Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 123

It's a known fact that people feel more nostalgic during the holidays--they bring back memories of happy times spent with loved ones, delicious holiday meals shared with friends and family, and perhaps even some special gifts received as a child. Speaking of nostalgia...here's something you don't see very often these days.... 

 (all photos courtesy of Stuart ~ please click on images to enlarge)

Stuart: "It’s a 1959 desk-set, with a ceramic base made for Parker by Haeger, and that was meant to double as an ashtray!  (oh the 50’s!!!) It’s in the original box, which as you can see is quite worn, but the set is great, either unused or used only a little." 

 

(Parker 'Spherix' ballpoint desk set with a ceramic ashtray made by Haeger Potteries)

Stuart: "It took 12 days from New York to here, which is good.  It was on Etsy, and I hemmed and hawed about it for months before deciding to go for it.  I’m surprised it hung around so long, lucky me!  I’ve seen -online- a 1959 Parker desk-set catalog that shows this set, along with several others by Haeger, including one that doubled as a planter, which makes a little more sense than stubbing out your cig in your desk-set."

 

Stuart: "The original Jotter refill is dried-up, but replacing it is no problem (as it takes modern Parker ballpoint refills)."

 

Sadly, Haeger Potteries closed its doors in 2016, after more than 100 years in business. The Haeger ceramic pieces that were part of desk sets don't come up for sale too often, so this was a great find :) Bravo, Stuart, and thanks for sharing it with us!

P.S. Stuart swung by the Vancouver Pen Shop and wanted to mention their Christmas Promo - a Waterman 'Allure' fountain pen, a bottle of Robert Oster ink and a notebook for $60 plus tax (and it's all gift-bagged, too!). Stuart also mentioned that the store will ship to people out of town.

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 122

Today's featured newest acquisition is owned by Christopher and it's a bit of a mystery (and possibly a prototype), so we'll let Christopher explain....

Christopher: "The pen, which I have attached snaps of, is definitely imprinted Parker Challenger and also carries a date code of the second quarter of 1939. It is, of course, a button filler with the typical late Challenger early 40s rounded black blind cap, but this is where the pen take a quantum leap into the unknown! And I find myself scratching my head wondering exactly what I have in hand?"

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

"It is a big full-sized pen posting at a full 6 inches, but in spite of capping back to 5 inches has a fair-sized girth. The section is black and has a typical Parker Challenger ink view window, but the cap is really something to write home about! To start off with, it is smooth and bandless and a perfect match in finish and in fit to the barrel. There is no doubt that this is in fact the original cap and not something added at a later date. The top of this cap is totally flat, smooth and rounded with a wee bit of age wear. It also carries the same matching finish as the barrel and the rest of the cap." 

 

"This cap, like the rest of the pen, is of substantial size and girth, but the clip is very unusual. It is an arrow design squared off at the top end but long and triangular in shape, tapering to an arrow pointed flat ball end. This end carries and finishes the triangular shape right down to its very end. I checked out the attachment of the clip and fastening holes and they are definitely of the manufacturer making and not an afterthought. Clean and originally cut when I checked them under my loupe." 

 

"The nib is also rather a unique surprise in that it is an original Parker Left hand oblique! And may I add the right Challenger nib for this pen, but date-coded the third quarter of 1937." 

 

"Everything about this unusual Parker Challenger seems 100% original and the condition and quality is up to Parker standards and impressive. It is a US Parker imprinted pen with nice clear sharp markings. The finish reminds me of a mix between the Parker Vacumatic grey/black/pearl and the Premier (Parker Thrift Depression Pen) with its slight red veining. Truly magnificent. The button filler works well and for some stranger reason I enjoy writing with its unusual nib and it tends to accentuate my serifs. Truly a great and surprising score."

Congratulations to Christopher on this fascinating vintage find, and many thanks to him for sharing it with us!

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 121

While trolling Etsy last month, I came across an interesting-looking fountain pen from a brand I wasn't familiar with. After watching a couple of enthusiastically-positive YouTube reviews about it, I decided to take the plunge and ordered it. Meet my new Kanwrite 'Heritage' fountain pen....

(all photos by Maja ~ please click on images to enlarge)

Made by Kanpur Writers, a family-owned pen manufacturer founded in 1986 and located in Kanpur, India, the 'Heritage' fountain pen is a piston-filling fountain pen that's about the size of a Pelikan M800 (although it's slightly bulbous in the middle). I got mine from 'WriteNowTreasures' on Etsy for $38 USD/$52 CAD, including free trackable shipping from India.

 

 It's a lovely acrylic pen with a swirly white cap, section & blind cap, and a beautiful, multi-coloured (predominately orange) resin barrel which lives up to its name -"Fire Blast". The Heritage comes in several different acrylics, as well as a demonstrator model.

 

One of the YouTube reviews I saw mentioned that the pen was reminiscent of an Indian mace called a gada, likely due to its distinctively-shaped, unadorned cap top (see photo above). There's a plastic inner-cap liner to prevent the pen from drying out when inked, which is a nice feature. The cap itself screws on and off the barrel in 2.5 turns (which may or may not irritate some people :) 

The simple 23 gold-plated clip (with "KANWRITE" stamped on it) reminds me of my Noodler's 'Konrad' fountain pens (most of whose parts were made in India), as does its piston-filling mechanism.  If you don't clip your fountain pens to your shirt pocket, the clip should be fine---it clips onto a dozen sheets of paper easily--but it is quite tight. The very top of the cap unscrews, though, and the clip is removable, so theoretically you could adjust the clip tightness by carefully bending the clip slightly outward after removing it.

 

The section is nicely flared and matches the colour of the cap and blind cap (I think that's what initially drew my eyes to the pen). The ink-view window has two attractive 23K gold-plated rings on either side of it. The ink-view window can't be seen when the pen is capped, but that's a relatively minor point.

 

The piston-filler unit has a true blind cap that covers the clear plastic turning knob. Note: the plastic turning knob has a smell that many find off-putting (ditto for many Noodler's brand fountain pens). This is from the material the pen is made of - Cellulose Acetate Butyrate (CAB). Thankfully, the blind cap covers the turning knob, so the smell isn't noticeable unless you remove it. On the plus side, CAB is considered eco-friendly and is tougher than Cellulose Acetate.

 

My 'Heritage' pen has a #6 size, two-tone gold-plated steel BB (double-broad) stub nib, made in-house by the manufacturer. They make both steel and gold nibs in a variety of nib widths (from XXF to BB) and there are also flexy, ultraflexy, oblique and stub options available for their pens.

The BB stub on mine writes very well and lays down a true stub line that's slightly wider than my 1.1mm Lamy italic nib's. There is definitely some "feedback" when writing with the nib, so if you're expecting a butter-smooth writing experience, this might not be the nib for you (unless you want to get yourself some nib-smoothing material and smooth the nib...carefully). Personally, I like the nib's toothiness on rougher paper, and more importantly, I've had no problems with skipping, railroading or hard-starting.

 

According to the official website's description, the 'Heritage' model's nib and ebonite feed are in a  "replaceable screw in nib unit", but I wasn't able to unscrew it from the section. Erring on the side of caution, I didn't try to force it after a couple of tries. The nib and feed are friction-fitted into the nib unit, though, and can be removed fairly easily (tip: remove the nib first by pulling it straight out-- rubber gloves really help---and then remove the feed).

 

According to the Etsy seller, the total weight of the pen (uninked) is 28 grams. The length is 6¹⁄₁₆ inches capped...  

... and 6¹¹⁄₁₆in inches posted. Without its cap, it's 5⁷⁄₁₆ inches long - long enough for me to use comfortably unposted. When posted, it is very long, but it's incredibly well-balanced. It's a fairly light but chunky fountain pen with a section diameter just a tad over 0.5 inch (at the barrel threads) that feels really good in the hand.

All in all, an attractive, well-made fountain pen and at slightly over $50 CAD shipped (in an oval metal box with a small cleaning cloth), I think it's a good deal for a piston-filling fountain pen (especially with a factory BB stub nib).

 For a comprehensive review, check out this excellent YouTube video review.

~Write-up & photos by Maja

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 120

From one nice vintage Esterbrook desk set (the "Medallion" model in the previous blog post) to the glossy black ceramic Esterbrook model DB-114 desk set below, both owned by longtime Vancouver Pen Club member Stuart...

(all photos courtesy of Stuart ~ please click on images to enlarge)

Stuart: "Here’s some shots of the Esterbrook “wedge” set. I like it, it’s even more retro looking than the more common 8-ball style."

"The pen it came with needs a new sac, so I swapped another pen into it, with the nib from the set’s pen.  It’s a 9668 Fine.  So another fun addition to the hoard!" 

For more information on vintage Esterbrook desk sets:
-Esterbrook Desk Set Gallery
-Old Esterbrook catalog - desk sets (to see details, download image + zoom in)

Many thanks to Stuart for his ongoing contributions to our virtual show & tell!

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 119

 Fans of mid-century design will love this vintage desk belonging to Stuart - an Esterbrook 2140 desk set in Lime...

 (all photos courtesy of Stuart ~ please click on images to enlarge)

Stuart: "’I've had an exciting day in terms of mail deliveries! A Sheaffer student writing kit from the late 50’s arrived... The other cool thing is an Esterbrook Medallion desk-set from the 50’s. It has a low-profile glass or ceramic circular base in mint green, with a chrome swiveling pen socket and a matching mint desk-pen with a Lucite taper.  The pen’s sac is petrified, which the seller mentioned, but otherwise it’s in great shape." 

 

"You can see the variation in shade on the pen-the pen’s barrel is a little lighter in colour than the front section, presumably from fading and light exposure... The taper is clear and not yellowed or milky."

"I dipped the 9668 nib on the pen and it’s a great smooth writer. I might use the set with one of my black Estie desk-pens until I can get the mint one fixed up."

 

I commented on the lovely colour and design, saying "It's a real beaut!" and Stuart replied
"It is a beaut! Esterbrook had using simple materials to maximum effect down to an art."
I also mentioned that I hadn't seen a Medallion model desk set before, and he replied:"Medallion sets aren’t as common as the ubiquitous 8-ball types, and they also came in black or robin’s-egg blue", later adding: "I think the light blue set is less common again than the mint green."

 As Stuart mentioned above, this model came in two other colours (official colour names: "Jet" and "Azure"). For more information on this elegant desk set and its cousins, check out this FPN thread.

Stuart-many thanks for photographing your cool new desk set and for sharing your thoughts on it!

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 118

 A couple of more new vintage pens from Christopher, this time from our side of the Atlantic...

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

Christopher: "This combo was just what the doctor ordered in the pen and pencil department. I have wanted an Aikin Lambert BCHR (Black Chased Hard Rubber) fountain pen for years and happened on this one a few weeks ago. Better still, it was short ribbon ring tied to the most gorgeous gold and royal blue vest pencil imaginable. Can you imagine a better score and the Aikin Lambert nib has enough flex to satisfy any writer!" 

"OK. Here is something really unusual. About four years back, I got a Wirt gold overlay cap with a large bunch of vintage pen parts. It’s not gold filled, but 14K gold and I thought that, someday, I just might come across the right BCHR pen to cap it with. Well, last month I scored just the right pen. The catalogue showed the cap for this pen to be just the right one to exchange for the gold overlay. Wow and am I thrilled. I am a big follower of the Paul Wirt pens, so this marriage for me was made in heaven. By the way, the BCHR cap matches my Wirt gold overlay cap in every way save the overlay. I should mention that the Wirt nib which is pre-breather hole is quite something. I guess back in '05 they really had an affinity for Gold nibs!"

Waiting for the correct replacement part for a vintage pen to come along can be challenging, so I'm glad Christopher finally found that Wirt barrel! Our thanks to Christopher for sharing more of his great vintage finds with us.

VPC members: if you want to share your recent pen-related acquisitions via our club's blog, please email me your photos and a short write-up...and no, the items don't have to be rare and/or expensive ;)

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 117

Today's featured writing instruments are two lovely vintage French "woodgrain" red hard rubber fountain pens recently acquired by VPC member Christopher, One is by Météore, and the other by Soma, and they both have an interesting feature....

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

Christopher: "It was René who turned me on to the olde French safety pens. And as soon as he did, I was turning over stones for them. The d’Or has quite a history in France of producing quality pens and this one was no exception. The safety mechanism works perfectly and I guess the French knew all about flexy nibs."

 

 "The Soma Company of France did not have the presence in the early vintage pen market that d’Or had but still were one of the big contenders in the European market in the thirties. The French pen manufacturers were still making safety pens long after the North American market had moved to more modern filling systems. Still, this pen was one good score and, inked, provides for great writing with a super flexy nib. One last comment about vintage safety pens - because the nib retracts in the barrel and is protected, the ones I have found have had nibs in just remarkable condition." 

For more information on Météore pens, you can check out the (translated) Wikipedia page for them here. Many thanks to Christopher for sharing these wonderful vintage finds with us!

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 116

A couple of quick shots of my brand-new Lamy 'Al-Star' fountain pen acquired from Amazon.ca a few days ago (photos taken in natural light with no filters or editing)....

(please click on images to enlarge)

 The colour is called "black purple" and I love it. The black purple model was released as an SE (Special Edition) in 2009, but became part of the regular Al-Star lineup in 2011, according to this informative blog post.

Wondering if your particular black purple 'Al-Star' was a special edition or a regular edition? According to the blog post above, there were some minor changes made to the LAMY barrel logo in 2010. Based on the logo imprint on my particular pen, I determined it was part of a regular production run (ie. not the 2009 Special Edition run).  

Special edition or regular edition, it makes no difference to me---it's a great fountain pen and I'm glad I finally acquired it :)

There's an excellent behind-the-scenes video taken by Brian Goulet of Goulet Pens at the Lamy manufacturing facility in Heidelberg, Germany two years ago. Brian was given unprecedented access to the factory and his video documents all the steps involved in the making of Lamy's 'Al-Star' fountain pens, as well as Lamy's proprietary ink cartridges and converters. The amount of automation in the production of these products is staggering, and the high degree of quality control is truly impressive. It's a 15-minute-long narrated video, but it's well worth watching.

~Write-up & photos by Maja

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 115

And now, a couple of more modern Pelikan fountain pens acquired by our friend Glenn in Australia (Glenn is an honourary member of our pen club who has been quietly amassing a wonderful collection of Pelikans)...

(all photos courtesy of Glenn ~ please click on images to enlarge)

 
Glenn: "Released eventually in January 2019 after many delays (https://thepelikansperch.com/?s=stresemann&submit=Search), I put off buying one for the next 21 months, which I thought was a pretty good effort, but now this M1005 Stresemann with M nib joins my existing M405 and M805 versions. It’s a standard pattern, not a special edition, so there is no rarity value as such."

   "And yes, I have succumbed to temptation, and the M605 Stresemann is en route to join my flock as well, completing the 4 pen ‘set.’ Clearly I have become a Pelikan tragic!"

 

Speaking of which.....

 

                             Meet Glenn's brand-new Pelikan M605 Stresemann fountain pen :)

 

 

                                                    (what a lovely nib...)

Many thanks to Glenn for sharing his wonderful new Pelikan acquisitions with us!

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 114

A few weeks ago, Stuart acquired another lovely vintage Sheaffer desk set and sent in some photos for our pen club's virtual "show & tell". Without further ado, here it is...

(all photos courtesy of Stuart ~ please click on images to enlarge)

 

Stuart: "And just in time for Fountain Pen Day came this beautiful Sheaffer desk set with a decorated black glass base. The pen (in the photo) is another one that I already had - the one that came with the set has a missing lever and a banana-curved main barrel section, the part where the lever goes.  Everything else is in great shape. I’ll probably have that pen’s nib swapped onto one that needs a good point.  But the base is lovely."

 

"The Pen Hero site has a gallery of Sheaffer magazine ads, including one that shows this base - 1927, so very early, and with the first-style swiveling mounting for the socket." 

 

 

"The seller’s pics showed the state of the pen, so I was ready for it.  The base is near immaculate, one or two flea-bite nicks and that’s it for wear.  So I’m very happy with this one, the great base is what lifts it up out of the run-of-the-mill."

I asked Stuart if he could send in some photos of the original Sheaffer desk pen that came with the base because I was interested to see just how badly curved it was. He sent these quick photos of it:

Oh dear...it's definitely a so-called "banana" pen :(

 

...and as Stuart said above, the lever is also missing...

 

...but the nib is in good shape, so it can be put in another Sheaffer desk pen needing a better nib :)

Many thanks to Stuart for sharing his wonderful new vintage desk set with all of us! (if you're interested in seeing more great desk sets belonging to Stuart and other Vancouver Pen Club members, please click on the "desk sets" tag in the tag cloud ...or click here)