Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 485

As promised, we're back with some more of Christopher's pen reviews, starting with this little vintage number below...

(photo & text courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on image to enlarge)

"Years ago, I acquired some British fountain pens and amongst them was what I had assumed was a Conway Stewart. The only imprinting on the barrel read simply, ‘Made in England’ and the cap had a insignia on it which I was not familiar with. That left the id which was clearly marked ‘Conway Steward on the nib. So logic dictated that the pen was, in fact, just that. In the time that followed, I showed the pen to another collector and he identified it as a Wyvern with a Conway Stewart replacement nib. I was a little put off with this and decided to stow the pen until I could make it right. More currently, as luck would have it, I ran across another Wyvern, and to my joy the nib in this new acquisition was the right one and allowed me to then have a complete Wyvern fountain pen."

"This is a Wyvern ‘Pixie’ from the end of the 1940s. Possibly a lesser model, but with the same quality standard which made the Wyvern company a major contender and on par with the top British pen companies of good size. At the top of the tapered clip there is a symbol that represents the Lester Dragon or Wyvern, and was the district in England where the Wyvern company was located. Although a Plain Jane in its make up and finish, there is a subtle elegance and an overall well balance to the design elements of this fine pen.

The cap sports the cap clip I have described, but this is neatly complimented with a very fine single banding. The clip is held fast by a top rivet while, at the other end of the pen, the barrel is round flat ended. This is a lever filler and, for the size of the pen, a long and narrow lever. The section is both adequate and matching black like the rest of the pen’s finish and sports a small but extremely well ground super flexy 14K sold Gold nib. As a writer, this pen is brilliant and a joy to apply to paper. I will close by saying that when the British get it right, especially with this fine pen, their efforts are well worth noting. I will be adding this UK treasure to my collection and it will not go unused.

Funny how these things turn out and to quote my good chum Mark, ‘Never discard anything when it comes to vintage fountain pens."

Many thanks to Christopher for this review! We'll be posting more of his reviews this week and next, so stay tuned ....