My extended family sent me some pens and parts today. Among the lot was a sr. Duofold with a beautiful Jade cap, unbrassed hardware, lovely nib and you guessed it, a dark brown barrel.

Are Jade barrels that have not turned ugly hard to find?

Thanks,
Kevin

I'd say they are. They are extremely likely to get stained.

They get stained because the rubber sac in them ossifies and releases the sulfur content in them in the form of a gas which
osmoses into the celluloid acetate. This usually happens because the pen(s) are left in a desk drawer and forgotten for a
long period of time. To find one that hasn't been used that much and had the sac taken out before being put away shows
that someone was going to hang onto that pen to (possibly)pass it down thru the family. Those are the ones that are rare
and end up being worth more to someone who is willing to pay a high price.

John

I agree with SquelchB. It took me a long time to find a near mint/mint jade Duofold Senior. The color is near perfect and I paid accordingly. However, it is a beautiful example of this pen and, together with a near mint Black and Pearl with perfect color, is a centerpiece of my vintage Duofold collection (see 4th pen from left in the photo below).



Mark

Mark,
Very nice collection there. The juxtaposition of old & new is very interesting.
John

Thanks John. Missing from this photo is my black (Senior and Centennial) and lapis (Senior and Centennial) Duofolds which I have acquired since this photo was taken. I really do need to reshoot this setup with these four pens included. I will also replace the Centennial Pearl and Black with the Norman Rockwell LE I have as I think it is a better match for the vintage Black and Pearl.

Mark.

Yes.

One approach would be to harvest one from a desk pen, as decent barrels occasionally turn up that way.

Very tough to find a clean barrel though

regards

david

David, this is wonderful.

Now please excuse me. I have to weep into my pillow for a while.