The Magna Carta collection is the twenty-fourth in the David Oscarson™ series of Limited Edition Writing Instruments. Produced in three primary color variations, each will be limited to production of 800 pieces (including Fountain Pen and Roller Ball styles) in commemoration of the 800th anniversary of King John’s official sealing of the document June 15th, 1215.
Magna Carta (Latin for "the Great Charter"), also called Magna Carta Libertatum (Latin for "the Great Charter of the Liberties"), is a charter agreed by King John of England to make peace between the unpopular King and a group of rebel barons. It promised the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown. The charter became part of English political life and was typically renewed by each monarch in turn. -- Magna Carta was a major step in the shaping of the English nation, and he believed that the barons at Runnymede in 1215 were not just representing the nobility, but the people of England as a whole, standing up to a tyrannical ruler in the form of King John.
In the late 18th century, the United States Constitution became the supreme law of the land, recalling the manner in which Magna Carta had come to be regarded as fundamental law. The Constitution's Fifth Amendment guarantees that "no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law", a phrase that was derived from Magna Carta. In addition, the Constitution included a similar writ in the Suspension Clause, Article 1, Section 9: "The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion, the public safety may require it."
Each of these proclaims that no person may be imprisoned or detained without evidence that he or she committed a crime. The writers of the U.S. Constitution wished to ensure that the rights they already held, such as those that they believed were provided by Magna Carta, would be preserved unless explicitly curtailed. Crafted from .925 Sterling Silver, the Magna Carta Collection incorporates multiple levels of diamond-cut Guilloché engraving and a combination of Translucent and Opaque Hard Enamels. Each individual component is Guilloche-engraved and repeatedly kiln-fired and filed by hand, resulting in the beautiful and enduring finish celebrated in each magnificent Collection piece. -- Article 39 of the Magna Carta is featured on the barrel of each Magna Carta collection piece, which reads (in Latin):
Nullus liber homo capiatur, vel imprisonetur, aut disseisiatur, aut utlagetur, aut exuletur, aut aliquo modo destruatur; nec super eum ibimus, nec super eum mittemus, nisi per legale judicium parium suorum vel per legem terre.-- Translation: No free-man shall be seized, or imprisoned, or disseized of land, or outlawed, or in any way destroyed; nor will we condemn him, nor will we commit him to prison, excepting by the legal judgment of his peers, or by the laws of the land. -- Each pen cap features the British Flag (Union Jack), in translucent hard enamel; each pen barrel features the American flag (Old Glory) in opaque hard enamel. Crowning each pen cap is the primary seal of King John, which was used to authenticate the document in 1215; the secondary seal is located at the base of the pen barrel. Positioned at the base of the clip is the familiar symbol of the scale of justice.
Each David Oscarson Writing Instrument is available as a Fountain Pen in Fine, Medium, or Broad. It is also available as a Rollerball Pen or can be purchased as a convertible set to switch between the two writing modes.
