The Journey from a Modern User to Vintage Collector (Part Three)

This post should really be subtitled, “A Little Help From My Friends”.

As I think I wrote previously, in order to collect vintage pens, you need a combination of knowledge and the ability to restore pens (unless you are made of money and buy only mint). And, in order to be able to restore pens, you must possess some degree of manual dexterity and the right tools. I have neither.

Fortunately, I joined a pen club (http://ca.geocities.com/swopc@rogers.com/) some time ago and met some very nice pen collectors. Most of them are vintage collectors, so being a modern guy, we showed each other our different collections until I decided to join them. Now we mostly talk vintage (except for when I break down and buy a modern pen, every month or so).

My second vintage purchase was a Lapis Parker Duofold Streamline from the UK on Ebay. I was simply looking at different Duofolds and ran across this pen with only 1 bid for Cdn $50 and a couple of minutes left. From the pictures, I could not tell the size of the Duofold, whether a Junior or Senior (although I suspected the former), and it was clear that the pen needed a clip; nevertheless, I was shocked when I looked at the nib and overall condition of the pen (especially the colour). After mandarin, lapis is the most sought after colour, which works for me since most of my collection is blue anyway. So, I bid a few more pounds and next thing I know, I am the owner of the pen.

What next? The seller advertised the pen as in working condition – it was not, unless you count dipping as a proper filling mechanism. So, off to my pen buddy who takes a look at it and then determines that it needs a new pressure bar as well as resaccing. I have no parts and no tools; he has both. After a little hard work (99.9% on his part), I have a pen that looks great and writes even better (but needs a clip). I take it to our next pen club meeting – tell the story, show the pen, everybody tries it and oohs and aahs, and mention that we need to search for a clip. The clip for a Streamline model is a little more difficult to find, however, John Culmer of the Peel Pen Shop (http://www.peelpenshop.ca/) mentions that he might have one. Next week, John hands me an envelope with my shiny blue Duofold with a perfectly fitted clip. Of course, I hand John some cash for the clip (after everyone agrees on a fair price for it!).

After all is said and done, I have this incredible pen that cost $75, that happens to be worth 2.5 – 3 times that amount if I were to sell it. I could care less about its selling price; this pen is going on my desk into my rotation.

Filed under: lapis, Parker Duofold, Peel Pen Shop, streamline, SWOPC, vintage

The Journey from a Modern User to Vintage Collector (Part Three)

This post should really be subtitled, “A Little Help From My Friends”.

As I think I wrote previously, in order to collect vintage pens, you need a combination of knowledge and the ability to restore pens (unless you are made of money and buy only mint). And, in order to be able to restore pens, you must possess some degree of manual dexterity and the right tools. I have neither.

Fortunately, I joined a pen club (http://ca.geocities.com/swopc@rogers.com/) some time ago and met some very nice pen collectors. Most of them are vintage collectors, so being a modern guy, we showed each other our different collections until I decided to join them. Now we mostly talk vintage (except for when I break down and buy a modern pen, every month or so).

My second vintage purchase was a Lapis Parker Duofold Streamline from the UK on Ebay. I was simply looking at different Duofolds and ran across this pen with only 1 bid for Cdn $50 and a couple of minutes left. From the pictures, I could not tell the size of the Duofold, whether a Junior or Senior (although I suspected the former), and it was clear that the pen needed a clip; nevertheless, I was shocked when I looked at the nib and overall condition of the pen (especially the colour). After mandarin, lapis is the most sought after colour, which works for me since most of my collection is blue anyway. So, I bid a few more pounds and next thing I know, I am the owner of the pen.

What next? The seller advertised the pen as in working condition – it was not, unless you count dipping as a proper filling mechanism. So, off to my pen buddy who takes a look at it and then determines that it needs a new pressure bar as well as resaccing. I have no parts and no tools; he has both. After a little hard work (99.9% on his part), I have a pen that looks great and writes even better (but needs a clip). I take it to our next pen club meeting – tell the story, show the pen, everybody tries it and oohs and aahs, and mention that we need to search for a clip. The clip for a Streamline model is a little more difficult to find, however, John Culmer of the Peel Pen Shop (http://www.peelpenshop.ca/) mentions that he might have one. Next week, John hands me an envelope with my shiny blue Duofold with a perfectly fitted clip. Of course, I hand John some cash for the clip (after everyone agrees on a fair price for it!).

After all is said and done, I have this incredible pen that cost $75, that happens to be worth 2.5 – 3 times that amount if I were to sell it. I could care less about its selling price; this pen is going on my desk into my rotation.

Filed under: lapis, Parker Duofold, Peel Pen Shop, streamline, SWOPC, vintage

The Journey from a Modern User to Vintage Collector (Part Two)

So my fountain pen club friends, and one Mr. DR in particular, is trying to convert me from a modern user to a vintage collector. My appetite has been whetted – the journey has begun with my first vintage purchase of significance. I spotted this Waterman 92 in an unbelievable “snakeskin” pattern on Ebay. Neither of DR nor I had seen anything like it before and couldn’t find in any of our books.

The most information that I could find about it was on the Fountain Pen Network from Dr. David Isaacson (http://www.vacumania.com/) – “a non-USA pattern with no catelog (sic) known to me” as well as the fact that he owns a smaller 92-V set. While not particularly descriptive, the information is helpful in that it confirms the uniqueness of the pen. BTW, he also mentioned that if I was interested in selling it to drop him a note :~). I think I will be holding onto it for now – at least until it is resacced and I write with it (or put it on my desk and admire it for awhile). I may even get a nibmeister like John Mottishaw (http://www.nibs.com/) or Richard Binder (http://www.richardspens.com/) to replace/retip the nib so it produces a wider line.

Enough already, here are the pictures (I didn’t take them, they are from the Ebayer (http://myworld.ebay.ca/beansantiques) that I bought it from). Trust me, the pen is real and its spectacular!

The nib just needed a bit of a soak to get rid of that ink you can see in the picture. The lever was “stuck” – no surprise that the sac was dried up.

Filed under: Ebay, john mottishaw, richard binder, snakeskin, vacumania, vintage, waterman 92

The Forgotten Desk Set?

It was not that long ago when you walked into an executive’s office (whether at work or home) and there would be the classic pen desk set. Not always a fountain pen mind you, but one or two ballpoint pens with long points (like darts) sticking out of their holder (brass) attached to a marble or wood base. In fact, my parents bought one for me in 1986 (maybe it was longer ago than I thought ) when I obtained my CA designation – two brown Sheaffer White Dot ball points- I still have (and treasure) it.

Now that I have “graduated” to fountain pens, I have been looking for the right desk set for a few years. I know there are some vintage models in art deco and other interesting designs (check out the Esterbrook, Wahl and Parker 51 or Duofold models on Ebay) but as of writing this, I am still on the modern side of the fountain pen fence. So, check out this sweet, as in la dolce vita, thing that now sits upon my home office desk (I tried to hide it from my wife who instantly noticed it sitting in a corner of my office and said, “Shouldn’t that be on your desk?”).

Big fat wet broad nib on the fountain pen and smooth ballpoint (soon to be replaced with a Parker gel refill). What more can I say – look and drool!

Filed under: Delta, desk set, Dolce Vita desk set, fountain pen, vintage

The Journey from a Modern User to Vintage Collector (Part One)

Since I became involved in using (collecting? accumulating?) fountain pens, the pens have all been modern. Perhaps a remake here or there, like a Parker 51 Special Edition, but modern in terms of age, materials and style. Why – I think the simple answer is access and knowledge with a definite sense of fear.

The ability to lay my hands on an actual fountain pen in a store of any kind here in London was difficult before but now is virtually impossible with the unfortunate closing of the Peel Pen Shop. So, my access was restricted to the various shops in downtown Toronto when I travelled there on business. Otherwise, I had to “trust” pictures and discussion boards before ordering new pens over the Internet or buying on Ebay.

I also wanted something that I could trust to write with few problems and moderns pretty much fit the bill.

In the vintage world, knowledge (and it would appear manual dexterity) is power. The more I learn about vintage pens, the more I appreciate them. Nonetheless, I am still deathly afraid of my lack of manual dexterity – I nothing but thumbs when it comes to minor repair work around the home (my mom used to call me Jack Tripper – remember the klutz on the old TV show “Three’s Company”), what chance do I have trying to repair a small, old pen that could easily break, even in the hands of a professional. God, I can hear my father laughing in heaven every time I pick up a hammer or screwdriver! Well, like most problems, there is the obvious solution (to almost anything): money – to buy vintage in mint or near mint condition (assuming you know what that means and can tell the difference – is the cap or clip or any other part of the pen exactly correct??). The other is to join a pen club and find some other knowledgeable vintage collectors who are willing to help you. To be continued.

Filed under: Ebay, fountain pen, modern, vintage

The Journey from a Modern User to Vintage Collector (Part Two)

So my fountain pen club friends, and one Mr. DR in particular, is trying to convert me from a modern user to a vintage collector. My appetite has been whetted – the journey has begun with my first vintage purchase of significance. I spotted this Waterman 92 in an unbelievable “snakeskin” pattern on Ebay. Neither of DR nor I had seen anything like it before and couldn’t find in any of our books.

The most information that I could find about it was on the Fountain Pen Network from Dr. David Isaacson (http://www.vacumania.com/) – “a non-USA pattern with no catelog (sic) known to me” as well as the fact that he owns a smaller 92-V set. While not particularly descriptive, the information is helpful in that it confirms the uniqueness of the pen. BTW, he also mentioned that if I was interested in selling it to drop him a note :~). I think I will be holding onto it for now – at least until it is resacced and I write with it (or put it on my desk and admire it for awhile). I may even get a nibmeister like John Mottishaw (http://www.nibs.com/) or Richard Binder (http://www.richardspens.com/) to replace/retip the nib so it produces a wider line.

Enough already, here are the pictures (I didn’t take them, they are from the Ebayer (http://myworld.ebay.ca/beansantiques) that I bought it from). Trust me, the pen is real and its spectacular!

The nib just needed a bit of a soak to get rid of that ink you can see in the picture. The lever was “stuck” – no surprise that the sac was dried up.

Filed under: Ebay, john mottishaw, richard binder, snakeskin, vacumania, vintage, waterman 92

The Forgotten Desk Set?

It was not that long ago when you walked into an executive’s office (whether at work or home) and there would be the classic pen desk set. Not always a fountain pen mind you, but one or two ballpoint pens with long points (like darts) sticking out of their holder (brass) attached to a marble or wood base. In fact, my parents bought one for me in 1986 (maybe it was longer ago than I thought ) when I obtained my CA designation – two brown Sheaffer White Dot ball points- I still have (and treasure) it.

Now that I have “graduated” to fountain pens, I have been looking for the right desk set for a few years. I know there are some vintage models in art deco and other interesting designs (check out the Esterbrook, Wahl and Parker 51 or Duofold models on Ebay) but as of writing this, I am still on the modern side of the fountain pen fence. So, check out this sweet, as in la dolce vita, thing that now sits upon my home office desk (I tried to hide it from my wife who instantly noticed it sitting in a corner of my office and said, “Shouldn’t that be on your desk?”).

Big fat wet broad nib on the fountain pen and smooth ballpoint (soon to be replaced with a Parker gel refill). What more can I say – look and drool!

Filed under: Delta, desk set, Dolce Vita desk set, fountain pen, vintage

The Journey from a Modern User to Vintage Collector (Part One)

Since I became involved in using (collecting? accumulating?) fountain pens, the pens have all been modern. Perhaps a remake here or there, like a Parker 51 Special Edition, but modern in terms of age, materials and style. Why – I think the simple answer is access and knowledge with a definite sense of fear.

The ability to lay my hands on an actual fountain pen in a store of any kind here in London was difficult before but now is virtually impossible with the unfortunate closing of the Peel Pen Shop. So, my access was restricted to the various shops in downtown Toronto when I travelled there on business. Otherwise, I had to “trust” pictures and discussion boards before ordering new pens over the Internet or buying on Ebay.

I also wanted something that I could trust to write with few problems and moderns pretty much fit the bill.

In the vintage world, knowledge (and it would appear manual dexterity) is power. The more I learn about vintage pens, the more I appreciate them. Nonetheless, I am still deathly afraid of my lack of manual dexterity – I nothing but thumbs when it comes to minor repair work around the home (my mom used to call me Jack Tripper – remember the klutz on the old TV show “Three’s Company”), what chance do I have trying to repair a small, old pen that could easily break, even in the hands of a professional. God, I can hear my father laughing in heaven every time I pick up a hammer or screwdriver! Well, like most problems, there is the obvious solution (to almost anything): money – to buy vintage in mint or near mint condition (assuming you know what that means and can tell the difference – is the cap or clip or any other part of the pen exactly correct??). The other is to join a pen club and find some other knowledgeable vintage collectors who are willing to help you. To be continued.

Filed under: Ebay, fountain pen, modern, vintage