What are the best vintage FP's?

[TMann]

So here's a question for all of you veteran vintage pen collectors: What pens would you suggest for someone who was just starting a vintage pen collection?

 

I'm looking for suggestions of pens that:

 

- write well

- are reasonably priced, ie. no LE or one-off collectible pens.

- are easily repairable

- have some historical signficance

 

For example, the a Sheaffer Balance, and a Parker "51" would be at the top of many people's lists of "most collectible" pens.

 

What other pens would you folks recommend?

 

TMann

[Mannenhitsu]

I strongly recommend the following:

 

1. Sheaffer Snorkel.*

 

2. Sheaffer Touchdown.

 

3. Parker Duofold.

 

4. Waterman' Ideal.

 

* Although a Snorkel can be a bit of a pain to restore and repair, they do meet the other criteria that you mentioned.

 

That is my two cents.

[Michael Wright]

The specific Waterman I'd suggest is a Waterman 52. There are lots around, so even one in nice condition won't be terribly expensive, and they're historic because they were so popular.

 

In fact, if you make major commercial success one of your criteria for "historic" you'll open up a nice field of not-too-expensive pens, because there'll be a lot of them around.

 

I'd put in a plug for the Duofold Junior; they cost less than the big ones, and for me they're a more practical size.

 

You need an Esterbrook.

 

ditto Vacumatic.

 

The English Mabie Todd Blackbirds were economy pens in their day, and sometimes come in pretty colours -- I have one in an attractive grey marble with a wonderful flex nib -- I must dig it out, come to think of it.

 

Eversharp Skyline.

 

Parker 45 -- the originator of the cartridge/converter system, and a very good pen.

 

That's some of the obvious ones.

 

Best

 

Michael

[nmb]

Other basics might include

 

* Sheaffer Flat-top

 

* something from the lower tier manufacturers (an important part of vintage pens in my mind) maybe a Wearever or Eagle

 

* a mid-century Pelikan (for the European flavor)

 

* something art-deco maybe a Wahl.

[tntaylor]

Double-ditto for the Esterbrook.

 

t!

[JeffTL]

I'll add to the Esterbrook suggestion. Remember that they are readily available and can be found without too much trouble in antique stores, sometimes at very good prices.

 

If you want to use it, the typical Esterbrook, as a basic lever filler, is easy to repair or have repaired and to operate. Interchangeable nibs also make the Esties great users; if you find one in the wild or on the bay and the nib is bad, it's not a problem, and even the clumsiest people don't need to worry about having an expert replace the nib or feed if anything is amiss therewith.

[Michael Wright]

Oooh yes, all of those, especially Pelikan.

 

Had another though about Waterman; you could get an eyedropper -- say a 12 -- for not too much money, and that way get one of the major manufacturers and an example of the FP in its simplest form. They're pretty practical, too, for use at home, or if you know you're not going to have to refill it while you're out and about.

 

Michael

[KCat]

yup... Esterbrook

 

And look into the Pelikan 120 or 140 as inexpensive vintage pens. They often have nice, semi-flex nibs.

[Brian Anderson]

Ok, how did I miss this thread?

 

Yes, sure, Esterbrook would come highly recommended. You might even consider an earlier flat top "Dollar" pen if the J series pens don't do it for you. I think flat top pens are really a classic look, regardless of the brand.

 

Also on the cheaper end of the scale, there are several other brands worth considering, including: Venus (the president and autograph striped series with 14k nibs), Epenco (what I'm using this week), and even Wearever (Deluxe 100 models).

 

All of these choices should fit your requirements.

 

Best-

Brian

[Maja]

Hi Ted,

 

When I first started collecting pens three years ago or so, I found Jim M's article on Penhero.com to be very helpful (and there are some great pictures there, too, as you know ):

 

Link:"A Good Place to Start"---article on classic vintage pens on Penhero.com.

 

In the list are the:

 

*Conklin Crescent Filler

*Esterbrook J

*Eversharp Skyline

*Parker 51

*Parker 61

*Parker 75

*Parker Duofold Senior "Big Red"

*Parker Vacumatic

*Sheaffer Balance

*Sheaffer Imperial

*Sheaffer Jade Senior

*Sheaffer Pen For Men (PFM)

*Sheaffer Targa

*Sheaffer Snorkel

*Sheaffer Triumph Vacuum Filler

*Waterman 52

*Waterman C/F

*Waterman 100 Year Pen