Forgive my camera-illiteracy. The fountain pen, the Mercury 'L'Union Fait La Force', under review is on this webpage. In the picture "Mercury 1948 today", it's the first on the left. Further down the page, it's the one on the cactus, under the heading "L'Union Fait La Force", which is the French version of the national motto of Belgium, where the pen comes from and which is engraved on the silver cap band.

http://beluxpenshow2007.e-monsite.com/rubr...nd,1142966.html

OK, this should be a short review, because 'The Union', let's call it, is a simple pen: drilled from solid Tibaldi 'Rosso Verde' celluloid, with the serial number 5/80*, a yellow 18kt Tibaldi 'Extra' B nib, a silver cap band and clip, 5' 1/2" capped and 6' 3/8" posted. Essentially, it's the same as the Mercury 'Francois des Trixhes' (the 'FDT'), which I reviewed not long ago. The FDT has the same dimensions, uses the same nib, but just has different 'furniture' and is in Tibaldi Impero blue celluloid.

(*Both the FDT and The Union are limited editions, a marketing ploy that I dislike, but the supply of good Italian celluloid is limited. A bundle, not large, came onto the market today, but there won't be much more.)

However, The Union is just a bit better for me than the FDT for two reasons. The clip is finer and is Sterling silver (hallmarked "925"), which the FDT's is not, and the cap band is a work of considerable craftsmanship, which makes using The Union an appreciative and aesthetic pleasure. The FDT's three bands are excellent, but are eclipsed by The Union's 1/4" wide, thick, deeply incised (lost wax process, perhaps), Sterling silver, hallmarked band, which includes the motto inside a chain on one side and the word 'Mercury' on the other, plus two small stamps. This work on The Union's band is much better than on other Italian bands.

Overall, the pen is very well fitted and finished, as are all Mercuries, and The Union is attractive in a substantial, impressive and evidently expensive sort of way. Not flashy in the slightest, it just says 'Quality', quite loudly.

OK, that's the good news. The bad news could be that the converter is very poor and too small, just like the FDT's. Fortunately, however, I eye-droppered the FDT, so I've eye-droppered The Union. A quick wipe of the section and barrel threads with silicone grease, the equivalent of 5 converter loads of Diamine directly into the barrel from the eye-dropper, and the pen writes like a ... well, like a very good pen. (The FDT's B nib is a tad wider and I'm thinking of selling/swapping it, because I prefer narrower points.)

So, am I pleased? Yep. Very. Actually, very, very. The FDT is a classy pen and The Union is, too, although perhaps slightly classier. Robert Dubois is a good guy to deal with (as is Dov Randel, his associate in Israel) and the purchases were painless. They weren't cheap, however, but then why should they be? The FDT and The Union are not cheap pens.

I met Robert Dubois at the Paris Ecriture pen show, very cool and friendly guy indeed. Nice pen BTW Idiopathos.

Interesting post from a kind of FP I'm not familiar with at all. Thanks.

The Mercury pens reviewed here are really fantastic pens, and I'm surprised they don't appear at the forum more often, as they are, IMHO better pens than many of the Japanese and Italian pieces so often praised here. Nibs are soft and springy, although "plain" but for specific, beautifully engraved models. The finishing is flawless, the nibs excellent and the craftsmanship that puts them together remarkable. And they are much, much more unique and valuable as a connaisseurs piece. I do not own one due to the price, but I sure wish I could.
Thanks for the review.

Yes, I think you're absolutely right.

As for price, contact Robert (or Dov) and they may offer you one at less than MSRP. That said, there aren't many to offer.