A few weeks ago, longtime Vancouver Pen Club member Christopher sent me an email asking for my assistance with a mysterious vintage fountain pen he'd recently acquired....
(all photos courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on images to enlarge)
In Christopher's words: "This pen came into my collection the other day and for the life of me I have no idea who the manufacturer is or what era it is from? As you can see, it is a bulb filler covered by a long shiny black blind cap, and may I add, of considerable quality. The barrel supports a very large ink view window, which has a spiderweb pattern etched on the surface. The section is the best shaped one for my fingers yet. The cap has the most beautiful mottled red pearl and black finish topped off with a black cap screw which secures an even more attractive clip. The clip is also imprinted ‘Refograph’ and looks German 1930s in its design. Beautifully finished and shaped. There are also three distinctive cap bands the middle one being wider. All the fittings are 14K gold filled. But I have saved the best for last. The tiny nib, a Warranted one, is of super high quality and definitely 14K gold. And I would have to add that this little beauty is a semi broad with more flex than can be imagined. I took the liberty of an educated guess as to the dating as mid 30s. Actually I have had several 1930s German Reform pens and their clips were somewhat similar to this one."
I did some digging and found reference to Refograph fountain pens on FPN (Fountain Pen Network) in a discussion about Hungarian fountain pens, so I sent the information to Christopher. He thanked me and sent me a photo of another wonderful Hungarian fountain pen (a Gracia) that he owned....
Christopher: "I only have one other Hungarian pen and it is a beauty. What I did learn about this other Hungarian fountain pen was that yes it was made in part, in Hungary but jobbed out by the Hunt Pen Company in the US in the late 1930s. But what really sold me on this pen was the Parker Arrow clip. That, I was told, was applied by licence so it has the Parker stamp of approval. With some of the people I have talked to, who have this pen, theirs even has a Parker nib from that same late 30s period. Evidentially, also approved by license. But I am challenged to exchange the nib in mine for a late 30s Parker one, because my nib has the Hunt Company branding on it."
You don't see very many vintage Hungarian fountain pens around (well, not in this part of the world), so many thanks to Christopher for sharing these two beautiful examples with us!
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