Saturday, November 19, 2022

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 439

A big "THANK YOU!" to the Vancouver Pen Shop for hosting our pen club at their store on Thursday! A wonderful time was had by all who attended 😁

We wish the Van Pen gang all the best as they finish moving to their new location at 555 Howe Street (between Dunsmuir & Pender), with the grand opening scheduled for November 23rd (but please check their Facebook page for any updates). I'm working on a blog post about Thursday's get-together at their old location (which is now permanently closed 😢) ... but in the meantime, here's one of Christopher's newest acquisitions--a vintage fountain pen/mechanical pencil combo in a very attractive material:

(all text and photos courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on images to enlarge)

Christopher begins: "Although there are many different vintage pen/pencil combos, I have found that it is rather a challenge to find one in good condition. Strangely, a lot of them I have run across have been somewhat warped. So when a good one in very fine condition shows up, I am first in line to acquire it."

"Such was the case with this lovely mottled red and black Barrett. Over and above its superb finish, the fittings are 14K gold filled, and on a matching grip section presented is a outstanding Barrett 14K Gold, No.4 flexy nib. Granted, with the pencil option, the pen part of the equation does not hold a lot of ink, but the overall design and condition makes this an item that few vintage pen collectors could pass by.

 This is a flat top from the later half of the 1920s with a tapered ball ended clip. The cap sports several well placed cap bands and there is a rounded jet insert covering 80 percent of the flat top cap. The lever filler pressure bar was interesting, to say the least. When I took the unit apart to restore and service it, I was surprised to find a very short ‘Slide’ pressure bar, which just fit over the rubber sac and in turn with its tabs, slid onto the inside end of the lever filler. It is professionally very well made and served its purpose perfectly. The pencil at the other end of the fountain pen,can be unscrewed from the main part of the barrel. Inside was a good size eraser which, when easily removed, allowed for leads to be loaded into the back of the pencil.

 The unit posts well at either end, at a little over 6 inches but does not decrease in length that much when capped at a little under 5 ¾ inches. Still a pocketable item of very good quality. The C.E. Barrett company was in the business of making parts for other pen companies, but had a strong tie to the National Pen & Pencil company throughout their history. They also supplied fully made pens and pen parts to department stores throughout the US but more or less had had their day by the early 1950s. Admittedly, I do not have very many pen/pencil combos in my vintage pen collection, but this wonderful writing instrument will definitely be allowed to join the ranks."


"Post script: The grip section actually is only matching up to a certain point, because it is black with the red swirls. Truly a nice and thoughtful touch by the manufacturer."

 Many thanks to Christopher for sharing this interesting find with us!

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