John Foley Bank Pen No 7 Civil War Era

[gcaso7176]

Hi everyone! I recently picked up this pen that I believe to be from the civil war era. The nib says "John Foley's Bank Ben New York No. 7"
I have seen varying versions online, but they all have a date on the nib; this one does not. Is that a problem?
This does seem to be from the civil war era, but again, I am not an expert in this.
I'm looking for more information on this such as when was it made, if it is okay that there is no date on it, what is its worth, that sort of thing. Any and all help is much appreciated. Thank you!

 

[HuntinDog]

Very cool Quill Pen
It's a beauty, but sorry I have no help on what you ask.

and​

Welcome to TreasureNet

 

[A2coins]

Thats a cool relic

 

[A2coins]

Also welcome. Tommy

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Gcaso7176 asked:
> I have seen varying versions online, but they all have a date on the nib; this one does not. Is that a problem?

Usually, when an object has a Patent date and another one like it turns up but has no date-marking, it means the unmarked one was manufactured sometime after the good-for-17-years (US) Patent protection expired.

For anybody here who doesn't already know:

"Patent protection" means that nobody can legally manufacture a newly-invented item (or process) without paying its inventor for a Patent License to do so. In the US, the Patent's lifespan is 17 years, in most cases. There are some exceptions which have a longer or shorter protection lifespan, such as a Plant patent for a new variety of corn, or rose, etc.

 

[gcaso7176]

Thanks @TheCannonballGuy! That makes sense about the patent information. So it seems that this pen is most likely from the 1890s then, still produced by Foley? I would of course assume this affects the value of the pen. I've seen lots of nibs selling individually, and not a lot of the pens. But regardless, I wouldn't be selling this, it's just a very cool piece to have. It looks very nice in my log cabin inkwell.