I can certainly use one of my stable of pens below, but I'm thinking my next acquisition will be along the lines of a FP for mainly signatures. I have some possibilities in my wish list, also below. Any thoughts? Keep in mind, I have an affinity for stub & CI nibs, and like them fairly wet, and very smooth. Plus, not interested in anything small OR unwieldy. Thanks for your consideration.

Perhaps a MB 149 with a medium oblique nib or a pel m1000 with a medium oblique nib????

How about the King of Pen with the Eagle Nib?

Not that I'm looking for a Sheaffer NoNonsense or a Pilot 78G, but aren't those 2 pens fairly pricey? Perhaps I should've been more specific. Let's put a cap on this at about $250-300. Thanks

I use the Sailor Calligraphy Pen
Loads of line variation / Wet / Distinctive / Fast & Smooth
around $30 mark in the UK here plus convertor

Depending upon how much of a rush I am in, either my Dani Trio Tac Carry II, with M nib, or my Dani Trio Classic, with F nib a la Dillo, who turned my smooth, wet, M nib into a smooth, wet, F nib.

Donnie

I recently got a pen from Tom "OldGriz" Mullane - of course, a Parker 51 Vac. I asked for a wet nib, and along came the juciest nib I've ever used. I could fill it with with water and write on a fire to put it out.

I spent a while earlier just trying to make it skip. Haven't succeeded yet - I could sign a cow with this thing. So I recommend seeing Tom if you're after a good signature Parker 51.

Asking for a big pen for signature is like saying I want a Mont blanc 149 so I am with George go for the 149 its the best both as a signature and as a writer

Thanks for all the suggestions, folks. I'm in no rush, so I'll do the research on some of these.

I love stubs and italics. Stipula has a very nice medium and broad cursive italics and their beautiful celluloids look better in person than in pictures.

Without knowing what it is about signing your name that requires a different/special sort of pen, but bearing in mind your fondness for stubs and wetness and your price range, I'm inclined to suggest a vintage German pen (Pelikan, Montblanc, Kaweco, Geha, Osmia, Goldfink) with a B or BB nib (these are stubs, not regular Broad or double Broad) or an oblique B nib or BB nib, especially if it's also flexible to some extent.

Simon

A good ink flow is important in signatures, so I prefer my 1970,s MB 149 with a BB nib. This pen never let me down.

Personally, I like a flex nib when signing. So, Namiki Falcon, Pilot Custom 743 FA or a vintage flexer would be my choice.

Let me humbly suggest a Sailor 1911 with a music or zoom nib. I love my Sailor. I do have large hands (size 11 glove). Sailor nibs are smooth.

I go with Lloyd! A vintage flex Eversharp Skyline, or a Swan Mabie Todd, or my current favorite....a Pelikan 400NN Tortoise with a RE-NIB by Greg Minuskin......Magnificent.

Of course, the old MB 146 with a cursive italic done from a OBB nib!

I like to see the line variation....and of course, it is something only you and THAT pen can do.

Tony, for a signature pen you can have a nib meister customize nearly any nib you already own into a signature stub. Just pick your favorite pen and go.

For myself, I bought a 1920's Parker Big Red many years ago. It was the first pen I bought intentionally as a vintage pen. It happened to have a B nib. I caught on quickly that that nib was perfect for my signature and I have used it as such for a long time. Maybe it would be expedient to have a nib customized now, and just let time and experience take their course in finding an ideal signature pen.

I agree. The nib can hold you over, but one day you will see a pen that is nice enough to sign on formal signing occasions, fits you perfectly, and just "clicks". Then you can buy that, and still have a nib on another pen (maybe if you already have a pelikan, it can do for now (with another nib, of course (and excessive parentheses, too))) as a backup.

-Nkk

My recommendation is for a Sailor 1911 Sterling with a music nib. It looks nice, but isn't overly flashy, and the (wide stub) music nib is really smooth and has good variation.

My signature pen?

A Sheaffer Snorkel, with a harder-than-nail Triumph nib. But that's mostly because the only signatures I make are ones on credit card receipts and various forms, and the Snorkel is a pen I can take out, sign said document, and move on without having to think too much about nib orientation, flex, going slower at certain points, etc. Also, the nib is about the smoothest thing about and the Snorkel in question is quite dry, terribly consistent and M-nibbed- the ink is dry before I know it, but the consistency is so great such that I'd never notice that the pen put down such little of it, relatively.

Not that I have much of a signature, certainly nothing to post in a .sig here- just a kid's scribble.

Aaron

I can recommend a Pilot Bamboo. A fairly substantial pen, feels good in your hand and long enough to use unposted. The factory nib is wet, ultra-smooth and -reliable. Distinct looks.

I highly recommend the Bexley Americana or the Bexley America the Beautiful with a luscious 1.3mm Bexley 18k gold stub nib. Although both pens are available in several colours, I like the American best in Sannibel blue and the A t B best in mahogany. Both are available from Richard Binder.


Edited for spelling, which wasn't very good at 6.30 am.

I have to agree with Goodguy on this, the definition of S-pen is MB 149. I would save up. Otherwise, I prefer a Montegrappa 1930 Extra Green Marble... but this is even more expensive. JD

I can second this!
Only difficulty will be to find a broad nib. Most of those vintage pens come with fine or medium nibs.
But if you are lucky and get a broad or doublebroad nib, you will be in nib heaven. They are stub nibs with more or less flexibility and are writing a wet line.

I have B, BB, OB and OBB nibs for vintage Pelikan 400s and I really love those nibs! They are running a little bit finer than the modern broad nibs, though. My all time favourite is a vintage broad.
I have medium or oblique medium nibs for Pelikans, MBs, a Kaweco and a Geha pen and they are wonderful as well. Especially a wet medium Kaweco nib with wonderful flex.

If you really love those nibs any modern nib will be a dissapointment.

Gosh, so many good suggestions. What I need to do is go to a B&M to try out a few. Not sure when that will happen. Maybe, when we leave N.O for our late Oct. cruise, I can stop by Cajun Pen. Anyway, I appreciate very much all the suggestions. I'm not overly fond of vintage pens just yet--maybe just haven't found the right one-- "tweaked" to my liking. Of the suggestions made so far, I think I'll start checking into a MB 149, a Sailor Sterling Silver, or a large Pelikan. Or maybe a Bexley...the choices are dizzying.

Maybe you try some if you get the chance. And maybe you will find the one you like ....

After I had lost my beloved Pelikan 250 I happened to buy vintage pens because I could not afford to buy new pens with gold nibs in the first place. Was a poor student back then. This gave me some wonderful German gold nibs from the 50s and 60s. Wet and with some flex.

Later my mother gave me a Pelikan M400 for my university degree but I still used the vintage MBs.

Dind not buy a pen for years but with ebay I got some pre 97 M400s (like them better than the modern M400 with the additional bling) and vintage 400s and finally I knew that it is the vintage nib I really love. It does not make any difference if you use a vintage or a modern 400. They are pretty much the same. Only the nib makes the difference!

I have no words to describe...............................
Kidding of course. I do not have a particular pen for signatures yet but if I had to pick today it would be a Pelikan Souveran 800 in solid blue. Hopefully I could get a italic nib with it as the nib would be the main requirement.

I think that would be an excellent choice.

If you get a Pelikan from a dealer like Richard Binder or John Mottishaw, you can get the pen with an italic or stub nib as you wish. The first FP I ordered when I first got into FPs was a Pelikan M620 Chicago with an italic nib that I got from Mottishaw. The most recent italic I bought was a Taccia Mother of Pearl with an ItaliFine nib that I got from Binder. Even if the pen manufacturer does not offer an italic or stub nib or if you don't get the pen from a nibmeister, you could still have a nibmeister create the nib you want. There are a lot of options for you to choose from.

There's nothing like seeing a large signature in a broad italic or music pen with a distinctive ink. I love my Sailor Magellan's, especially with the music nib, it makes signatures stand out from all the rest.

True, but recently I've seen a surprisingly high number of OB and OBB (not so much BB) nibs in various vintage Pelikans, Montblancs, etc. on ebay and at martiniauctions.com (mostly German pen sellers, unsurprisingly); I even saw what was described as an OBBB Pelikan (I think it was in a black 400NN) on ebay recently - I suspect I would find that a bit much, but you never know.... Assuming the seller wasn't making it up, have you ever tried one of those?

Simon

Okay, terribly dumb question -- you guys have a pen specifically to write your name with?
That kind of "Signature"?
Not as in "defining", right?

Silke -- who feels incredibly stupid for asking this.

Yeah OK fair question it may seem kind of dumb but I prefer to sign off a typed letter with something bolder & distinctive. It gives me a false sense of security & authority & boosts my ego a bit. I don't need a fountain pen for this & one of the best I found is a Staedtler Lumocolour Chisel point felt pen. I used these for years.

Tend to agree with the sentiment of your question & I wouldn't spend a wad of money specifically for a pen to do this.

When you leaf through a job file of letters signatures get noticed & thin fine nibs have less impact. So it may help boost the image or impression you want to create.
eg A weak sig on a resume letter doesn't cut it.

Definitely! I thought it was weird until I got a couple of lovely super-wet nibs (one a stub) lately.

Find yourself a wet bold stub and you'll instantly have a multi-million-dollar signature...

Well I like broad nibs anyway, although my P51 has a medium nib.
I was looking at some gorgeous Watermans yesterday... but damned if I can afford one!
(I'm eyeing an Edson... What can I say... *puts bucket near desk to catch the drool*)

It does make sense to have a nice broad pen for a signature, no question, but I have no experience with different nibs.

I use a Marlen Journal BB. Great for book-signings, signing that career 100th homerun ball, that candid hollywood vacation shot of you and Madona when you ran into her at the mall. It's a Sharpie in the body (beautiful body) of a fountain pen. A perfect (IMHO) signature pen.

Nib = M or B: Sheaffer Crest, Parker 51, Pelikan 800, Waterman Charleston, MB 146. The 149 is too unwieldy.

Mike

Sounds kind of egotistical doesn't it? (which it's not IMO)
As stated, I do not have one in particular but am not beyond wanting one or one day getting one.
It is your unique signature and I feel (maybe others also) should be presented with pride.

American all the way: Bexley Submariner. Bexley's stub nibs are great, wet, and wide (1.3mm). Colors might be better in the Submariner Grande, but that's much bigger and it's way above your price ceiling.

Also look at Bexley's America The Beautiful models, even though they are also a bit over your ceiling.

Bexley: http://www.bexleypen.com/Products/index.html

Not a dealer, no financial connection, just a happy owner of a couple of Bexley pens (one a chocolate h.r. Sub Grande L.E. with that bodacious stub nib, for which I gladly went over my price ceiling).

Broad and Wet.

I'd have to vote for a Pelikan 800 or MB 146 both reasonably sized pens that you can actually stick in your pocket and carry. My 800 came with a BB nib that is big and juicy. I can't use it like that for normal writing as all my letters run together with a double broad nib. I have an Extra Fine that I put in the 800 for normal day to day writing. That is the really nice feature of the Pelikans they have nibs that screw right out and can be replaced in a couple of seconds. That way the pen doesn't get relegated to single use like just for signing you name.

my two signature favorite pens are: symphony eversharp with a flex fine nib and my P"61" fine point... i think the eversharp wins!!!

Pelikan M1000

Ronin

Great for book-signings, signing that career 100th homerun ball, that candid hollywood vacation shot of you and Madonna when you ran into her at the mall.

Wow, I wanna hang out with Strang!!

My Pelikan M800 with a M nib is one of the pens I use for signatures. My wife bought it for my birthday and, after having the nib italicized and tuned to my specifications by a local nibmeister, it's the pen that got me off of the ballpoints for good.

One other thought. You have a VP; a LE in orange, no less - my absolute fave color. The VP ink capacity isn't up to marathon signature sessions, but the Binder Italifine nib unit I have in my orange VP is a revelation. Smooth note taking on one side, a juicy .9mm C/I on the other, and well under your stated budget.

Good luck!

Classic Pens CP5
Montblanc 149
Visconti Opera Master
Sailor King of Pen
Omas New Paragon
Dupont Large Orpheo
Waterman Man 100
Pelikan M1000
Delta Dolcevita Oversize
Yard O Led Grand Victorian

See the pattern? A hefty pen with good ink flow. And it goes without saying that the ink is blue.

agree with charlieB... blue family ink!

i'm an author, and i have a book signing set for the launching of a new novel on thursday (yay!), so this question has been on my mind for a few days now.... i have an M1000, but it will be too heavy in the hand after a while, and besides it lays a very wet line that will take time to dry. so maybe i'll use an M800 and/or a parker duofold international, one loaded with blue-black and the other with pelikan brown (but who--i mean which book buyer--gets what ink?....)

Stipula DaVinci is my signature pen of choice, though I suppose if I got like Neil Gaiman famous, I'd have to pick a lighter pen for those marathon signing sessions.

Hi,

Whilst in theory whatever pen I have in my hand, I have two pens used mainly for signatures/addressing envelopes a Lamy 2000 with an OM nib and a Sheaffer Balance II with an OM nib, both write well, but are too broad for everyday writing (I have relatively small writing).

I also have a Vac with an OM nib that can be used for everyday writing and is good for signtaures, also a vintage Pelikan 400 with a BB nib that is too broad for everyday use but great for signatures. I guess that as I prefer nibs in the EF-M region anything broader than that is essentially a signature pen.

Andy

Black Pelikan M800 with a 1.0 mm stub would be my choice.

Well done on the launch, penmanila. I'm always disappointed when I go to signings and the writer has a biro, so your readers should be pleased, even if they aren't all 'fountain pen aware'!