I won this on ebay. I have been looking for a nice overlay safety, and I think I got a pretty good deal. I figure $40 or so for restoration/recorking and it's a $200 purchase. The seller represents that the nib retracts correctly, and that the pen is basically problem free.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=260205375276

Some questions for the Waterman Experts:

1. Retail price range for one of these restored? The Blue Book doesn't have this model specifically, and I'm curious.

2. Approximate date range? I haven't seen the nib, but I'm guessing 1912 to around 1916. I read somewhere that "Baby" stamped on the bottom usually denotes an earlier pen.

3. Is the engraving Waterman, and is it a specific pattern? It doesn't look like a "Continental" overlay. I assume it is factory as it has no initials in the blank area, and if it was custom done, wouldn't you think they would have added a monogram?

Thanks in advance for your help!
Chris

Is this an eyedropper?

Yes. I believe these safetys are always eyedroppers.

This type of pen is an eyedropper. David Nishimura has a page on them, including a link to an original set of instructions here.

I follow this era of Waterman fairly closely, but only on line (listings on boards and auction sites)- not at pen shows where more accurate pricing could probably be determined. That said, I would say that this pen, restored (and assuming the condition is as described is worth in the neighborhood of $300, give or take. The relatively small market for such pens provides few data points on sales prices, but I would say you got a good (at least) deal.

Regards, greg

Thanks. I thought it seemed like a pretty good deal also, factoring the restoration needs in. The caveat is that I do not have the pen in hand yet.