Catalog #76 for September 2015 is open for viewing! I feel like this every time, but there are some truly outstanding and extraordinary pens to pick up, or just look at. Keep an eye out for some detailed posts of some of these extraordinary pens. Catalog #71, #72, and #73 have a 10% off sale on all remaining items, if you want to have a look there as well.
What do the numbers and letters on my nib mean? It depends on the numbers, of course. Nibs are marked with their gold content, such as 14K/585, or 18K/750. Some modern nibs have 23K Pd for palladium (Visconti). Nibs without a gold indication are usually steel or gold-plated steel (sometimes marked as GKP/GP). Small letters such as F/M indicate the size of the nib: extra-fine, fine, medium, broad, double-broad, and triple-broad. Specialty nibs, such as those …
A stunning line up of Pelikans – many with flexible nibs. If you’re searching for a nib that will offer some line variation, look no further. Catalog #75 has a few Pelikans you may want to look at. #172 is sold: a 1948 100N in the rare Grey Pearl. This pen had a broad, italic, extra-flexible nib. A marvelous nib! #173: a 1950 100N in Green Pearl. This is a NOS, mint condition Pelikan with …
Why do nibs have tipping? Vintage pen nibs were tipped with iridium, a hard, expensive metal alloy, because the gold nibs on the pens were far too soft to withstand being in continuous contact with the paper. The wear and tear on the tip of a gold nib would wear it down too fast. The iridium tipping prolongs the life of a nib considerably, depending on how it is treated. You will find tipping on most …
Calling all Pelikan collectors! This 1935 Pelikan 100N Magnum Emege piston-filler is an absolutely beautiful pen: combining a deep red hard rubber cap, inner cap, and turning knob, with a stunning tortoiseshell barrel. It’s also an oversize vintage pen, unlike most 100 series Pelikan models available now (and then). It’s the largest pen Pelikan made in the 1930s, being longer and thicker than other 100s. What is Emege? The inner cap is imprinted with ”Emege”, to …
Pen #5 – 1950s Montblanc Meisterstück 144 piston-filler in light green straight striped celluloid. To match the body’s beauty, the nib is a broad, oblique italic. Overall condition is near mint. Note the difference in the green striped celluloid between pen #5 and pen #7 – the light green straight striped celluloid compared to green striped (also lovely, but quite different). We sometimes find great vintage pens, but discover the celluloid has discolored (perhaps through UV exposure/celluloid disease). This …
Montblanc still makes beautiful pens today, but if you want a truly stunning, unique celluloid Montblanc specimen, this 1930s L30 Meisterstück is a great one. The push-knob-fill set is in rare black and pearl celluloid in near mint condition, with matching pencil. Aside from the gorgeous celluloid, the pen is fitted with the original broad, oblique italic nib – excellent for signatures and expressive writing. While celluloid can discolor and fade, this particular pen is …
This patent shows a section design that was to be an ornamental pen section. Looks like an inlaid nib!
The things fountain pens have been used for! There was the Waterman 20s during the prohibition era, but the fountain pen pistol patent shows some really creative thinking. This patent was filed for Gaylord Products Inc. in 1954. This was a single shot pistol, designed to be easy to assemble, disassemble, to clean, maintain, operate, and to be reliable in use.
It’s fun and interesting to see patents – the originals behind the pens we love so much now. This patent was filed by Lester W. Ormsby, for The Parker Pen Company. Looking at the patent, one may recognize a Parker-like appearance about it. This was a novel cap construction to allow venting in the interior to maintain pressure, but without drying out the nib.
