Wahl Flat Top -What Model Is It

[BOOGIT]

This pen has a roller clip that says Wahl pen. The clip is too high on the pen to be A Signature or non marked Gold seal. I have read Syd's post on Signature pens and cannot find this pen in the comments or pictures.

The nib is a generic Skyline so no help there

As the pictures show it does have the DART PATTERN which is found on SIgnature pens

I am planning to sell this pen at the Washington Show so it would be nice to know what I have for sale. All info Appreciated.

Thanks

Keith

[MarcShiman]

Its a pre-Gold Seal signature pen. The banner nib ("skyline nib") is incorrect, it needs a number 6 size nib.

 

Some would call this a "76" as in 7 size of barrel, 6 size nib, but the catalogs don't support that number. Syd has the exact model number.

 

They are nice, reliable pens, made 1925-27

[Roger W.]

Marc;

 

Wahl took the terminology straight from Boston. There is no such thing as a 7 sized barrel they only went up to 6 and that is what the 6 in your case would mean. The 7 refers to the long lever filled pens. I'm not sure that the pen pictured is as large as a 76 as 76's are very uncommon. There are 3 eyedropper digits (blank, 1 and 3 - like a short 2 a long 12 and a mid length 32) 1 twist fill which Wahl never used (2 - like a long 22) 2 hump fillers again Wahl never had (4 and 5 - as in a mid length 43 or a long length 53 typically) and 2 lever digits (6 and 7 as in 65 or 76 - I've never seen the short doctor type pen in a 66). Second digit is nib sizes from 2-6. Hard rubber pens were so marked on the end of the barrel practically from inception though the oldest Bostons are not so marked. Mounted Bostons had longer designations with a hundreds place to describe the mount and Sid will give you a longer code for this pen as Wahl had catalogs often using 4 digit codes. I haven't scanned in the Wahl catalogs besides the 1921 so I don't have the info handy on this pen.

 

Roger W.

[MarcShiman]

Hi Roger,

 

I think this post by Syd probably addresses it better than I can:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/199129-true-wahl-signature-pens/?hl=signature

 

Marc

[Roger W.]

Marc;

 

I take your point however, pens of that era have 4 digit codes so I don't know why anyone would use "76" which was a code specifically used through the Wahl Tempoint era. That is why I stated that Syd would shoot back with the four digit code because that is specific to that era. Perhaps there are people that would call it a "76" I can't dispute that though it is lacking for a specific model designation and specifically refers to an earlier pen. Thanks for the reference as I can see the point you were making.

 

Roger W.

[MarcShiman]

The code in the catalog below (taken from the post) is "762S" for the pen in the OP - Since the other two are 760RS (RHR) and 760MS (MHR), I'm guessing that the "7" is the barrel size (as mentioned in the text of the post), the "6" is the nib size (as marked on the nibs), the "2" is for the chasing (the other two are smooth and are "0") and the "S" is for "Signature" (or "Special" as in the text of the ad). Apparently there is no coding for the black color as with the other two.

 

I think its very reasonable to call it a "76" even if that isn't complete. At the very least, saying its a "76 size" pen wouldn't be inaccurate.

 

 

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a75/wahlnut/WAHLSIGNATUREPENS1925-6.jpg

Edited July 30, 2014 by MarcShiman

[MarcShiman]

I decided to break out my 1925 catalog - review it I was going to edit my last post, but too much to change.

 

Roger is right - "76" is incomplete. Alternatives:

 

Digit 1 - "7" is the barrel length

Digit 2 - "6" is the nib size AND barrel girth

Digit 3 - "2" is the type of chasing - "0" for no chasing, "6" for grecian border

Digit 4 - in this case there isn't a letter code for the color because its black

 

So far we have a 762. I'm pretty sure by eyeballing it its a "6" size, it could be a "4", but I don't think so.

 

From there, we have to determine if its a signature pen. That would be right at the top of the cap, but it appears that its been polished away on the pen in the OP, I can't see anything. There are three directions the code can go at this point

 

Nickel plated furniture - no code, it stops there - 762

Gold filled furniture, written "signature" diagonally across the top of the cap - 762S

Gold filled furniture, only "Wahl Pen" across the top - 762AZRC

 

From looking at the catalog, it appears that the clip is mid-mounted on the cap on the non-signature, and mounted lower on the signature. It would appear that the cap bands on the signature is a bit thinner; in the catalog it states that the cap band of the non-signature is 1/8". It doesn't say how wide the signature is. I don't trust my eyes there, because everything is illustrated, and I'd be surprised if the illustrations are perfectly to scale.

 

I don't have a 1926 or 27 catalog, so who knows? Maybe they changed it again? But my best guess is a 762AZRC.

 

I'd still call it a black 76

[Roger W.]

Marc;

 

It is a later era pen than the "76" I have specifically in mind. Dealers don't bother with the code at all so I'm not sure who would call it a 76 over calling it a signature? Anyway, the OP pen has a proportionately too long a cap to equate to the ones you are picturing. My knowledge of Wahl falls away rapidly after Tempoint so do they have a shorty model? If 7 is the code for the barrel length and that is a long pen I think we've the wrong first digit.

 

Roger W.

[MarcShiman]

Roger,

 

There is the Wahl Pen and the Signature, two different levels of prestige... so we can't just call it a signature. And there were three barrel sizes, 5, 6, and 7 - 5's and 6's were the ringtops and what we now call "tulip clips"; 3 1/2" and 4 1/2' respectively. So it has to be a 7, 5 1/4". The largest nibs on the 5's and 6's were 2 size.

 

I've owned a bunch of the BCHR "76 size" over the years, I really like them but they don't sell for too much. A RHR can fetch $800, but this gets about $300 in really good shape. They are a little stubby for an "oversize", particularly from that era.

[BOOGIT]

Thank you for the comments. I FOUND A NICE #2 nib for this pen and am comfortable selling it as a WAHL PEN with the caveat that the buyer check out this forum for more information

Keith

PS

SEE YOU AT WASHINGTON SUPER SHOW NEXT WEEK