Show Us Your Pens

[Shangas]

Hey folks,

It occurred to me and KirkH that no thread exists on the Fedora Lounge for the display of vintage and antique writing instruments and associated paraphernalia. A search produced plenty of threads about fountain pens and writing, but no thread along the lines of the "Show us your...Watches, Cars, Hats, Guns" etc threads. So I thought I'd create one.

Starting off with some of my own toys:

1904 Waterman 'Secretary' eyedropper with box & papers.

1946 Parker Duofold. Black was only produced in one year. Rareish pen as a result.

My three acquisitions from the 2010 Melb. Pen Show. Top: 1910s Conklin crescent-filler. Middle: 1904 Waterman (you've already met it). Bottom: 1900s (?) no-name sterling silver button-filler.

Vintage desk-blotter (with original blotting-paper). This is where I do all my handwriting.

Same desk-blotter closed up. Cost me $20 at the thrift-shop.

My prrreeeeeccccious...

...and a scan of the original 1860s advertisement:

T&G logo:

 

[Kirk H.]

Shangas, those are very nice. Here are some of mine.

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This was my Grandfathers Waterman fountain pen.

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A Parker 51 Fountain pen

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This was my grandfathers too. A Parker 51 pencil.

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Two Parker Touches and a 45 from the 1960's

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A Paermate Capri Ballpoint from the 1950's

Kirk

 

[CONELRAD]

Here's my Parker 61 box set, the only fountain pen I have. I found it unused in an old box of stuff, it works great. I think it dates to somewhere around the mid to late 1950s.


It came with a mechanical pencil that I rarely use.

Here's the documents that came with it, instructions, guarantee papers, and price tag for $20.00.

 

[Shangas]

Is $20 the original retail price? It seems pretty cheap if it was, even if it is from the 1950s.

 

[CONELRAD]

That's what it says on the tag, and that's all I have to go by.

See for yourself if you don't believe me.

 

[Shangas]

I suppose at the time, $20 for a pen-pencil set was pretty high-end. In the 1940s, a Parker 51 cost $12.50 brand-new, I believe.

 

[CONELRAD]

Here's some information from RichardsPens.com on the Parker 61, it was introduced in 1956 and produced until 1982 and featured a mess free capillary system for filling. I don't know when this set was produced, but I'm guessing that it was sometime between 1956 and the early 1970s, most likely before or around 1962 based on the styling.

The 61 is also known to experience some performance issues with the ink system and barrel construction. Mine seems to functions fine, though it occasionally needs some scratching on paper to get it going if it's been sitting unused for a while.

 

[Shangas]

From what I recall, the method of the Parker 61's construction made it almost impossible to clean.

Not to say that you couldn't clean it. It just took a really, really, really, really long time. It took ages to flush the ink out due to how it was fed to the nib.

 

[CONELRAD]

The instructions say how to clean it, but I've never really taken a look, I just got the pen fairly recently and haven't needed to clean it.

It's funny, when I found this pen, I was looking to buy a fountain pen, and then this one just happened to fall into my possesion, unused and free.

 

[Gregg Axley]

I suppose at the time, $20 for a pen-pencil set was pretty high-end. In the 1940s, a Parker 51 cost $12.50 brand-new, I believe.

That would roughly be $163 dollars today.
No I'm not brilliant, I looked it up on a site called "inflation calculator."
The site has "west egg" in it.
Wonderful tool when watching tv shows or movies and trying to figure out what the amount is worth today. (ie the crook stole $100 dollars, well that isn't much these days, until you find out it's $1300 today!). Puts things in perspective.

 

[Shangas]

Yes, that makes a lot more sense now

 

[2jakes]

My Parker Senior,Junior & mechanical pencil from the 1920s...

 

[Shangas]

Very nice Parker Duofold set.

The ink bottle carton is from the WWII-period.

 

[fabiovenhorst]

Sheaffer's Snorkel Valiant - 1950's

 

[fabiovenhorst]

Sheaffer's Lifetime Triumph Statesman - 40's

 

[fabiovenhorst]

Sheaffer's Touchdown - 50's

 

[DeaconKC]

Very nice! I especially like that triumph.

 

[Kirk H.]

Sheaffer's Lifetime Triumph Statesman - 40's

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Those are some very nice looking pens. That Triumph is beautiful.

 

[ErWeSa]

Fountain pens

Here are a couple of mine, nothing special I'm afraid but for the Orlow Express which has to be screwed out and the Parker. The Mont Blanc cap is not original to the pen, was on it when I bought it.

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[DeaconKC]

I do like that Parker, very fine!