Info On A Visconti D'essai, Please.

[Tinjapan]

I have a limited production Visconti D'Essai and would like to know how many of this model were made. Here are a couple of pics that I hope will help. Thanks in advance for any help.

[tryphon]

I have one of these, that I bought in 1988, when it came out. They came with a nice certificate, by the way. My guess is that less than 200 pens were made, in different patterns. I do have some more definite information and I will try and dig it out. It is a very desirable collectible!

[Tinjapan]

I have one of these, that I bought in 1988, when it came out. They came with a nice certificate, by the way. My guess is that less than 200 pens were made, in different patterns. I do have some more definite information and I will try and dig it out. It is a very desirable collectible!

Thanks, that would be helpful. I bought it used nearly two years ago. I am sure that I had at least some of the information on it, I know that I at least had the number of pens made. Where it has gotten to, I do not know. I don't think I got it with any of the original packaging and paper work, though. Maybe that is why I could actually afford it.

It is a very nice pen. I should put it back in to use soon.

[Llewellyn]

I know nothing about the pen, but it is gorgeous . I'd love one in my collection.

[Tinjapan]

I know nothing about the pen, but it is gorgeous . I'd love one in my collection.

Thanks. It writes nicely too.

[tryphon]

I got the info I was looking for: the pen came out in 1991 and used vintage celluloid from the 1930s. Production was limited to 1,400 pens of various colors and patterns. The rarest and most desirable was (and is) the Lapislazuli Blue celluloid. For some patterns, only 100 pens were made, due to the small quantity of celluloid available. The nib was 14K gold and available only in M. All gold plating was substantial (2 micron) and the pen was marked on the cap band with a progressive serial number. The original selling price was 300,000 lire or about 300 USD at the time!

Hope this helps!

Giovanni

Edited March 30, 2014 by tryphon

[Tinjapan]

I got the info I was looking for: the pen came out in 1991 and used vintage celluloid from the 1930s. Production was limited to 1,400 pens of various colors and patterns. The rarest and most desirable was (and is) the Lapislazuli Blue celluloid. For some patterns, only 100 pens were made, due to the small quantity of celluloid available. The nob was 14K gold and available only in M. All gold plating was substantial (2 micron) and the pen was marked on the cap band with a progressive serial number. The original selling price was 300,000 lire or about 300 USD at the time!

Hope this helps!

Giovanni

Wow! Thanks, that does help out a lot. A lot of info I did not have and am grateful to have now.

I am however still hoping to find out how many of this particular color, gray I would say, were made. Mine is number 180 as marked on the cap band. The cap band does not have the number made.

 

Again thanks. It is especially good to know of the thickness of the gold. The original price is also good to know.

[Llewellyn]

How about contacting Visconti direct. They seem to be quite responsive to enquiries

[Tinjapan]

Well, I did try thier website. The museum part will be up soon. I thought that there must be some in FPN who would know and that I would check here first. Although their website is in English, or at least has an English version, I thought that it may be difficult to communicate as I have no ability with the Italian language. Might try anyway.

 

Thanks.

[raging.dragon]

The celluloid your pen is made from looks alot like OMAS's Pearl Grey.

 

Well, I did try thier website. The museum part will be up soon. I thought that there must be some in FPN who would know and that I would check here first. Although their website is in English, or at least has an English version, I thought that it may be difficult to communicate as I have no ability with the Italian language. Might try anyway.

Thanks.

 

Dante and at least a few other people at Visconti can read, write and (presumably) speak English.

[Llewellyn]

I know I've said it already, but my goodness that is a gorgeous pen!!

 

Dante del Vecchio is/was a member here (as delvecchio if I remember rightly). Maybe you could try sending him a PM. If anyone knows about this pen it's likely to be him.

[Tinjapan]

The celluloid your pen is made from looks alot like OMAS's Pearl Grey.

 

 

 

Dante and at least a few other people at Visconti can read, write and (presumably) speak English.

I've never seen an Omas Pearl Grey but pearl grey maybe a good way to describe the color of my pen.

 

Will try to find a way to comtac them. So far, I've only been able to find how to contact them via Disqus, which I would rather not do.

[Tinjapan]

I know I've said it already, but my goodness that is a gorgeous pen!!

 

Dante del Vecchio is/was a member here (as delvecchio if I remember rightly). Maybe you could try sending him a PM. If anyone knows about this pen it's likely to be him.

It's kinda of funny, but it is a really nice pen. Funny because when I bought it, I knew nothing about Visconti, know very little now. I was very, very new to fountain pens and just buying what looked nice and I could afford. Saw this for sale used at Kingdom Note in Tokyo for what I would learn was a very reasonable price. I knew it was made in the 90s from antique celluloid in the style of pens made in the 30s. I also knew that it was a limited production pen and at one time I knew how many of its kind were made. I bought it because it was not only celluloid and would be my first pen made of this material but antique celluloid and I really like the styling and most importantly, the way it writes. Also it being in such limited quantity, I was certain I was getting a great deal. Seems like even better than I knew.

[raging.dragon]

I've never seen an Omas Pearl Grey but pearl grey maybe a good way to describe the color of my pen.

 

Will try to find a way to comtac them. So far, I've only been able to find how to contact them via Disqus, which I would rather not do.

 

Visconti contact info can be found here:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/54397-italian-brands-contact-info/

 

Also FPN member delvecchio is Dante Del Vecchio, Visconti's CEO.

[Tinjapan]

Update.

 

I tried the contact info given raging. dragon and got nothin'....except a sudden tsunami of spam from Italian porn sights followed by investment oportunities, vacation packages and software, all in Italian.

 

And so my quest for info on this pen went on a holiday...until today.

 

Visconti has a both at Maruzen's Pen Fair this year and the gentleman representing Visconti believes there were 180 made. This number is engraved in the cap band. I took it to mean it was pen number 180 out of how ever many they made. Not having the usual 180/xxx, he thinks this is not the serial number, rather the number of pens made.

 

On another thread, I read that Sailor inks cause problems with celluloid pens. As this pen is celluloid, I asked him about it and he said that any fountain pen ink from any maker is safe to use in this pen.

 

Thanks all for the help offered.

[Inkheart]

Loved reading about this unique pen. It looks like you struck gold early in your fountain pen life.

[Tinjapan]

Loved reading about this unique pen. It looks like you struck gold early in your fountain pen life.

Thanks. It really is a very nice pen. Did you have any specific meaning " struck gold" ?

[tryphon]

It means to make a rich discovery, like finding a gold mine.

[Tinjapan]

Well it is that to be sure. A lovely pen pen that writes very nicely. I guess what I was wondering is if this was any hint at its market value. I have immediate intentions to sell it, none-the-less, I am interested in its market value, if this is known.

[tryphon]

I would guess 250/300$