Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 565

Thank you to everyone who attended our April meeting on Saturday; I'll post some photos from it later this week. In the meantime, enjoy this review of another vintage beauty recently acquired by Christopher!

Christopher writes: 

"I believe if there is one Wahl Eversharp pen which seems to be often overlooked for the likes of the Doric, it has to be the Equipoise. This was in reality one of the transitional pen and pencil lines that bridged the gap forward from the tubular Wahi Eversharp flat top to the Streamlined Doric. As the story goes, in 1929 Eversharp saw that a lot of the pen and mechanical pencil manufactures were streamlining their products. So, not to be left out, the Wahl Eversharp company took their existing flattop and in a lot of ways copied the design of Sheaffer Balance. But moving into the following year, they streamlined this new line even more, moving away from the cigar shope that the Sheaffer Balance seemed to have in its makeup. They also made both ends --at the top of the cap and the bottom of the barrel-- conical shaped.

The 1930 Wahl Eversharp Equipoise is, to my mind, as close as you could get to the Doric without being a Doric. Often mistaken for a Doric, it lacks the faceted barrel and cap, as well as the Doric's Art Deco cap banding. Although the Equipoise came with a finely ground high quality Gold nib, it did not have the adjustable nib features or the ink shut off valve, which often came with the Doric. But the Equipoise did inherit the Gold cap seal, that first was used on Wahl Eversharp's better pens and mechanical pencils with the flat-top line. And better yet, the Equipoise also brought forth the Wahl Eversharp 'Personal Point' which allowed for interchangeable nib/feed units to be installed in a very receptive grip section. And I dare say, the Personal Point range of nibs was impressive."

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

"But let us take a look at this Wahl Eversharp Equipoise jet black beauty, that I am featuring in this article. Right off the bat, it has a lot of the features I have just mentioned. As one can see, there is a Gold Seal high on the cap and well below but still on this streamlined covering a smart double banding. This is a lever filler and at the same time, a short Ribbon ring top which is well in keeping with the personalization on the barrel. In fact, this particular writing instrument first belonged to a Berniere Petronis, a staff typist at the Morningside University and seen in the old photograph I am featuring with this text, seated at the table with other staff members in front of her typewriter.

The 14K Gold nib in this pen, set into an adequate black section, is truly a fine and well-marked one. It carries the identification 'Eversharp Gold Seal, Made in the US, Flexible' and it definitely is just that. I would have to say that the flexible reference pertains to about a medium flex with very good control for writing. The finish overall is a smart jet black, and the fittings are all 14K Gold filled. The condition for a 96-year-old pen is magnificent and it both draws a good bit of ink when filling and, in turn, lays it down on paper in a smooth and consistent fashion. As for size, this pen posts well at 6 ¼ inches, which includes the chatelaine cap ring, but caps back to a responsible 5 ½ inches accordingly. All in all, a super lady's pen but, at the same time, a perfect candidate for my vintage pen collection."

Our thanks to Christopher for the review! 🙂