I just got an unexpected bonus at work, and what better way to spend it, than on a vintage Conway Stewart. My question is, what should I go for? I like the classic looking pens, black with gold trim. I had my eyes on a CS 27, which I thought was beautiful, but is that a good pen? So, in short, what is the best vintage CS model out there?

Oh, and my price limit is around 100 USD


Henrik

Greetings Necator,

Your consideration of the Conway Stewart 27 in indeed a fine place to start in the CS line of pen. At that period of time, the Conway Stewart was in the upper echelon of its line of fountain pens. The Model 100 was, of course, the top of the line and available only in black. Then, and almost equal in some respects with each other but in best to very good, the Conway Stewart offering went something like this - Model 60L, Model 60 Executive, Model 60, Model 58, Model 55, and Model 27. The 60 and 58 series pens had the Duro nibs, which were the best nibs Conway Stewart made at that time. I think that the Model 55 and 27 both had the CS 5 series nibs, which were real workhorse nibs for the company. Below I have a picture of a CS 58 fountain pen for you. I hope this works because I've never put images into this forum before.

Green Hatched CS 58 open



Green Hatched 58 Closed



CS 58 Duro Medium Duro Nib




I just finished restoring this pen and am writing with it so that I can fine-tune the nib. It has this wonderful semi-flexible medium nib that permits nice line variability. I think that this is a trait true of most CS Duro nibs.

As I said, I've not posted images to this site so I wasn't ready with the CS 27 to show you in contrast. However, I'll take pictures of later on this evening so that you can see a comparison.

Please note that I am not trying to sell you a pen even though I do sell pens. This is so that you can see and get to understand the differences.

Peace,

Phroneo

If you like a larger pen I would go for the CS 100 . For a smaller one I would go for the CS 27,28,58 or 60. Lovely colours are available for all of these smaller ones.

Unfortunately the way prices have marched on I think that a fine example of any of these may stretch your stated limit.

I would also avoid ebay for the purchase unless you are a very proficient repairer. Try the wonderful Dr Barry Rose at writetime.co.uk for a good value pen and a great buying experience (no affiliation etc).

(PS Phroneo, well done on your green CS58. A real beauty!)

Here are a few that I have. The first two photos are a green hatched and blue herringbone pattern CS 60 and 60 Executive. The third and fourth photos are a blue herringbone CS76 (that I bought from Dr Rose) and a little CS28 in "tiger eye" that I recently completed restoring.

Hello again, Necator.

Jimg is correct in that you're not going to find a usable CS pen in these sizes for the amount of money you've set aside. I'm sorry that I didn't catch that when I first responded. The old statement about you get what you pay for is true with regards to vintage fps. You couldn't begin to touch those beautiful pens Jimg put up to show you, nor mine. I would suggest that you be patient, save a little more, and then look for a fair price on a good restored Conway Stewart fountain pen.

However, I did promise you that I'd take a few more pictures so here they are. What I've done is to give you a side-by-side comparison of a tiger's eye CS58 next to a black CS27. There is also an image of the CS27 #5 medium point nib that you can compare against the Duro nibs Jimg and I have shown you.

Unless you are comfortable with repairing fountain pens, I would suggest that you back away for eBay and look for a reputable restorer here on the forum or by doing a search. The vintage CS pens are a joy to use. I wish you luck.

Peace,

Phroneo

CS 27 set



CS27 & CS58 size comparison open - not posted




CS27 & CS58 size comparison closed



CS27 Number 5 Medium Nib

Thank you both for the input. I will see if I can set aside some extra funds, and wait for a CS 27 with a fine nib to come around. By the way, what are the chances of finding one? Most of the CS 27s I see on sale are with Medium nib (as are indeed most vintage FPs).

Henrik

I did recently get a No 27 with a medium nib for about the price you were hoping for. It is a wonderful writer, and in fact my best pen. Vintage CS pens are superb. The only other pens to come close are Pelikans, in my opinion.

You can sometimes pick up 27s (at least the black ones) for rather less than this.

I have bought a couple in the past few months for about £20 each, one needed a new ink sac which I got Laurence Oldfield at Penpractice to fit (cost £8-£10), the other was more of a bargain as it didn't need one as it had recently been serviced.

Whilst both have medium nibs, in my experience they are a bit 'thinner' than some modern mediums anyway.

Just keep an eye open on ebay, as they can be bought relatively cheaply if you are lucky.

Andy

Just won an Ebay auction on a CS 27! Can't wait to get hold of it.

Well Done! Photos to follow?

Yes, congratulations. Please post a photo and show us your new acquisition.

Thanks. I took the liberty of snatching some of the pictures from Ebay:

Congratulations, looks nice in the pictures, hope you enjoy it let us know when it arrives.

Andy

It arrived today, and it is a real beauty. It has a lot more line variation than I am used to with e.g. my Waterman Phileas. I have tried it with all my (3) inks, MontBlanc Black, Pelikan Brown and Parker Quink blue. Looking at the writing samples I did, the black one is actually the best.
I think the previous owner was a right handed writer, as the pen seems to favor that. Over time, perhaps I can write it into shape.

Henrik

Glad to hear you like your CS27, I have one in green herringbone. Nice pen, but I always keep meaning to get it adjusted as it's quite a dry writer. If the nib isn't quite to your liking, perhaps you could pick up some micromesh sheets and do a little bit of nib smoothing. I've bought them from Ian Williamson of Cathedral Pens in the past.

My CS No 27 is a nice wet writer, and a wonderful nib. You should give it to a real expert. (OK I am not saying Ian is not - as I know he is definitely an expert, and I've got a wonderful Sheaffer fromm Cathedral Pens to prove it). But I have to say that my No 27 is superb. The best pen I have ever had, by a million miles. Maybe I'm just lucky. I would never buy a new Conway Stewart. I'm probably wrong but the vintage ones are unequalled.