Birmingham pen trade same time Osmiroid International had a large production plant in the city. Birmingham pen trade The Birmingham pen trade evolved in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter and its surrounding area in the 19th century; for many years, the city was the centre of the world's pen trade. In Newhall Street, John Mitchell manufactured pens; he pioneered mass production of steel pens (prior to this, the quill pen was the most common form of writing instrument). Mitchells are credited as being the first manufacturers to use machines to cut pen nibs, greatly speeding up the process. John's brother William later set up
Onoto pens consortium of 3 large companies. Since 1905 all Onoto pens had been manufactured in Bunhill Row, London, but in 1927 the whole pen manufacturing department was transferred to Fife, Scotland, to the disused Strathendry paper mill which had been operated by J A Weir, one of the companies involved in the consortium. During the 1930s, and coinciding with both the Depression and the Art Deco period, Onoto pens became even more stylish and colourful. New models, including more streamlined pen with a screw cap, and several ornamental "mounts" were introduced in a wide range of colours. Transparent pens with the