English 'The Nova' fountain pen

[jhmclearly]

Just curious.... received a quite nice marbled Nova which were I think manufactured in the 30's, but I've no idea who the company was or who manufactured them.

 

Does anyone have any ideas. There's no patent no's to help, just the inprint 'The Nova Pen' and 'Made in England'. The nib seems to be a replacement as it's a TDLR 14K '22'.

 

Any info appreciated.

[penuria]

Hi ... Can't really help on this one but just to say that I did pick one up a while ago and it was a really nice pen. There are quite a few English pens from this era that do not get much press and do not seem to attract much attention. I bought a Croxley recently which is very similar and it has turned out to be the one I use regularly. If I find anything out I will post it as I am interested in the not so well known English makes.

 

Enjoy writing with it!

 

John

Edited February 5, 2007 by penuria

[simon_uk]

Was it hte grey one on ebay a few weeks ago. My first vintage pen as a Nova - brown marble with a nova nib. Still got it and it works well.

 

best wishes

 

Simon

[jhmclearly]

Hi Simon and John

 

Thanks for the replies. Aren't these smaller companies annoying

 

And no Simon, it wasn't that one. Mine came in a batch of five pens bought very cheaply.

[walyscag]

Hi Folks

I've got one of the Nova Pens. It's motled/swirly redish and black.

It's been in a the family writing box for years.

It seems to be in working order and the ink store doesn't seem perished.

I can't find any reference to the The Nova Pen company but this pen must be dated from about 1930 era as it has been in the same box all my life and I'm

73.

I thought it might be worth a few bob but it seems not from what I've read on this forum.

Better keep it eh just in case it gets valuable before I peg out !!

Bill

[jhmclearly]

Hi Bill

 

First of all welcome.

 

Just curious, is it a red and black marbled celluloid or a red and black hard rubber.

 

Never seen either colour, as they tend to be more common in green, grey and blue marble. At least even if not valuable, it may be a rarer colour

[walyscag]

Hi ihm

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

The nova pen I've got is coloured opallescent red /wine and black.

I would think it is made from a celluloid type of material as the shiny

opallescent effect changes as one rotates the pen. A bit like mother of pearl shines. Definitely marbled.

It seems to have quite a good gold nib-----bet it's gold plated really !

 

I suppose the ultimate test to see if it is celluloid is to put a match to it !

If it's rubber it will stink and if celluloid it will disappear in a puff of smoke !

 

It looks like a cheaply made pen as the ends are not polished.

 

Is there an article on this web site telling how this sort of pen was made?

 

Bill

 

 

[jhmclearly]

Sounds as if its celluloid to me.

 

The nib's probably gold. All the ones I've seen have been fitted with gold nibs, and to be honest they're not bad pens.

 

Too good to put a match to.

[vans4444]

To continue this old thread, I have just received a Nova pen I won on eBay.

 

It is a nice looking marbled blue pen, probably celluloid pen. The imprint on the barrel reads "Nova" Pen, Made in England. Nova is stamped on the fine steel nib. A little to my surprise it writes very well and is really quite smooth. There is just a hint of scratchiness at a very specific point, restriced to the middle part of my S's.

 

The pen is well made and feels nice in the hand. It is almost exactly the same length as a Sheaffer Balance with a slightly wider diameter. My guess would be that it was made in the 1940's or 1950's.

 

I would be grateful for any information anyone might have on the Nova pen.

[Greg]

Hi ihm

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

The nova pen I've got is coloured opallescent red /wine and black.

I would think it is made from a celluloid type of material as the shiny

opallescent effect changes as one rotates the pen. A bit like mother of pearl shines. Definitely marbled.

It seems to have quite a good gold nib-----bet it's gold plated really !

 

I suppose the ultimate test to see if it is celluloid is to put a match to it !

If it's rubber it will stink and if celluloid it will disappear in a puff of smoke !

 

It looks like a cheaply made pen as the ends are not polished.

 

 

If it's pearlescent it isn't rubber (test for black pens is simply to give it a rub, the heat releases a rubber smell if it is hard rubber). May be celluloid or, depending on its age, a more modern plastic.

 

Nova pens were not the top sellers not the top quality option, they were equipped with gold nibs and plated nibs. If your nib has DLR on it it is, indeed, a replacement from a De La Rue pen, which is from the top of the market! Rather like an Aston Martin engine in an Austin. Not being original probably doesn't enhance its monetary value but, if it replaced a plated nib, certainly enhances its real value.

 

The gold plate on the clips etc is normally fairly non-existant from a Nova that's worked for its living. Otherwise, nice enough pens and the DLR nib should write perfectly and smoothly.

 

Greg

[ImperialSheaffer]

Hi

I have a brown molted Nova.

Unfortunately, few days ago while writing in the sun, my fingers got all brown with ink.

With a close inspection, I discovered that the section is cracked.

The section is made in bakelite.

Anything that could be done to fix this?

Thanks

Edited July 18, 2017 by ImperialSheaffer