Newbie to Wahl-Eversharp with Doric questions

[StephY]

In the past week I've acquired my first two Wahl-Eversharps - a jet black Skyline with a semi-flex nib and, today, a 2nd generation Doric. I'm trying to figure out where it's a true 2nd generation Gold Seal or if its one of the lower price models.

 

It's a smaller model - measuring about 4.5 inches capped. It has the seal with the double check marks, has a cap band that extends down to the cap lip, and the non-roller clip. It's a plunger filler. It sports a 14k Eversharp nib, but nothing fancy (not an adjustable nib, etc.)

 

Also, in what sizes were the Dorics made?

 

Thanks for your pointers!

[MarcShiman]

In the past week I've acquired my first two Wahl-Eversharps - a jet black Skyline with a semi-flex nib and, today, a 2nd generation Doric. I'm trying to figure out where it's a true 2nd generation Gold Seal or if its one of the lower price models.

 

It's a smaller model - measuring about 4.5 inches capped. It has the seal with the double check marks, has a cap band that extends down to the cap lip, and the non-roller clip. It's a plunger filler. It sports a 14k Eversharp nib, but nothing fancy (not an adjustable nib, etc.)

 

Also, in what sizes were the Dorics made?

 

Thanks for your pointers!

 

Welcome to what has been an endless source of addiction for me. Wahl pens, both personal points and dorics have become the centers of my collection over the past year, and now I'm endlessly hunting them on the internet. It has cost me other parts of my collection, as I've been selling parkers, watermen, and modern pens to continue to fuel this raging habit of mine.

 

The seal with the checkmarks does indeed mean you have a Gold Seal pen. Its worth considerably more if the seal isn't "punched" - that happened when they replaced the original nib with a replacement. If your nib says "Eversharp" on a diagonal, its possibly a replacement nib from a Skyline. That detracts a little bit, but not a big deal if it writes well.

 

Yours is the jr size - they come approximately 4.5" for the jr., 5' for the standard, and 5.4" for the oversize. (First gen pens were a little bigger than that, and the O/S first gen is a monster). The really cool nibs on the Dorics are the adjustables. They had a slider that worked really well to increase or decrease the flexibility of the nibs.

 

The plungers work well, but I think the levers are a little more popular because they are easier to service. Depending on the color of the pen, watch for "crazing" at the top of the barrel and the cap, where the plastic becomes transparent. Some of Wahl's plastics deteriorated over time, and this will eventually result in a crumbling of the plastic.

 

Hope this helps! I got most of this from this board, so there are considerably more knowledgeable people here that can correct any of my inaccuracies.

 

Marc

[StephY]

A delayed thank you for the answer to my question, Marc. I just received the pen in hand and it is beautiful in its simplicity (jet black with gf furniture). What exactly happened when the gold seal was punched? I looked and the seal looks pretty intact - don't really know what I'm looking for to see if it was "punched"?

[MarcShiman]

A delayed thank you for the answer to my question, Marc. I just received the pen in hand and it is beautiful in its simplicity (jet black with gf furniture). What exactly happened when the gold seal was punched? I looked and the seal looks pretty intact - don't really know what I'm looking for to see if it was "punched"?

 

A punched seal actually has a pin hole in it - don't look hard, it wouldn't be difficult to spot.

[Wahlnut]

Been watching this thread. If I may, I would like to tidy up a few facts here:

 

1) The "punched hole" theory. There exists no known documentation about the practice of the "drilled" gold seals, however as Marc correctly points out those pens that had their gold seal drilled seem to consistently were fitted with Warranted nibs. This was apparently a simultaneous event. There are too many new in box pens found this way for it to have been an "aftermarket" process. The reason for drilling the gold seal is most commonly held by scholars of this brand as a form of voiding the lifetime guarantee which all gold seal pens were otherwise entitled to. It is also commonly held that these pens were sold at discount at the end of their respective time frame as close-outs that were still in inventory, but that the factory wanted to sell off and not have any liability for free lifetime repair. Now, fully guaranteed Gold Seal pens came with nibs marked "gold seal" and interchangeable personal point nib and feed, screw-in units that fit into corresponding sections. Guarantee voided/drilled gold seal pens came with simple press fit nib and feed and sections.

 

2) The late second generations gold seal dorics frequently did come from the factory with the "inverted T" banner nib with the EVERSHARP word on a slant. This nib is commonly mis-identified as a "skyline nib". This type nib began before Skylines and was carried over into the skyline line with about 5 variations on the theme the latter 4 of which were really skyline nibs. If you search for it on this forum you can find posts on all these topics with pictures. So the EVERSHARP T banner nib is perfectly ok on the 2nd generation pens. However if the Doric pen's nib has the word EVERSHARP written in an arc, it is likely a replacement. Nothing wrong with that either from a "period correct" replacement nib standpoint as that was the type of nib the repair kits came with that dealers relied upon for repair work. However collector purists will want the original nib. There is a lot more information on this topic including the correct adjustable nibs for these pens too, but way too much detail for this quick post

 

3) Punched or drilled gold seal pens are not all deeply de-valued. Many of the nicest pens with the rarer colors (Oversized Flat Top Deco Bands in Lazulitic Blue, for example are hard to find in any condition of seal, that the difference in value to collectors can be very close. There re folks who simply want un-drilled pens, and they might be quite willing to pay a premium.

 

4) Many of the drilled gold seals pens have been converted back to un-drilled by some "restorers" replacing the seal and the section with the accoutrement of the non-drilled pen. From a purist point of view this frowned upon as belying the pens actual history.

[MarcShiman]

Been watching this thread. If I may, I would like to tidy up a few facts here:

 

 

3) Punched or drilled gold seal pens are not all deeply de-valued. Many of the nicest pens with the rarer colors (Oversized Flat Top Deco Bands in Lazulitic Blue, for example are hard to find in any condition of seal, that the difference in value to collectors can be very close. There re folks who simply want un-drilled pens, and they might be quite willing to pay a premium.

 

Syd,

 

Thanks for fixing up some of the things I had said. I wasn't aware that pens came stock with the "skyline" nib - I had always thought that was a warrantee replacement nib after the signature nibs were no longer made.

 

Having said that, I don't think the drilled pens lose value just because of the drilled seal, but from the perception that there is something else about the pen, perhaps a warranted nib, that would make it less desirable than a pen with a whole seal. Agreed, a Coral or RHR pen would probably maintain much of its value, but a morroco red or kashmir green might not be as desirable to a collector with a punched seal (because of the availability of un-punched seals). Not deeply devalued, but certainly a difference.

 

Marc