A Waterman clip discovery

A friend acquired the pen shown above earlier this year. Our page on Waterman overlay patterns describes it as follows:

An uncommon Filigree pattern from c. 1905-07 . . . found in both gold filled and sterling silver; a solid gold version was also offered in #4 size. This sinuous, abstract scrolling pattern appears to have been the first Filigree offered in materials other than fine silver.

Uncommon as this pattern is, this pen has a feature that is more unusual still. The clip bears a "PAT. APL'D FOR" imprint -- a mark that I had postulated existed, but had not found despite several years of searching.

I had suspected that Waterman had begun using its "Clip-Cap" clips prior to September 26, 1905, the date of issue of the US patent for that clip design (800141). But since the patent was granted relatively quickly (the application was filed on April 7, 1905), the "PAT. APL'D FOR" clips would have been made for less than six months -- and given how scarce they have proven to be, perhaps for a much shorter time than that. The picture below shows a clip bearing the post-issuance imprint with the September 26, 1905 date.

Our story has an unfortunate postscript. The pen with the "PAT. APL'D FOR" clip was recently stolen and is still missing. If it should resurface, do not hesitate to let me know so I can alert its owner.