Double Inkstand with Pen Rack

A cast iron inkstand with two pressed glass inkwells with unattached lids with finials. The pen rack in the back, which accommodates three pens, is decorated with the embossed figure of a stork (or crane) in flight. The base stands on four hoofed feet. Impressed on the bottom of the bottles, “P.S. & W. Co. Pat. Dec. 11,77”.

The origin of the Peck, Stow & Wilcox Co. dates to 1797 when Seth Peck, from Southington, Connecticut, began manufacturing tinsmiths’ machines. These machines replaced the hand tools that tinsmiths had exclusively used before that time.

By 1870, the S. Stow Mfg. Co. of Plantsville and the Roys & Wilcox Co. of East Berlin were competitors in the same business. In December 1870, the three firms united and formed a joint stock company under the name Peck, Stow & Wilcox Co.

While tinsmiths’ tools and machines remained a prominent part of their product line, Peck, Stow & Wilcox gradually expanded their offerings, encompassing a wide range of metalworking and household tools including inkstands. A page from their 1910 product catalog (of almost 500 pages) is included here.

A second example shows the inkstand extended in the front with a covered storage area. The lift-off lid is ribbed and served as a match strike. One could store nibs, matches, etc. This sold for $109 in May 2025.