My New Este

August 28, 2015

t’s taken about five years to find another one of interest.

http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss2/DanDeM38/Esterbrook/RHR%20Relief%20No.1%20-%205_zpsejo8xsgq.jpg

A Relief No.1

August 28, 2015

Spectacular, indeed! If that's the one that was on ebay, I was watching it and seriously thought about taking a poke at it myself.

The first (and only) one I ever got came to me back in '94 from D.J. Esterbrook. Years I spent hunting for one, and she cruises into the LA Pen Show and snaps it up practically "under my very nose" on my own turf. I managed to trade her for it, but it was costly. A yellow cracked ice, and a mint white CI pen/pencil set (she liked the exotic pretty ones). A year later, she got it back, but at least I had one for a while.

As nice and varied as the plastic ones can get, I prefer the older hard rubber. And the Red Mottled HR rendering is my favorite.

Congratulations.

August 28, 2015

Spectacular, indeed! If that's the one that was on ebay, I was watching it and seriously thought about taking a poke at it myself.

The first (and only) one I ever got came to me back in '94 from D.J. Esterbrook. Years I spent hunting for one, and she cruises into the LA Pen Show and snaps it up practically "under my very nose" on my own turf. I managed to trade her for it, but it was costly. A yellow cracked ice, and a mint white CI pen/pencil set (she liked the exotic pretty ones). A year later, she got it back, but at least I had one for a while.

As nice and varied as the plastic ones can get, I prefer the older hard rubber. And the Red Mottled HR rendering is my favorite.

Congratulations.

Glad you like it.

A clean, yellow cracked ice is on my bucket list.

But you've got to finish the story. If she got it back a year later, what did you get?

August 28, 2015

WOW! Gorgeous pen. I just got my first Relief 2-L, but it's been used and abused, so I need to do a little work. My first impression of the nib is an equal wow.

August 28, 2015

DanDeM said:

Glad you like it.

A clean, yellow cracked ice is on my bucket list.

But you've got to finish the story. If she got it back a year later, what did you get?

_______________________

Well, it went in a package deal that included pens and related ephemera, so it would be difficult to put a value on that particular piece. But what I got, more than any money, was the satisfaction of sending them "home" if you will; not only to an admired and respected friend, but to perhaps the one person who should have them.

If you read her Pen World article in the pinned "Jean Esterbrook" post above, you know that she came up in the '20s, before the Esty fountain pens were seriously produced (under the leadership of Wood and Longmaid, "son-in-law and grandson", following the death of her grandfather in 1910). So her first pen, given to her by her father, was a small, "ladies size" red Waterman.

So, long story short, when her interest in Company products revitalized in the early '90s, she wanted a bunch, with a good representation from all periods. So she contacted me, and offered a deal I couldn't (and never would have) refused.

Interesting ... back then, even trading 3 plastic CI pieces for one RMHR, I considered that I was "trading up". Older, HR is and always has been more valuable to me than plastic. Guess I'd get an argument with that today .....

Edited August 28, 2015 by Hobiwan