Where To Buy Vintage Omas Pens

[deitic_nib]

Hello Everyone,

 

I have been trying to find vintage celluloid Omas pens on Ebay, but there's just not that many. I am especially interested in the multifaceted pens as I think they are extremely unique when compared to the ubiquitous cigar shape design. Where do you guys make your vintage purchases? Are they any reputable independent dealers online?

 

Thanks!

[AltecGreen]

Let's first clarify what you mean by 'vintage'. There is a very big difference in approach depending on what you view as vintage.

 

 

For a simple categorization, do mean pens from say the 30's-60's or do you mean pens from the early 90's onwards. The Golden age of celluloid was in the 30's to 40's with Omas having production of celluloid pens fairly late (into the 1960's for colored celluloid). There was then a period of no celluloid pens and then a revival in the 90's.

 

For the modern pens (90's or later) there are a variety of dealers that have pens. For the truly vintage pens, there are different vendors. Bear in mind that Omas pens from the Golden Age are highly collectible and command a high price ($1.5k-2.5K from dealers is quite normal for large sized pens in a colored celluloid)

 

 

Depending on your answer, I can point you in the right direction.

[deitic_nib]

Hey there,

Thanks for the very thorough response. I was hoping for the "Golden age" Omas pens. And likewise for the recent ones. I was actually hoping that the older ones would be more affordable than the ones produced nowadays. Is that not the case?I think I got hooked on the idea of having an Omas Celluloid when I saw the 2012 release of the burlwood celluloid. I was hoping to find something similar to that.

 

Victor

[AltecGreen]

Collecting vintage Italian pens require some deep pockets. Omas did not make their own celluloid so you can pursue some other vintage Italian pens brands that are a bit more affordable and used the same of similar celluloid. The burlwood celluloid is modern celluloid an sunique to Omas and there really isn't a vintage equivalent. To get an example of what is out there check out a thread I created over on FPGeeks a few years ago where I show off some of the pens in my collection. It will give you an idea of what to look for. http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/2141-Vintage-Italian-Pen-series

 

The vintage pens have much better nibs than the modern Italian pens. Omas lost a lot of their magic when Simoni passed away. The pens from the 1930's to the 1950's were arguably their best pens they made.

[carlos.q]

Check over here:

http://www.zona900.it/index.htm

The seller is communicative and friendly. No connection but I bought an Aurora 88 from him last year.

[AltecGreen]

Check over here:

http://www.zona900.it/index.htm

The seller is communicative and friendly. No connection but I bought an Aurora 88 from him last year.

 

 

Paolo is one of the better sources for someone just getting into vintage Italian pens.

 

Other online sources are

 

gopens.com

www.penboard.de

http://www.martiniauctions.com/

 

 

 

eBay can be a source if you know what you are looking for and know what is a reasonable price. To really get good prices, you have to develop relationships and buy from private sellers or buy whole collections.

[ugopvn]

 

 

Paolo is one of the better sources for someone just getting into vintage Italian pens.

 

Other online sources are

 

gopens.com

www.penboard.de

http://www.martiniauctions.com/

 

 

 

eBay can be a source if you know what you are looking for and know what is a reasonable price. To really get good prices, you have to develop relationships and buy from private sellers or buy whole collections.

 

I confirm, I have been buying vintage Omas pens from Paolo for several years and I was never disappointed.

 

No relations, just a very happy customer.

 

[deitic_nib]

 

 

Paolo is one of the better sources for someone just getting into vintage Italian pens.

 

Other online sources are

 

gopens.com

www.penboard.de

http://www.martiniauctions.com/

 

 

 

eBay can be a source if you know what you are looking for and know what is a reasonable price. To really get good prices, you have to develop relationships and buy from private sellers or buy whole collections.

Hey everyone. Thanks for all the suggestions!! Apologies for my inactivity. I have been swamped with work.

 

Altec: I took a look at that thread you started in FPNGEEKS. Amazing work documenting the various flavors of Italian pens. I have to say you have further piqued my interest in the various celluloids that the Italian Pen manufacturers use. Absolutely beautiful!

 

After looking through your blog and doing some more research of my own I really want to own something along these of an OMAS paragon ARCO.

It's featured in this blog:

https://edjelley.com/2014/05/24/omas-arte-italiana-vintage-arco-celluloid-paragon-fountain-pen-review/

 

However the one ones I've seen are going for 1500-1800 on ebay... I've also seen the ANCORA brand using this type of material but zona9000 is sold out...

 

Any advice?

[carlos.q]

 

Any advice?

Patience....

[AltecGreen]

Hey everyone. Thanks for all the suggestions!! Apologies for my inactivity. I have been swamped with work.

 

Altec: I took a look at that thread you started in FPNGEEKS. Amazing work documenting the various flavors of Italian pens. I have to say you have further piqued my interest in the various celluloids that the Italian Pen manufacturers use. Absolutely beautiful!

 

After looking through your blog and doing some more research of my own I really want to own something along these of an OMAS paragon ARCO.

It's featured in this blog:

https://edjelley.com/2014/05/24/omas-arte-italiana-vintage-arco-celluloid-paragon-fountain-pen-review/

 

However the one ones I've seen are going for 1500-1800 on ebay... I've also seen the ANCORA brand using this type of material but zona9000 is sold out...

 

Any advice?

The Omas Paragons in the in blog are all modern pens. I do not keep tabs on the pricing of modern pens but I suspect people are gouging since Omas went under. You can try talking to dealers like Bryant Greer (https://chatterleyluxuries.com/) or someone like Sarj Minhas to what they have. Sarj likely has some pens but the prices may all have gone up.

 

Ancora used the bronze arco material as did many Italian companies ranging from Columbus to Kosca. The Ancoras especially the facetted Damas are all about the same price as a vintage Omas Extra or Omas Extra Lucens. i.e, expect to pay over a $1k at a minimum. If you have the money, I can probably ask my contacts to see if there are pens out there for sale.

 

In general, if you have the $1k-1.5K I can find you modern or vintage pens easily. It will take patience to find a pen for less.

Edited June 22, 2016 by AltecGreen

[deitic_nib]

Ahh... That's a bit too expensive... I thought maybe it would still be around the 500-700 range, but that I was just looking in the wrong places. What options could I find that are 500 and below, but are still multifaceted and use colorful celluloid?

[AltecGreen]

Ahh... That's a bit too expensive... I thought maybe it would still be around the 500-700 range, but that I was just looking in the wrong places. What options could I find that are 500 and below, but are still multifaceted and use colorful celluloid?

 

At $500 and below, you would need to wait for a good deal on a modern pen. Even 6-7 years ago, the modern Omas celluloid pens went for over $600. The price has gotten only higher.

 

For vintage pens, you have a lot more options. There are tons of pens from vintage Italian makers that fit your bill. The balance will be between price and quality since the lower price pens are often from makers that made 2nd or 3rd tier pens. I would look for brands like Columbus, Kosca, Radius (any of the SAFIS brands), Montegrappa to name a few. These are high quality pens but are not priced to same level as an Omas or certain select pens from other makes. A 3rd series Aurora Novum might be a good choice. However, the price will vary with the color of the celluloid. Some colors command a high premium and the 1st and 2nd series pens are more. The early Novums are priced like the Omas Extra or Extra Lucens. A Minerva would be also a good choice but the faccetted pens are rare. (Minerva is an Omas sub-brand.)

 

Keep looking at Paolo's site. Something will eventually turn up.

[markiv]

All great advice above and don't have much to add except that if you'd consider Wahl Dorics. It checks budget, vintage, faceted and colored celluloid boxes.

 

Also suggest dropping a note to Paolo, he may not have everything listed on his website.

 

Good luck.

[FriendAmos]

Man said he's after "Vintage OMAS pens" (subject line).

[AltecGreen]

All great advice above and don't have much to add except that if you'd consider Wahl Dorics. It checks budget, vintage, faceted and colored celluloid boxes.

 

Also suggest dropping a note to Paolo, he may not have everything listed on his website.

 

Good luck.

I was going to suggest a Wahl Doric but hesitated because the celluloid is pretty unstable. You just never know how life a pen has left. Especially since you do pay a premium on the colored celluloid versus black.

[deitic_nib]

Hmm wow the Wahl Dorics are just as good looking if not better! But what makes their celluloid more reactive than Omas's or any of the other Italian manufacturer's celluloid.

[AltecGreen]

Hmm wow the Wahl Dorics are just as good looking if not better! But what makes their celluloid more reactive than Omas's or any of the other Italian manufacturer's celluloid.

 

Celluloid was the first really successful plastic. There was lot about the chemistry people did not understand in the early days especially when colored. The Dorics were fairly early in the history of celluloids and the lighter colored celluloids used in the many of the Dorics are very unstable after these many decades. In general, light colored celluloids have a history of being rather reactive. The first generation Omas Extra Lucens used very pretty but light colored celluloid. They were so unstable that Omas switched within a year or so to darker celluloids. The first gen Omas Extra Lucens are holy grails for Omas collectors because they are so rare. Very few examples survived to current day. It is not even clear if there are any uncracked examples.

 

 

The Dorics are the post child for celluloid going bad. I just checked my case of Dorics a few weeks ago and one of my 2nd gen Dorics has started to react at the top of the cap. It is only a matter of time before the cap dies. It had been safely stored away from light and was uninked. Yet it has begun to crystallize. So it is hard for me to recommend someone go out and buy a Doric especially to use without them understanding the risks. Dorics also run a range of prices. Mint examples of the senior sized Dorics in the highly desirable but risky celluloids like Kashmir with a #10 adjustable nib are on par with the Omas pens in price. The smaller pens and the later series pens are much much less.

[jmccarty3]

 

The Dorics are the post child for celluloid going bad. I just checked my case of Dorics a few weeks ago and one of my 2nd gen Dorics has started to react at the top of the cap. It is only a matter of time before the cap dies. It had been safely stored away from light and was uninked. Yet it has begun to crystallize.

 

If you have a Doric, don't try to clip it to your shirt pocket.