A little Help

[kpfeifle]

Hi All:

 

As I get back into vintage fountain pens, I thought it might be fun to purchase one pen from each of the "Big 4" to start out with. The pen needs to be in working condition and I'll probably put a dollar cap of $200.00 as a max per each pen. I purchased the Parker, a Vac Major in Emerald Pearl, so one is down. For the Waterman, I would like to get a ripple lever fill, just looking for the "right" one! So my question, not sure what I should really get for the other two brands...what would you suggest?

[OldGriz]

As for Sheaffers... there are a couple of ways to go depending on whether you are looking for just something very collectable from the company or something that most people think of when they hear Sheaffer.

If you are looking for a nice collectable, and want a restored pen in good condition in your price range... I would look for a nice Balance... The oversize Balance brings premium prices, but the standard long Balance is no cheap pen either... I only have one in my collection.

I have two oversize short Balances (lady's pens) that Sherrell Tyree did for me... I only need one... so if interested let me know.

If you are looking in the other direction, my choice would be either a real good Snorkel or a PFM..... the Snorkel is more well know to most people, but the PFM was the top of the line in it's day.

You will be able to find real nice Snorkels for a lot less than your limit..

a really good restored PFM, is going to be in the upper end of your limit...

[Glenn-SC]

Snorkles and regular Balanecs <$50 (probably much) - eBay and antique stores

PFM and Oversized Balances ~ $100-$150 depending on model, color and crowd attraction on eBay (e.g. I just won a PFM III with three of other cheaper Sheaffers for $138.

If you are thinking Wahl/Eversharp for "Major Manufacturer #4" you could look for a Morie or Solid Gold capped Skyline for ~$150 or a Doric or Gold Seal for <$200.

 

You may be lucky enough to find some in the wild (I found a Wahl Equipoised for $56 that's worth 4x that). But hunting takes time and effort.

 

If you want a regular Balance I have about 30 or so (sacked but untweaked) and I could probably be talked into selling one.

Edited May 31, 2006 by Glenn-SC

[Michael Wright]

Me three.

 

For Wahls, I think you could either go for a Skyline, which would give you a wide price range, or a Doric, which is likely to push up against the top end. Alas, the pretty Dorics are subject to deterioration of the plastic. I have a couple of black ones because I have been told this colour is less subject to crystallization, but they are, well, black. Wahl made a lot of nice pens, but these two seem to me to be the classics. With a Doric, you also have to choose lf or plunger-fill, the latter of which would involve more complex restoration.

 

Have fun

 

Michael

[RonB]

Snorkles and regular Balanecs <$50 (probably much) - eBay and antique stores

PFM and Oversized Balances ~ $100-$150 depending on model, color and crowd attraction on eBay (e.g. I just won a PFM III with three of other cheaper Sheaffers for $138.

If you are thinking Wahl/Eversharp for "Major Manufacturer #4" you could look for a Morie or Solid Gold capped Skyline for ~$150 or a Doric or Gold Seal for <$200.

 

You may be lucky enough to find some in the wild (I found a Wahl Equipoised for $56 that's worth 4x that). But hunting takes time and effort.

 

If you want a regular Balance I have about 30 or so (sacked but untweaked) and I could probably be talked into selling one.

The Sheaffer Balances are really beautiful pens, especially the red versions. Plus, they're fairly easy to restore. The Sheaffer Snorkels/Touchdowns are also great. You might want to check out www.penhero.com (pen gallery menu) to compare various Sheaffers.

 

Glenn, I assume you're mostly quoting unrestored prices? I have seen snorkels selling for as little as $20 on the Marketplace for one of the lower end ones, but on ebay, restored snorkels and balances usually sell for at least $40 unless there is something wrong with them. I don't have any experience with antique stores.

 

I see most unrestored snorkels and balances on ebay go for $10-25 (excluding oversize balances).

 

I HOPE you're PFM with the three other pens was unrestored, otherwise, I will be very jealous.

 

Ron

[Glenn-SC]

I HOPE you're PFM with the three other pens was unrestored, otherwise, I will be very jealous.

 

Ron

Yes, they were all "unrestored."

 

I got a Black PFM III, that wrote really well but the sack was tired and when it filled it took in very little ink.

 

I also got a Black Snorkle that fills fine but has low ink flow, a Sheaffer clear "School" pen, a black lever fill Balance and a new-in-tube Sheaffer "SX1" "Extra Fine - Semi-Flexible" nib!

 

not bad for $138

[aircraft_electrician]

Kevin,

 

As for Sheaffer, my first thought would be a PFM of any variety, but with a price cap of $200, you'll have a very hard time finding one in working condition. So, I would suggest a nice Balance, some of them can be absolutely beautiful. The marbled/striped ones are my personal favorites, especially the red ones and the green, black and grey ones.

 

Another possibilty from Sheaffer would be a jade green flat-top. These should be available in nice color and condition near the upper end of your price limit. You might even get lucky enough to find a nib with a bit of flex to it, though they are pretty rare from Sheaffer.

 

My personal choice would be a '50s Snorkel. For $200, you might even be able to find an all gold version in pretty nice condition. With fresh seals and a new sac, a snorkel can be one of the easiest to fill and most reliable pens out there, which is why they are some of my favorites.

 

Of course, this also depends on wether you prefer modern or vintage. It sounds like you're in the market for vintage, but if you'd like a modern Sheaffer, either a Legacy or Valor would be a nice choice, though I think the Valor is going to sell for about 30 to 50 bucks more than your max price.

 

For your fourth pen, it all depends on who you consider manufacturer #4. For some it would be Mont Blanc, for others, Pelikan or Wahl-Eversharp. I would consider Conklin, Mabie-Todd, they made some very fine pens, or you could find some of the lower cost manufacturers such as Wearever and Esterbrook. You could get not just one pen but a very nice collection of Esties for $200 and they are some mighty fine writing pens. Because of the plastic Esterbrook used, most are in very good cosmetic condition, and the lever filler is so simple to repair.

 

So just let us know who you consider manufacturer #4 and we'll be glad to give you some more specific suggestions.

 

Tom

[DrPJM1]

I really love my '50's Snorkel, I would definitely recommend it!

I was looking for Balances at the Chicago Pen Show, but the nice ones were about $300-500. I'll be using my Balance II for a while longer.

[kpfeifle]

So just let us know who you consider manufacturer #4 and we'll be glad to give you some more specific suggestions.

 

This is an interesting question. I always thought that the "Big 4" as I have heard them called were: Parker, Shaffer, Waterman & Wahl/Eversharp...is that not the case? I actually do have a nice Esterbrook, I really enjoy using it, an excellent writer and a nice looking pen.

[Glenn-SC]

As far as North American FP manufacturers everything I have seen written has identified the Big 4 are as you stated: Parker, Sheaffer, Waterman, and Wahl/Eversharp.

 

I am an Engineer and a pen collector/enjoyer, I am in no position to define who is or hwho is not a member of the "Big 4." If someone else's favorite FP manufacturer is not on that list just remember I didn't vote it I just read it. I personally like Conklin, but they are not included on anyone's list.

[kpfeifle]

Thanks Glenn:

 

I like Conklin as well, the cresent fillers are very cool. And I also have a desire for a Mabie Todd/Swan pen...too many pens, too few dollars!

[Glenn-SC]

The ONLY vintage Conklin I have is a Nozac, one of the first vintage pens I bought and it was an accidental antique store find/buy (ie I didn't know what it was worth when I got it).

 

Someday I'll own a Cresent Filler, vintage or modern.