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What''s The Oldest Fountain Pen In Your Collection?


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Sterling Fountain Pen Co. eyedroppers (1900 pre-middle joint section, 1904 middle-joint section)

Aikin Lambert c.1902 (another c.1895 on the way)

Waterman #12, 1904

Parker # 18, c.1905

Mabie, Todd & Bard "Swan" 3012, c. 1905

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My oldest pen is a spring chicken compared to the oldest pens of others!

 

I have an Arnold pen and pencil set c. 1935 that I bought on eBay on a whim because it reminded me of a set I once found in my uncle and aunt's old roll top desk. I know it's a 3rd tier product and is nothing special, but I like to think of my auntie or perhaps even my grandparents using similar writing instruments back in the day every time I use mine.

Edited by mknoblauch
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Mine is a Mabie Todd Blackbird (BB2-60) in extremely clean BCHR with really good imprints and chasing - probably early to mid 1930s - and a medium, very soft nib that I daresay could flex out to BB or further if I was that brave/stupid. I keep looking at the earlier BCHR eyedroppers but they always go for silly money IME. Also been keeping my eye out for a fin de siecle mother-of-pearl dip pen holder, but they all seem to go for high prices too (at least from my perspective). One day...

Edited by Cryptos
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Mine is a Mabie Todd - 1500 eyedropper with a semi-flex fine nib made in 1915.

I only have two pens - an Aurora Optima and others.

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Mine is probably a BHR 1904, bad imprints. I pick up ugly pens often because they have beautiful nibs.

Much Love--Virginia

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Some great old pens here. My oldest are quite young compared to some but would be a green marbled Pelikan 100N and an Ibis both of which are early 50's vintage.

PELIKAN - Too many birds in the flock to count. My pen chest has proven to be a most fertile breeding ground.

fpn_1508261203__fpn_logo_300x150.jpg

THE PELIKAN'S PERCH - A growing reference site for all things Pelikan

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Mine is a Mabie Todd Blackbird (BB2-60) in extremely clean BCHR with really good imprints and chasing - probably early to mid 1930s - and a medium, very soft nib that I daresay could flex out to BB or further if I was that brave/stupid. I keep looking at the earlier BCHR eyedroppers but they always go for silly money IME. Also been keeping my eye out for a fin de siecle mother-of-pearl dip pen holder, but they all seem to go for high prices too (at least from my perspective). One day...

Keep hunting. When you least expect it, something will cross your path. I just found a 1905ish Waterman's 14 with a nice semi-flex nib at a very good price. I found one of my three "dream" pens (a Conklin Halloween) in an out of the way antique store mixed in with a bunch of Wearevers in a plastic shoebox and bought it for a very low price. Keep your eyes open and, above all, enjoy the quest because the search is part of the fun.

Dave Campbell
Retired Science Teacher and Active Pen Addict
Every day is a chance to reduce my level of ignorance.

fpn_1425200643__fpn_1425160066__super_pi

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I found one of my three "dream" pens (a Conklin Halloween) in an out of the way antique store mixed in with a bunch of Wearevers in a plastic shoebox and bought it for a very low price.

 

Nice sentiment but rather unlikely to happen here in NZ.

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And another Eagle 1890 glass cartridge pen. Fully working and nice to use sometimes (a bit scratchy, but who cares when the pen ist that old...)

Next are Aikin Lambert ~1906, Mabie Todd ~1915 and some more in this range...

Greetings,

Michael

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Nice sentiment but rather unlikely to happen here in NZ.

I thought it would be impossible in Waldo, Florida and Wellsville, New York, small towns best known, respectively, for an aggressive (now defunct) speed trap and a balloon festival where they spelled the town name wrong (Welllsville) on the official poster and T shirt. Unlikely is better than impossible.

Dave Campbell
Retired Science Teacher and Active Pen Addict
Every day is a chance to reduce my level of ignorance.

fpn_1425200643__fpn_1425160066__super_pi

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The Eagle glass cartridge fountain pen is my oldest, too. I guess they are not too uncommon.attachicon.gifEaglebox.jpg

Nice pen!

My oldest is not very.... I have bought all my pens new and all in the last 4 years. I haven't yet ventured into the vintage stuff yet.

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The oldest one i have got, is this parker "018" jointless, which i believe is from the early 1900s ( i am not sure of the exact date).

 

fpn_1412841640__dpp_110823.jpg

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I have a Conklin Crescent 2NL that was restored by Anderson Pens and is at least 100 years old.

 

I also have a restored mystery pen that looks like it's from the same era as the Conklin: BCHR, no name but NCW & Co. #2 on the nib, coin-filler.

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Might I say, that I have also an Eagle Pencil cartridge pen? But that is not working. Nib does not look to nice. Btw. the Eagle Pencil pen founders (Berolzheimer) came from near where I live.

 

Oldest working pen is probably this one:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/267560-review-the-swan-pen-the-fountain-pen-used-by-professor-james-moriarty-revisited/?p=3165637

 

Cepasaccus

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The oldest one i have got, is this parker "018" jointless, which i believe is from the early 1900s ( i am not sure of the exact date).

 

fpn_1412841640__dpp_110823.jpg

 

I love the minimalistic and utilitarian look of early 1900s eyedropper hard rubber pens.

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It's close: either a syringe filler that carries no name buut is probably pre-1910 and an Ormiston & Glass "The Camel" that dates from about 1905, though this one is up for sale on Fleabay at present. I have an ancient Swan 1500 too, probably rather later than the other two.post-117400-0-50155200-1418330411_thumb.jpgpost-117400-0-69780000-1418330441_thumb.jpg

 

Cob

fpn_1428963683__6s.jpg “The pen of the British Empire” fpn_1423349537__swan_sign_is.jpg


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  • 2 weeks later...

The Standard Self-Filling Fountain Pen ?

A photo of this pen can be seen under the title [above ] of the post I did back in Aug 2013.

Came with the box at an auction.

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Oldest pen in my collection is a Sheaffer flat top bchr lever filler, EF nib. I purchased it several years ago from Doc Nib on FPN, and he said it dates to 1924-28. That is before my parents were born, and I have grown children. That is definitely an old pen. I recently acquired another Sheaffer bchr flat top lever filller F flex nib, age unknown, but definitely prior to 1930.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

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I have several pens of indeterminate vintage, possibly from the late 50's/early 60's. I have a bilious-green Esterbrook CA 101, a red Esterbrook J, a Navy Gray Parker 51, and a Navy Blue Parker 21. The Esterbrook J was an auction win several years ago. The other pens were gifts from a retiring coworker as he was cleaning out his desk.

"Don't be humble, you're not that great." Golda Meir

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