It's always interesting to find out what other collectors particularly look for when acquiring new pens so how about seeing a few pictures of some favourite pens from your collections?

I tried really hard but couldn't get down to a single particular favourite so please indulge me if I post two pictures!



This first one is a Dinkie Major 649, dating from around 1930. Dinkie Majors are rare (bigger than a Dinkie but smaller than a Dandy), the range was only produced for a few years. The 649 is the rarest Dinkie Major model and this bold black and pure white material is really unusual. I have only seen it elsewhere in a 'Rosemary' Dinkie (also manufactured by Conway Stewart).



The second is a Dandy 726 from the same sort of date. Conway Stewart stated in their advertising of the time that Dandys were available in the same range of colours as Dinkies. However, Dandys are much harder to find and consequently there are many colours of Dinkie that are as yet unknown in the Dandy. This is the only Dandy I have ever seen where the colour (a random swirl of white, red and green) has not yet been found in a Dinkie - unless of course you have such a pen sitting in your collection!

So, now the ball is rolling, let's see some other contributions!

Andy

Not yet in my collection, but a favorite Conway Stewart nevertheless, is a vintage 58 in the old Cracked Ice. Here's a small pic of one I restored not too long ago:

It would have to be the 55 in the middle of the 93 and Dinkie. Why this one? Well, because I picked it up for a song and it needed a ton of work. The satisfaction of cleaning up the insides, making it work again, and shining it up a bit on the outside was a satisfying experience and it writes like a dream.



Have a great day

philm

One of my pics of a box of CS's residing on my work PC.

Gary

This is an addition made to my collection last year and is one of my favourite Conway Stewart pens. The pen is especially interesting as it is an early rolled gold covered Conway Stewart and bears one of the most elaborate inscriptions I've ever seen on a pen.





I have been trying to research the background to the presentation of this pen, but have not been very successful. There is little to be found on the Internet about Stefansson and Melbourne, Australia.

Stefansson was a renowned Artic explorer and seems a strange choice for a survey of the Australian outback, which is the reason he was in Australia in 1924. The Australian government were wishing to assess the possiblitiy of inhabiting the outback and Stefnasson had published works of the feasibility of inhabiting the Artic frozen wastelands, which presumably the reason they chose him.

The Darford College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA, has an extensive collection of Stefansson material, but so far I have not identified where the pen was presented.

If anyone reading this lives in Melbourne, would they be able to help me by tryig to find local material to pinpoint the location of the presentation? Does the local library have archives of the local newspapers? Does anyone know who the local Conway Stewart agent was in June 1924?

I would be very grateful for any assistance that anyone can provide in helping me to research the background to this pen.

Regards
David Wells

Core!

Soma Modele Depose is another one:

Hi David,

Have you tried asking Steve? I'm sure he told me he had a contact working for him in the library in Melbourne to dig up some photos and other information on early CS Australian history.

Good luck,
Andy