Swan 1500 On Ebay

[butchixanhdo]

hi all,

 

I have no experience buying vintage pen on ebay, so I am wondering if this is a good buy

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/172486888224?ul_noapp=true

 

given that the seller offer no return, and I have no idea if the nib is still in good condition.

 

What do you think?

 

Thanks

[Cob]

Hullo.

 

The 1500 as shown in the photos, is in very nice conditon. The nib looks to be good as far as I can see and the colour is excellent being black, as Black Hard Rubber is usually faded to brown or olive green.

 

It is far too expensive in my view. Whilst prices on Mabie, Todd pens have risen very considerably in the past couple of years that one is a step too far. For that money you should be able to find a more de luxe version with gold bands &c, maybe a larger model with a bigger nib. Indeed for that money you could fairly easily find an early Onoto.

 

If you like the 1500 then why not make an offer? As for no returns, if the pen has any undeclared faults then the seller may be forced to accept and give you a full refund.

 

Best of luck

 

Cob

[butchixanhdo]

Hullo.

 

The 1500 as shown in the photos, is in very nice conditon. The nib looks to be good as far as I can see and the colour is excellent being black, as Black Hard Rubber is usually faded to brown or olive green.

 

It is far too expensive in my view. Whilst prices on Mabie, Todd pens have risen very considerably in the past couple of years that one is a step too far. For that money you should be able to find a more de luxe version with gold bands &c, maybe a larger model with a bigger nib. Indeed for that money you could fairly easily find an early Onoto.

 

If you like the 1500 then why not make an offer? As for no returns, if the pen has any undeclared faults then the seller may be forced to accept and give you a full refund.

 

Best of luck

 

Cob

 

 

Hi Cob,

 

Thank you very much for your reply. That's very helpful. In fact I am bidding on this one too

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Restored-Lapis-Blue-Mabie-Todd-Swan-52-Fountain-Pen-Flexible-Nib-/201781273059?hash=item2efb19e1e3:g:t7YAAOSwopRYdsj1

 

and maybe this one as well

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/De-La-Rue-Onoto-3000-pen-C1912-Exceptional-condition-xf-BBB-flex-nib-Serviced-/252715692141?hash=item3ad707706d:g:LZsAAOSw9GhYcoVv

 

depends on how the prices go. My goal is to hunt for a super flexible nib because I am not satisfy with modern flex nibs. My pilot with FA nib keeps rail roading.

 

Based on what I watched on youtube, the swan 1500 nib with overfeed seems to be the best in term of flexibility.

 

Ch

[Cob]

If you can afford it I would buy the Onoto; it will be lovely. The Swan 242/52 is a beautiful and quite rare pen; I used to have one...You may want to look at my listings on ebay from time to time; my ID is pderl. (I hope the moderators don't mind me writing this) there's a couple there at the moment.

 

It is worth remembering that whilst many eye-droppers have flexible nibs, this is not always the case, and eye-droppers are an acquired taste in terms of filling them and so on. And I would not agree that a 1500 is "the best" - it depends on the individual pen.

 

Good luck!

[Goudy]

The long tines of that 1500 are suggestive of flex but by no means a guarantee. I agree with Cob that the asking price is steep for a pen that may not meet your requirements. Also, bear in mind that if you send a pen back to a UK seller there could be import charges (possibly refundable).

I think most people who chase flex on eBay end up with a few disappointments along the way. Either concentrate on sellers who are happy to take back a pen you don't like, or, better still, go to a pen show and try a few vintage specimens.

 

[Greenie]

Seems to be more of a discussion of finding a nice flex pen.

 

My two cents worth on the subject:

 

Currently, if the ebay seller shows nice flex on line, the pen will fetch a hefty price (confirmed by my own sales). Plain pens, even low name pens, with great nibs sell for prices well over the sales prices of some very nice pens with more ordinary nibs.

 

At a pen show, you can try out the pens and not be subjected to the whims of an auction, but again, you are unlikely to find a bargain on a flexible nib. BUT - you will go home with a pen you love. For pure writing pleasure, a "test drive" to find the best nib for your hand might be worth the price.

 

If you are a bit of a collector, you will end up with some fantastic nibs at great prices, but it is just a matter of luck, with a bit of eyeballing the tines and knowing brands and eras that tended to have nice nibs.

 

Flexible nibs are really in demand right now....

 

Pens from the 1900-1920s were often sold without nibs, and the buyer selected the nib to suit their hand and tastes. The "pen holder" model will not really tell you anything about the nib put in at the time of purchase.

 

Finally, I have some wonderful low name black hard rubber pens with Warranted Nibs that are amazing. And some that are awful...

Edited January 16, 2017 by Greenie

[butchixanhdo]

Thank everyone for the discussion. I decided to give the swan 1500 a try since it would be my first eye-dropper pen ever. I already got another Swan Mabie Todd, actually, a small gold-filled ring top. Although the nib is very soft, it does give good line variation with up to 2.0mm line width. But I would not dare to push it to that limit regularly. It is a superb writer in terms of flexibility, smoothness, and ink flow compared to my Pilot Custom Heritage 912 with FA nib.

 

But since I am addicted to flex nib, the search for a more flexible one will continue (maybe forever.)

 

Thanks again everybody.

[Cob]

As usual, Greenie has summed up wonderuflly on this subject.

 

As he says flexible nibs are very much the fashion and indeed they can turn up in other than the well-known (and expensive) makes. I have owned two or three 1500s. My experience was that they were flexible but quite delicate. It is worth remembering that at the time these eye-droppers were sold, everyone had learned to write using a steel pen - dipping of course - and fountain pen nibs were made as far as possible to resemble the characteristics of these - that is until the arrival of carbon papers, when manifold nibs (nails) appeared.

 

So you will most likely find that the 1500's nib is very soft as well as being flexible; care must be taken!

 

Regarding the customer choosing a nib, yes! I have seen reproductions of the charts showing the wonderful ranges of nibs offered in that era. Service was king in those days!

 

Here in England, a pen that has a reputation for extreme flexibility is the Pitman pen. These were produced for those learning the Pitman system of shorthand. Earlier models were called "Pitman's College" pens, later they were known as "Pitman's Fono" I have had about half a dozen of them and still have two. These are extremely flexible, but the other ones I had were entirely ordinary - semi-flex at best. So it is dangerous to generalise!

 

Best of luck,

 

Cob