklin All Amercan Collection, originally released in the 1940’s, demonstrate that the company’s rebirth is not in name only. Other early twentieth-century designs have been recreated, remaining true to the form and quality of craftsmanship of the originals: the Nozac (1931), Duragraph (1923) , and Glider collections are representative.

Most recently, the Herringbone and Antique collections add depth and richness with both current and "retro" design elements. Nostalgia and heritage will always be a healthy component of Conklin design, and craftsmanship, retaining from the past that which was good, and adding innovation from modern style and manufacturing techniques. The maxim, "change is good," may or may not be true in a given circumstance or situation; it depends on what is being changed, and why. If something is good to begin with, discarding it is not good change. Improvement is one thing, but abandoning a successful and refined process or design, simply in the name of "change," is merely myopic and gratuitous egoism, ultimately self-injurious. Retention of good elements from past, or "old" designs and mechanisms, is one of the cardinal principles which made Conklin so successful in the early years, and is an integral part of its recipe for the same, in the 21st century.