Here's an amazing vintage writing instrument you don't see every day; I hope you enjoy Christopher's write up and photo as much as I did :)
Christopher writes:
"There are pens which are truly mind-blowing, and
then there is this one! And, admittedly, after over a decade of serious
vintage pen collecting, this particular vintage treasure stands in a
league of its own. When one considers a writing instrument that was
put together prior to the last century, usually one envisions a plain
black vulcanized rubber number, totally void of all the embellishment of
the more modern pens of today. Still, when the pen in question is made
by a famous New York jeweler, who at times reached out to other
craftsmen in the jewellery industry for further beautification, you
could end up with a Aikin Lambert ‘Poinsettia’ golden overlay. A pen so
striking in finish that it is, to my mind, a total work of art. But that
is only the beginning, since the real purpose of this item, even back
at the beginning of the 1890s, was to apply ink to paper in a
responsible and consistent fashion. And this, may I assure you, it does,
and does well.
(photo courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on image to enlarge)
But
first, I would like to reflect on the makeup of this vintage pen. The
base is black vulcanized rubber for both the barrel and long slip on
cap, as well as a very substantial grip section. This section supports
an Aikin Lambert No.3, 14K Gold nib that, although professionally
stubbed, lays down ink with a smooth consistent flow. It also lends
itself to impressive flex, which is something that most Aikin Lambert
nibs I had experienced do. And as for as this pen’s size is concerned,
it covers a full 7 inches posted, siting well balanced in the
hand, but caps back to 6 inches, which will fit nicely into most pen
collector's pen cases. But let’s get down to what really makes this pen
beautiful, and that is the 14K Gold filled overlay.
The
overlay is often referred to as repousse or ‘Golpheresque’ design, and
is a high scroll relief pattern, featuring poinsettia flowers (native to
both Mexico and South America) winding around the cap and barrel in an
exquisite relief. Of course, most of us know the poinsettia as a Yule
time flower, presenting itself with brilliant red and green leaves with
tiny blossoms in the center. Actually, this connection of the poinsettia
did not occur until the 17th century, when Franciscan monks used the
flower in nativity scenes. This particular pen first appeared in the late
19th century with a thin nib, set on an equally thin feed.
Later, and as time moved on, both nib and feed were slightly broadened.
The Aikin Lambert company had a long term relationship with Waterman,
and often the models from both companies crossed over. Aitkin Lambert, as
well as making the fine nibs and equally intricate precious metal
overlays for Waterman, also made their mechanical pencils. Eventually
Waterman took them over but the quality from this fine New York jeweler
never faltered.
Overall,
this vintage pen is in very fine to near mint condition, and personally
I am not at all disappointed that the nib has been professionally
stubbed...and, might I add, a brilliant job at that. I have inked and
written with this vintage pen, but look forward to using it again before
it makes its way into my vintage pen collection."
Congratulations on this marvelous acquisition, Christopher, and thank you for sharing it with us! As an aside, there's an interesting online article about the overlay patterns that the Waterman pen company used here that I found very interesting.
** Just a little reminder that our September meeting will be held on Thursday of this week (Sept. 19) at the Terry Salman VPL branch from 5:00-7:30pm. Link to more info is at the top of each web page in big red letters :)
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