A lot of the modern ink bottles in use today are reminiscent of vintage ink bottles. One in particular that gets a lot of attention are the ink bottles (and inks) produced by P.W Akkerman in The Netherlands. Jif-Waterman was a French subsidiary of Waterman who produced this long neck reservoir ink bottle we all love today. The neck reservoir is filling by tilting the bottle and the glass marble in the neck traps the …
Following up on a recent post about the Waterman Signagraph machines: what are those lock boxes about? The lock boxes that accompanied some of the machines were designed and used for storing the fountain pens and inks that were used in the signagraphs separately from the machine itself. The purpose of the boxes was simple – it was a security measure; by having the pens locked away from the machine itself, a corporation could more likely prevent …
The Signagraph machine is a unique and intriguing item. It was meant as an early office labor saving device because it allowed a user to sign from five, ten, or twenty checks at a time. The machine follows the motion of the hand of the user and all the other pens write as one. The Signagraph had eyedropper of lever-fill pens that were mounted into a wooden carrying case. There were some Signagraphs in which …
If you sell, lend, or borrow pens, a safe way to ship them to and from owners is using our protective shipping tubes. Several several features make them a better choice over, say, a chunk of PVC pipe! Twist lock action holds vintage pen securely in position in the tube. Perfectly transparent so vintage pen can be easily seen. Infinitely variable length extension to 8 3/4″ through twistlock mechanism. Hexagon end prevents rolling. Durable and reusable. Sturdy; …
I recently posted about our Catalog #70 sale (10% off remaining items), which includes three Waterman Ink-Vue demonstrator fountain pens. There are a variety of filling mechanisms available on fountain pens and these Ink-Vue demonstrators are designed to show off Waterman’s vacuum-fill mechanism, their answer at the time to Parker’s Vacumatic-fill pens. The Ink-Vue employs a lever near the bottom of the pen which is unfolded and then pumped. Each stroke depresses a press-bar which in turn evacuates air from a diaphragm (aka …
As avid fountain pen lovers, we want to wish you a warm and inky Fountain Pen Day! We hope you are able to celebrate this fine day with a smooth nib and a nice bottle of your preferred ink! Warm regards, Gary & Myrna
By now, we have all amassed a tidy collection of the perfect pens, or we’re well on the way to having the perfect collection of pens. To be able to view them and store them easily, we have the perfect slotted display trays. Ideal for all modern pens, vintage fountain pens, and any other vintage pen! These display trays are 12 1/8″ x 16 3/8″ each, each with 24 slots. Several colors are available, including black, …
“Learning to Write With a Waterman” cardboard poster was displayed on trolley cars. In 1926 the image was reproduced on tin for use by retailers in their stores and window displays. 19″ x 13″.
“Plume Ideal Waterman” poster by Cappiello. Clown with two faces, one happy and one unhappy. The side with the happy face is holding a then modern Waterman Self Filling Fountain Pen, while the side with the unhappy face is tossing his quill dip pen. Leonetto Cappiello (1875-1942), born in Livorno, Italy, was one of the most important artists in the European Vintage poster movement. Cappiello moved to Paris early in his career to sell his …
Here is a wonderful vintage Waterman countertop display the company provided to their dealers. It holds 8 pens. The theory was that pens displayed on the counter would be more likely to sell than pens under the counter, since they were in better view.
