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8440 Rarity?

PaganArcher

By PaganArcher
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PaganArcher Vintage

PaganArcher

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As I'm hunting for an 8440 nib, I can't help but wonder why they appear to be so rare and expensive? Were they so specialized that few were made or did they simply wear out given the fineness of the tipping?

 

I'm new to Esterbrook pens, so I apologize if this has been covered and I failed to see it.

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Hobiwan Vintage

Hobiwan

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You're partially correct ... they're a specialized nib made for the cartography trade, partially gold plated; and were more expensive than all the rest.

 

The extremely fine point is not made for 'regular' writing, and so doesn't flex like a 9128. Not many were made (small market), so that's why they're very rare, and command a premium when sold to us "c-worders".

Best Regards
Paul

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
– Albert Einstein

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FarmBoy Museum Piece

FarmBoy

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"c-worders".

Collators?

San Francisco International Pen Show - The next “Funnest Pen Show” is on schedule for August 23-24-25, 2024.  Watch the show website for registration details. 
 

My PM box is usually full. Just email me: my last name at the google mail address.

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PaganArcher Vintage

PaganArcher

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You're partially correct ... they're a specialized nib made for the cartography trade, partially gold plated; and were more expensive than all the rest.

 

The extremely fine point is not made for 'regular' writing, and so doesn't flex like a 9128. Not many were made (small market), so that's why they're very rare, and command a premium when sold to us "c-worders".

I know they're intended for cartography, which half the reason I'm searching for one. I make fantasy maps for my friend's D&D campaigns and haven't quite found a nib fine enough for my liking. Having a nib intended for the job could be just the one I'm looking for.

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gweimer1 Antique

gweimer1

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The last one that popped up on eBay ended up going for over $150, and that was only the nib. I think someone here got one on a pen for a price that the pen alone would have been a good deal.

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Brian Anderson Collectors Item

Brian Anderson

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Consider how often people now days use a Super extra fine nib. Same applied during the time Esterbrook was around. It was not a mass produced nib. Best bet is to try and find one in a pen someone has listed who doesn't know what it is, which is a fairly good chance that will happen. ;-)

www.esterbrook.net All Esterbrook, All the Time.
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inkstainedruth Ancient Artifact

inkstainedruth

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An 8440 is sort of on my "someday" wish list. If only because I think it might make fine enough a line to make my husband happy (although I'm going to try him on a range of EF Estie nibs first -- I'm not giving him a pen that cost me under $30 with shipping and a replace the nib with something that costs 5-10 times what the pen did....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstaindruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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ac12 Donor Pen

ac12

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Get a crow quill dip pen holder with a mapping pen/nib.

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

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AAAndrew Antique

AAAndrew

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or practically any pointed dip pen. Funny, because my son got his first D&D set this past weekend for his birthday and just this morning I was drawing up a map for his first adventure. I was using a dip pen mainly used for correspondence, so fairly firm but a bit of flex for writing in names with flourishes. Another advantage of a dip nib is that you can easily change colors for the forests, rivers, etc...

 

PM me and I'll send you a nib that will work well and will fit in any holder (the crowquills need a special holder).

 

“When the historians of education do equal and exact justice to all who have contributed toward educational progress, they will devote several pages to those revolutionists who invented steel pens and blackboards.” V.T. Thayer, 1928

Check out my Steel Pen Blog. 

"No one is exempt from talking nonsense; the mistake is to do it solemnly."

-Montaigne

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pajaro Museum Piece

pajaro

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D & D?

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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AAAndrew Antique

AAAndrew

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Dungeons and Dragons, a right of passage Roll Playing Game (RPG) for All True Nerds once accused by some of promoting satanism, but much more likely to promote consumption of snacks and beverages. Think elves, orcs, barbarians, many-sided dice and complex rules involving hit points, armor classes, etc...

 

“When the historians of education do equal and exact justice to all who have contributed toward educational progress, they will devote several pages to those revolutionists who invented steel pens and blackboards.” V.T. Thayer, 1928

Check out my Steel Pen Blog. 

"No one is exempt from talking nonsense; the mistake is to do it solemnly."

-Montaigne

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PaganArcher Vintage

PaganArcher

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Dungeons and Dragons, a right of passage Roll Playing Game (RPG) for All True Nerds once accused by some of promoting satanism, but much more likely to promote consumption of snacks and beverages. Think elves, orcs, barbarians, many-sided dice and complex rules involving hit points, armor classes, etc...

The precise reasons I don't play. Or maybe it's just the last group I played with were total D-canoes.

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AAAndrew Antique

AAAndrew

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As with so many things in life, it comes down to the people involved. The same with any game, it is just a reason to be together. It doesn't make people more or less fun or pleasant.

 

“When the historians of education do equal and exact justice to all who have contributed toward educational progress, they will devote several pages to those revolutionists who invented steel pens and blackboards.” V.T. Thayer, 1928

Check out my Steel Pen Blog. 

"No one is exempt from talking nonsense; the mistake is to do it solemnly."

-Montaigne

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pajaro Museum Piece

pajaro

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Thanks for the explanation. I must be at least one generation beyond that.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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AAAndrew Antique

AAAndrew

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You were probably too busy having a real life.

 

It was first introduced in 1974. I last played it in 1981, but it's still going strong. Now my son is interested.

 

You may remember it from the early years of the Moral Majority, this was one of the first "satanism" scares they pushed.

 

“When the historians of education do equal and exact justice to all who have contributed toward educational progress, they will devote several pages to those revolutionists who invented steel pens and blackboards.” V.T. Thayer, 1928

Check out my Steel Pen Blog. 

"No one is exempt from talking nonsense; the mistake is to do it solemnly."

-Montaigne

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Runnin_Ute Museum Piece

Runnin_Ute

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I remember it from the 80's but never got into it. I knew some people who played back then. I don't even remember who it was now. Needless to say we weren't close friends.

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

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mmg122 Collectors Item

mmg122

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Ahhh...Dungeons and Dragons! I played this game during med school (1974-78) with 9 of my classmates We got together once a week, had potluck dinner and rotated dorm rooms/apartments. Like AA, our Dungeon Master (quite the artist) used a dip pen to draw the maps. Great fun. Haven't played since I graduated, but have enjoyed watching my kids and grandkids play.

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Hobiwan Vintage

Hobiwan

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Yeah, looks like one of the tines is bent ... could be adjusted, tho.

Best Regards
Paul

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
– Albert Einstein

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inkstainedruth Ancient Artifact

inkstainedruth

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I think I put that nib on my watch list last night. I suspect I might ONLY be watching....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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