Just back from a visit in Sofia/Bulgaria where I found these beauties on a streetmarket.

The Clip says "Sojus" in Russian, and "Golden Feather 006" is engraved in the barrel.
The nib is flexible, but in a rather poor state. Never the less, after some starting problems it "writes".
It is hooded (like 51), but the hood is simple to unscrew (unlike 51), and then you see the complete nib in its poor state.
The filling is a pneumatic, where one can see the ink through the knob.
Filling works fine, and pressing the knob down feels soft and elastic.
The Cap has several dings.
The pencils mechanic turns easy and feels smooth, but there's no lead in it. Hope I can get some in the right diameter.
The pencil is free of any dents or dings.

The seller told me Sojus pens were only available to "very" high Sovjet Party Members, and therefore pure gold, and also the Ruby's were real stones and not glas. Well, I guess street sellers on the Balcan talk a lot on a long day :-)

Be it true, or a story, I find the set is very beautiful, enjoy the pictures!

I haven't found anything about Sojus pens, neither in this Forum, nor in Google.
So if anyone knows anything about them, please write it down here!

Very interesting set...
BTW, if the iridium on that nib is still good, all it would take is some TLC to get it back in shape...


Sounds like they have the same line that the NYC "Mont Blanc" Street sellers have...
"Hey man, genuine Mont Blanc pens... I gottem right here... only $9.95 each:

Definitely very interesting!!! I don't think that the set is made of gold, though. Nonetheless, this is a set from a region about which I absolutely know nothing in terms of fountain pens. Thanks for posting this here. I'd be interested if there is someone familiar with East European/Russian fountain pens on this site.

HELP! What's TLC?
English is not my mothertongue as You probably have noticed on my grammar and spelling mistakes!
And one of my weakest points are threeletteracronyms :-)

BTW: There were also some beautiful brand new "MontBlancs" there also. But prices where around 100 EUR - before negotiations.

TLC = Tender Loving Care...

Hello there,

Very interesting...thanks for sharing.

The filler plunger looks like a version of the French Stylo filler, with a clear button connected to an accordion sac. Stylo invented it (I believe) back in the 1930s; when the patent finally expired, it was adopted by several other companies. I guess one of them was in the USSR!

Cheers,

Jon

Thanks for the review. Very interesting indeed and very nice to see a pen never seen before around here.

Great review, particularly the pictures.

It is nearly impossible to find information online about Soviet-era fountain pens. Given the remarkably high quality of soviet rangefinder cameras (they were smart enough to omit the parts that were tricky to manufacture), I have to believe that there must have been excellent* Soviet fountain pens as well.


*excellent is a relative term. Soviet copies of Leica rangefinders were made of stamped steel, and omitted difficult to manufacture features like very fast and very slow shutter speeds. There isn't much you can do to damage one, short of dropping it into a blast furnace.

I guess You talk about these guys, don't You? (+ some pens pricerange 2 - 10 USD)

Those "Leicas" look like Zorki-5s, although the proportions aren't quite right.

Are the pens copies as well? Looks like there are a few Parkers and Pelikans in there.

Where there any indigenous soviet pens, or pens from the eastern bloc republics?

Sorry, I can't tell You. I just made some pics of the selling-tables.
I asked for russian pens, and the only ones I was offered were the ones I baught.
What I didn't post is a Chinese/Sovjet mixture I also purchased.
A burgundy Hero 51 Replica, but with a golden Sojus Cap (Without the "tower" on it).
It works fine, and writes very very smoothe if you hold it like a right foot oblique, turned at least 45° to the right.
I f you hold it straight (like I hold my pens) it hardly writes at all, and just scratches.
(A burgundy goldcapped 51 in good health with a very soft smooth italic nib is one of my big targets.)
Tonight I have a look what Leo Grahofer (of the Viennese Fountainpen Workshop) says to them.
If the nibs turn out to be too much a problem for him, the'll travel to Richard - and will stay there for months and months ;-(

Did the Soviets make Zorkis with German engravings?

That Soviet pen is so cool - I do hope you get it restored.



If those were genuine vintage Pelikans on that table and were going cheap, then you should have bought them - vintage Pelikans can fetch a healthy (but not excessive) price.

Thanks for the review!

Well, I visited Leo Grahofer in Vienna, who gave the nib some presses with his thumbnail, and said there's not more one can do.
In fact it does write a little more stable now, but I'll think of sending it to Richard some time - if I'm ready to part from it for several months :-)

And, YES I was sure there were lots of treasures burried on that market, but beeing only a rather freshly infected "pen-user" (Who's interested in the feel, different technik types, and the look of pens - in this order) and very far from beeing an expert, I'm surely not the person to find them.
But at least from most of Europe Sofia is just 75 EUR away (return-ticket)!
Regards
Martin

It's interesting that there aren't many Soviet Fountain Pens around. I am from the former Soviet Union (came here when I was very young) and my parents used nothing but fountain pens when in school, as did all the other students, (this would be late 60's early 70's) so I wonder who produced them all and where they all went...

What an interesting find, full of history and attractive, too. I think it will be worth the effort to restore the nib. Thanks for sharing!

Dear Friend.

First of alll sorry for my english.
I can say you that this FP is a "SOYUS" - GOLD QUILL (not Sojus), made in Russia in the 60's, by "Soyus" (Union in english) in Leninegrad (St.Petersburg) because the ink system refill.Iin the 70's models, this system was replaced by a plunger. The nib is also a Soyus 14 kt gold (hallmark 583) with the "C" (mark of Soyus) engraved. All the system tray, and the nib, are very similar to the Parker 21.
Sure, this set is a "limited edition" because the emblems and the jewels on the top.
All the Russian Fountain Pen are vary rare in Europe and also in URSS countries.
I have a lot of Russian FP of the 30's, 50's 60's e 70's and I never saw that.
Sorry the nib is not in a very good condition but, my congratulations because this set in very rare and very interesting. Sure very valuable for collectors.

Best regards and Merry Christmas

From Portugal with friendship

Inoxbord

Hi,
I would like to add just a few pieces of information (I am from Hungary, which is also a former socialist country):
1. I think Russian/Soviet pens were quite rare here too. When I was at primary school (1987), we learnt writing with fountain pens (ballpoint was not allowed). We had mostly Chinese pens. Nowadays, If you look at vintage pen sellers in Hungary, they usually sell American and western European pens (Parker, Waterman, etc.), and rarely you can find Chinese pens (I think there were a lot of them in Hungary, but they aren't valued enough to be sold second hand or vintage). So I guess, there were more western pens here, than Soviet ones (or just the case of Soviet pens is the same as Chinese ones, they are neither valued enough to be sold second hand). (Of course, this is not the case from more expensive, gold nib ones, but they must haave been very rare.)

2. There were some posts here previously about Soviet rangefinder cameras: the Soviet Union actually bought the plans from Leica to make rangefinder cameras. The two brands based on these plans are the Fed and the Zorki, the latter being somewhat higher quality. (The Kiev cameras were based on the Contax, the plans and machines for making those were confiscated from Germany as war compensation.) All were very well built, well usable cameras. AFAIK they did not make cameras with the original names (Leica, Contax) on them, but nowadays there are many fake Leicas on the market (eg. ebay), built from Zorki or Fed parts.

mstelz, if you're still looking, it's usually spelled "Soyuz" in English transliteration.

They sell them occasionally on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-SOVIET-RUSSI...1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-SOVIET-RUSSI...1QQcmdZViewItem

Also, see this FPN thread:
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...c=6769&st=0

Fountain pens did exist in the former SU in plentitude, especially in the 1920s-60s, when they were required for school. I have several ugly and worthless ones from the 80's that look like imitations of Chinese Parker 51 imitations. The one you have though, if authentic, is quite interesting and potentially valuable.

Are you located in Vienna?

Yes I am.
Meanwhile I've found some USSR pens on Ebay, but none with a cap like mine, and mostly in very ugly colours.
This was such a lucky find in Sofia, which then I didn't even realize!

I've sent them to Richard for service, and "rebuilding" the nib.
Some time in March, April, Mai, .... ...... when they'll come back I'll post pictures of what he made of them!

Thank's for the info some people have posted!

Whish You all a merry X-Mas, and a happy and very successfull (whatever this may be for You!) 2008!

Martin

Hi
1.) Thank's for the most detailed information on Sovjet Pens on the web!
2.) Couldn't You post some pictures?
3.) Who are Your favorite Fadisdas? (I love Ana Moura, and Mariza - off course)
Regards and X-Mas greetings from Vienna
Martin (a Fado Fan!)

Thanks Martin and same to you!

I will be in Vienna for New Year's as well. Are there any good fountain pen shops or a collectors club in Vienna?

QM2

There's a quite well equipped store (new stuff only) in Kärntnerstrasse, which You'll probably pass on the "Sylvester Trail" setup in the inner city, and one elderly gentleman trading and restoring pens "only before 1960" in Lärchenfelderstrasse, in the boutique of his son.
Nothing else that I know of.
That's why I send my pens to Richard, meaning 20+ EUR postage and veeeeeery looooooooong waiting!
But why don't You give me a ring when You are here! (send You my number with a PM.)
Greetings Martin