An Uncatalogued Bexley Tuck-Away Mardi Gras Fountain Pen c. 2004-2008

by Jim Mamoulides, January 3, 2025

Uncatalogued Bexley Tuck-Away fountain pen c. 2004-2008

A colorful confetti "long-short"

The Bexley Tuck-Away is a “long-short” style pen that is only 4 1/4 inches long capped but with the cap threaded onto the end of the short barrel it becomes 7 1/2 inches long posted. It was made in both fountain pen and rollerball pen versions and due to the compact size of the barrel the fountain pen can only accept short international cartridges. No converter was provided even as an option.

As Sheaffer did with their 1940s Tuckaway models, Bexley promoted their Tuck-Away for writers who “want a lightweight pen that fits easily in their pocket or purse."

Uncatalogued Bexley Tuck-Away fountain pen c. 2004-2008

The Bexley Tuck-Away fountain pen was offered with 18 karat gold two tone nibs in fine, medium, broad, or a 1.3mm broad stub. The rollerball pens used short Schmidt roller ball refills. The standard colors were Teal Blue Pearl, Red Pearl, Yellow Pearl, and Cracked Ice. The fountain pen had a retail price of $195 in 2004 and $210 in 2008. The rollerball pen had a retail price of $89 throughout production.

Bexley Tuck-Away fountain pen standard colors 2004-2008

Bexley Tuck-Away standard models:

• 3301 Red Pearl Fountain Pen
• 3302 Yellow Pearl Fountain Pen
• 3303 Teal Pearl Fountain Pen
• 3304 Cracked Ice Fountain Pen
• 3311 Red Pearl Rollerball Pen
• 3312 Yellow Pearl Rollerball Pen
• 3313 Teal Pearl Rollerball Pen
• 3314 Cracked Ice Rollerball Pen

Bexley often made off catalog pens. This uncatalogued Bexley Tuck-Away is made of a colorful version of the Cracked Ice acrylic resin called Mardi Gras, a mix of green, purple, and orange. Some sources date this pattern to 2005 and it appeared on other Bexley pens. The trim is gold plated.

Uncatalogued Bexley Tuck-Away fountain pen c. 2004-2008

I found this Bexley Tuck-Away very attractive, but in real life use, an oddity. It’s a cross between a Japanese “long-short” fountain pen with a decidedly cylindrical American look. Where I find the Japanese pens fun and cute, I felt this one was a little too large closed and overly long posted. The Japanese “long-short” fountain pens seem the right size closed and open. I think this acrylic is more fun than the standard colors and the fit and finish was excellent. The nib wrote very nicely, laying down an even wet line in every direction.

I don’t know how many off catalog Bexley Tuck-Aways were made, but I recall seeing at least one other. The few standard models I’ve seen have held their value against the original retail price. If you want an unusual “long-short” pen, the Bexley Tuck-Away may be your ticket!

---

Acknowledgement

Thanks to Leigh Moser for pointing out that the pattern is called Mardi Gras.

References

Bexley website, 2004 - 2008, via Wayback Machine