Mercurite

From 1921 to 1964, Nielson-Werk GmbH produced safety pens , lever fillers, push button pens , fountain pens and mechanical pencils in Hamburg-Nienstedten under the brand name Merkurit .

history

Nielson factory, company logo 1930

Former Nielson factory in Altona-Nienstedten, Kronprinzenstrasse 54, around 2010

In 1920 the Nielson fountain pen factory was founded in Hamburg-Eilbek. Wilhelm Nielson was the managing director and his wife Anna was the owner. Wilhelm Nielson was busy. He was a businessman, an "expert in marine insurance," had a chemical factory and ran the Nielson factory. The couple had four children.

In 1921 the company headquarters was relocated from Eilbek to Nienstedten, to Kronprinzenstraße 3, the house no longer stands today.

In 1930 the company moved a few doors down to Kronprinzenstrasse 54, where it remained until the end of 1964. It is not known whether the building for the factory was rebuilt, but it is very likely.

Until 1964, she produced all kinds of writing implements there: fountain pens, mechanical pencils, mechanical pencils and ballpoint pens, which were sold worldwide. The main brand was Merkurit .

Wilhelm Nielson died in 1931 of pneumonia. His widow Anna Nielson was forced to take over the management of the company as a mother of four.

Despite all the economic problems, Anna Nielson continued to run the company successfully and survived the difficult war and post-war period.

1958 Probably the last product development of the Nielson factory was a Merkurite ballpoint pen.

In 1964 the Nielson-Werk company passed into the hands of Helga and Kurt Redieske, a Nielson daughter and her husband.

The production of writing implements was given up. Kurt Redieske took over the property at Kronprinzenstrasse 54 and operated the reading group “Die Neue Mappe” from there. The property is still owned by the Redieske family today. The last fountain pens with the three dots date from the 1960s. The last entry "Nielson-Werk" is recorded in the Hamburg telephone directory from 1964/65.

In terms of quality and appearance, the early Merkurit fountain pens were very similar to the Montblanc models. Merkurit's writing instruments are now rare and sought-after collector's items.