I'm hoping to get some more info on another Etruria I own. This is beautiful cobalt blue celluoid with silver fixtures. And again with what I call thin trim. I mean the clip is maybe half thickness of what the latest production is, as is the cap band. Same detail, but thinner. The cap band is also not as wide as I'm use to seeing. There are two, what I'm calling, hallmarks under the clip. I assume because of these, the fixtures are sterling silver. The nib is marked 14K, is a factory 1.1 stub, and is marked as such on the nib with a "1.1". The nib is silver also. The pen is the large size, not as small as the last amber Etruria I asked about and is a C/C fill. The number on the side is 012. I'm curious about this pen because I always thought it was a Swishers LE but now I'm not sure. It doesn't say that on the pen so where I got that from I don't remember. The photo is the actual pen and I'm sorry, it's about the best I can do with pen photography right now. Anyone care to take a crack at this one, please.

Yes, that is one of the Swisher Etruria SEs, the Blue/Black. It is resin, BTW, not celluloid, but it is a very, very nice resin. I haven't seen anything like this in any other pen.

The trim is silver indeed, and the nibs are all 14K, and were available in F, M, B, 0.9 and 1.1. And it is a c/c, as you mentioned.

The total number of pens in this SE is 30. My own Blue/Black carries number 016.

Warm regards, Wim

Another beautiful Etruria from your collection... Hmm... Where are you getting these?! Given the info that Wim just posted, I reckon it was not from Swisher, yea? Anyone know when Swisher offered these?

This model was from Swisher, originally, yes, and I personally got mine a few years ago, I'd have to check. I had one of the last ones, I think. There also was an Orange/Black (orange body, black cap, also an SE of 30), a cracked ice c/c with silver trim (SE of 70?), a cracked ice PF with gold trim (SE of 60), and the Swisher Demonstrator LE of 50), essentially a Nuda with gold trim, so 5 Swisher special and limited editions in all.

None of these are available new anymore, and the largest series was 70 I think. It is not clear to me how many cracked ice c/c-s were made, though, maybe it was more than 70.

BTW, FPH also had two specials, the Majestic, or Indian Nights, an SE of 100, in blue/cream cellluloid, the same celluloid as used for one of the Tibaldis, and the Blue Dusk, beautiful smoke blue resin, an LE of 60, produced for their 60th anniversary.

There is another nice LE Stipula, that is still available here and there, which is made in a series of 193, the Stipula Volterra. C/c, beautiful orangy brown celluloid with a green speck here and there. Absolutely stunning, too.

Warm regards, Wim

As Wim has already said, this blue Etruria is indeed from Swisher. I have 018 of that SE run. The quality of the materials in the pen are excellent and it is a great writer.

As I indicated in the other thread, I also have a cracked ice numbered "068," and an orange/black "047." I got all three of mine from Swisher, but I cannot readily recall when I got them. It has been at least three years ago. To be quite honest, if I had not gotten these pens myself, I would be hard put to identify that they were specifically from Swisher.

I have 050/193 of the Volterra LE, but I find the number very difficult to read. It is clear but awfully small. The celuloid is lovely, as Wim said, in a kind of orange-red with olive green specks. It is a celluloid I have seen used in a Bexley LE and I think a Montegrappa. I got my Volterra from Weaver at penseller.com well before his sabbatical.

I look forward to future Etrurias. Who knows where the next special or limited edition will come from?

Thanks Wim. Interesting stuff.


I got this pen from the matketplace here at FPN. I was lucky on it. I work nights and get home around 11PM. It was put up around 2pm and no one even nibbled at it, so I jumped on it. I have a regular production blue celluloid 0.9 stub that's one of their funky piston/converter/cartridge fillers, with gold fittings, and I snagged that off of the marketplace also. I've seen the Cracked Ice Swisher turn up several times here and the orange once or twice here but several times on the bay.



My Volterra is 017/193. I picked that up from Swisher's out of their close out bin for short money. It languished there for quite some time before I pulled the trigger on it. This is the pen you might remember I sent back to Stipula because the vermeil clip was tarnished or showed some patina. Stipula replaced the clip. This was the last Volterra in stock at Swisher's too. And this pen has a fine nib. I had no clue it was a Swisher exclusive LE until now.

In that case, I'm not spending enough time browsing the Marketplace then!

I was watching this Etruria on eBay recently. I think it's the Amber version, which I already have, so I wasn't watching to buy. I was just curious what they go for on eBay these days. Someone (from the Netherlands...ahem?) got a great deal on that one...

I also have the Volterra LE purchased from pengallery.com so I don't think it's a Swisher exclusive. By the way, is the cracked ice version that y'all keep referring to the Etruria de Architectura? I have that one as well, but I don't think it is a Swisher LE exclusive.

That was a good buy on that pen, yeah, someone got a super deal.

I wasn't aware of the Etruria de Architectura until just now and know nothing about it. You snooze, you loose.

The Volterra is not a Swisher exclusive, it is a "general production" LE. Sorry if my message wasn't too clear on this.


These are still available AFAIK, and both of them, the black and the cracked ice. I ordered them last Friday, via my pen dealer over here, and the order and availability was confirmed today .

Warm regards, Wim

Yeah, that was a great buy I have about 8-10 Etrurias and this one is a bit older. The celluloid looks better than on new Etrurias; I have a Volterra, but the one bought on ebay with golden trimmings [that I also like better than silver ones] has much more shine in it's celluloid [nr.0628]. From the same seller I've bought a black Etruria with silver pinstripe cap, it was 268 USD which maybe was a touch too much ???.

Hi Joopie,
They look a litle darker, with a deeper red; the shine actually comes with use . The Volterra has gold trimmings as a standard, and unless it was engraved incorrectly, the number can't be 0628; there were only 193 made. I don't think so. They sold for 400 to 450 euros new over here. BTW, FYI, that black Eturia is celluloid, not resin like the current model, and the "pinstripe" is the guilloche model.

Warm regards, Wim

Ahh it was Joopie who got the deal on eBay! I thought it was might have been Wim going for his 400th Etruria...

Wim's response regarding the Volterra sent me into a slight panic, and I had to check my number. I have it filled today fortunately. I have 046/193. Anyone know why they only made 193? Why not 190 or 195 or even 200? Why 193? Seems like an odd number (literally).

Oh, and congrats on acquiring the pinstripe, Joopie! You guys are killing me with all your Etrurias...

My guess is that the 193 is the result of having a few drop out of a larger run... They may have targeted a run of 200 and had 7 that didn't make it for various quality reasons. Or 195 and 2 that didn't...

For limited production this kind of thing is not uncommon.

Nah, looks like a Media to me, so not my type .

Good question. It is a very common number with Stipula, I haven't asked anybody from Stipula yet. Maybe I should . 191 I would have understood, but 193? Don't know.

You have 8 of them, no? I reckon to most people more than 1 fp is a lot, let alone more than 1 in the same model range .

Warm regards, Wim

I don't think it is that, because 193 is a very common number in Stipula LEs. Other numbers used by Stipula are often derived from a year, like the 991, or the Verrazzano, 1524, or the Iris, 926.

Warm regards, Wim