Dear pen enthusiasts,

Can anyone make any suggestion as to the relative worth or worthlessness of these pens that were discovered in a box in a deceased relative's basement? I suspect that these are rather common-place cheapies, but I am almost entirely clueless regarding vintage pens and I fear that I might overlook something that would be of interest to collectors. I haven't tested the filling mechanisms on these pens, not being well-versed in these matters -- only dipped them to assess the quality of the nibs themselves. All of them seem to have been well-used. The only one about which I've been able to find many details is the Parker Vacumatic; the others are mysteries to me. See attached files for pictures.

Parker Vacumatic
- tentatively dated 1938 on the basis of colour, size, lockdown mechanism
- 14kt gold nib marked "Parker Vacumatic"
- aluminum lockdown filler
- somewhat flexible nib, tines slightly misaligned
- "red shadow wave" barrel, golden arrow clip
- posting ring and minor scratches on barrel
- worn but legible imprint on barrel: "Made in Canada; Parker Vacumatic, reg. t.m.s., pat. no. 318982"
- imprint on cap band: "Regd No 784404"

Waterman's Ideal
- date unknown
- lever-fill mechanism- nib marked "Waterman's Ideal 14kt Canada 2A" [=what?]
- some flexibility in nib
- posting ring and minor scratches on blue marbled barrel
- very clear imprint on barrel: "Waterman's Ideal Fountain Pen, made in Canada"
- further imprints: cap, "Waterman's Made in Canada"; clip, "Watermans"

Traveler's Fountain Pen
- date unknown
- clip marked "USA Travelers"
- nib marked "Signature 4 Made in U.S.A."
- slightly misaligned tines
- piston-filling mechanism


Click to view attachment
Left to right: Parker Vacumatic, Waterman's Ideal, Traveler's


Click to view attachment
Top to bottom: Traveler's, Parker Vacumatic, Waterman's Ideal


All advice would be gratefully received. Thanks for your help!

Best wishes,
Christopher (Italicist)

the vacumatic is a red shadowave jr size and is most certainly worth getting restored. the waterman is a lower line one from the 40's, the Travelers (late 30's I would assume) has a similar pattern to a Conklin or Eclipse that I've seen in the past, a nice looking pen but not terribly valuable. I would say the Parker is worth between $100-125 after restoration, as is maybe $50-75.

hope this kind of guides you in one direction, and always great to help another Canadian collector!

Pearce.

They all look like they would make nice users. Restored the Shadow Wave Vac is clearly worth most.

Many thanks to both of you for your help, especially regarding the Parker. It's really quite lucky that the pens survived at all; if I hadn't been muddling around in my grandparents' basement at the right moment, I think that the lot would have gone to the dump, which would have been a shame. And now both of you have assisted in prolonging their existence at least a little further, since I won't dispose of them too lightly.

-CG

Bet the Waterman is the smoothest write!

You're correct, Buzz J! Due to the state of the Parker's nib, it's difficult to be certain of how it would handle under the best of circumstances, but I suspect that the Waterman might have been ahead anyhow. Hurrah for inexpensive fountain pens that are still a pleasure to use for writing after sixty years or so -- may their tribe increase.

Cheers,
Christopher G. (Italicist)