Oh baby oh baby oh baby...

[Keith with a capital K]

Finds like this could inspire me to take up smoking again...

 

http://members.shaw.ca/feynn/greenboard/Duo52.jpg

 

They are a 1930 Parker, Modernistic Blue, Duofold Streamline and a Waterman 52 ripple.

 

[Guest Denis Richard]

Hey... You left us hanging there without the story !

 

Where do those babies come from ? A forgotten box ?

 

Denis.

[Keith with a capital K]

The story...

 

Back in the late twenties the Parker company released the Parker Duofold in the modernistic blue pattern and after a few years of poor sales, discontinued the colour. Because of this, the Modernistic Blue models are fairly scarce and even moderately discoloured versions are worth as much as an excellent Big Red Duofold.

 

After I had finished up with my morning meetings I thought I would stop by a few of the local antique malls with pretty low expectations of finding anything decent at anyhere near a decent price.

 

I found the 52 ripple at my first stop and figured that my day was good after paying $32.00 for a nearly perfect, but clipless ripple.

 

I stopped at the second of the two malls a few minutes later and after looking at a few cabinets with highly overpriced and damaged pens I found this blue and cream beauty. At first glance I thought the price tag read $125.00 (Cdn) and then realized the "1" was just the second slash in the dollar sign.

 

After conversion, the Duofold cost me $18.00 U.S.

 

All it needs is a new nib.

[AndrewC]

Keith,

Congratlations! $18 US? It must have been hard to keep a straight face until you got out the door. I was just admiring the "True Blue" in my Erano day before yesterday and trying to remember the post on PT about it. I envy you your stores. Nothing but farm implements and furniture around here Enjoy your score! And remember- money spent on smokes is money taken from pens

TTFN, AndrewC (former 2-3 pack a day smoker)

[Maja]

Excellent, Keith!

I haven't had too much luck with sumgai (or sumgal, in my case) finds in the Vancouver area. I did however buy a pretty coral Wahl ringtop pencil (in great condition) for the equivalent of about $9 USD at a local antique store.Oh, and more recently, I found a old Sheaffer box with two Lady Sheaffer fountain pens and a pencil--all in perfect condition--for the equivalent of about $18 USD.

[Cam]

(I was looking for an appropriate "favourite pen" thread to post in, but this came closest)

 

Well, I wouldn't really class it as the find of the centuary, I'm MIGHTY pleased with today's arrival. I have no idea why, but I was the only bidder on a GORGEOUS Burnham 55 in a bluey-gray marble finish and a flexy (don't know if it's semi- or what, but it is flexy!) slightly-finer-than-medium nib.

 

I received it today and it is AMAZING condition. The plating on the clip is a bit faded (apparently typical for Burnhams?) but in quite an attractive way -- it just looks used, like it has History. I'm really loving writing with it and it is definitely my favourite pen (in the looks category -- I need more time with it to compare how it actually writes).

 

Here is a picture from the auction, which I'll replce when I get home tonight with my own:

http://members.cox.net/scaletpat/l1.jpg

[TotosMom]

Holy mackeral, Cam! That pen is stone cold gorgeous! I'd love to see how it writes. I never seem to come across those beauties, but somehow I'm convinced there's a treasure out there with my name on it. I guess I'll just have to keep looking, huh???

 

Dorothy

[Cam]

Hi Dorothy!

 

I'm glad you agree!! My writing is totally mince so I don't think I'd be showing it off in the best light at all!! I am having fun trying to get a decent flex out of it and seeing what that is all about. Perhaps I should send it off to be Capitalized (or should that really be "Kapitalized") and Keith can do a demo with his excellent writing!

 

Good luck in your treasure hunt!!

[Keith with a capital K]

Cam,

 

I would be reluctant and in most cases, refuse to do anything radical to what appears to be a decent semi flex nib of any kind.

 

At most, they can benefit from some smoothing and fine tuning.

 

A semi flex or flex nib is something that will take some getting used to as there is both a how to hold the pen and a rythym that needs to be developed when using such an exquisite tool.

[Cam]

A video! A video! A photo series won't do!!!!

[Maja]

Nice pen, Cam! There are a lot of good pens made by lesser-known (to the general pen-buying public) English companies like Burnham and Summit out there on Ebay..... When I got my first flexy-nibbed vintage pen (a little Mabie-Todd Blackbird), it took me a while to get used to writing with it; I thought the nib was going to break! I was so used to writing with ballpoints and stiff-nibbed modern pens....Give it a chance!