Found A Symphony

[alfredop]

I have found a Eversharp Symphony, which has two strange characteristics: a very strange cap (not symmetric with respect to the main axis), and an adjustable nib (I thought that these nibs was only for the Doric). Are they normal for this model?

 

Alfredo

[alfredop]

Below you will find a photo. The pen is practically new, the sac was ossified but there was no sign of ink.

 

Alfredo

[alfredop]

Another small information: in the bottom region, opposite to the side with the clip, the cap has the very small imprint DOUBLE OR LAMINE.

 

Alfredo

[antoniosz]

The cap is perfectly fine. The nib is not the original but these are usually excellent nibs

[alfredop]

The cap is perfectly fine. The nib is not the original but these are usually excellent nibs

 

I think I will leave the adjustable nib, since I like it very much, however I have also a Skyline nib without the pen (well I have the pen, but it has a banana shape). Would be the Skyline nib correct on this pen?

 

Alfredo

[Ted F]

The DOUBLE OR LAMINE is French for Rolled Gold. Is there a MADE IN mark on the pen and what does the mark above the EVERSHARP on the clip look like.

[alfredop]

The DOUBLE OR LAMINE is French for Rolled Gold. Is there a MADE IN mark on the pen and what does the mark above the EVERSHARP on the clip look like.

 

 

I was not able to find any MADE IN mark, the mark above the Eversharp is too small, tomorrow I will try to make a photo using the light of the sun to minimize reflections. There is also a mark below the clip which is clearly a W. Whereas another unidentified mark is on the barrel just below the lever, I will try also to make a photo of these marks.

Moreover on the nib under the word EVERSHARP there is written 14CTS, where TS is a superscript of C and under the TS there is a line.

 

Alfredo

Edited February 23, 2017 by alfredop

[Ted F]

Thank you for looking this over. It should be interesting what you find. I bought the same pen earlier this week from a guy in Sweden. It's a pen and pencil set. The Symphony with the original "slipper" cap is very hard to find.

[alfredop]

Here some detailed photos (sorry but I'm not very good in taking them):

 

The mark here is not very readable

 

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w253/gennyesposito/DSC_0032_zpszuck9eme.jpg

 

but it is the same which is bottom to the DOUBLE OR LAMINE in this other photo

 

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w253/gennyesposito/DSC_0036%201_zpsg9h9iuc4.jpg

 

Below the clip there is this W mark

 

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w253/gennyesposito/DSC_0033_zpsrufjnqgb.jpg

 

Then there is this close to the lever

 

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w253/gennyesposito/DSC_0035_zpsvpqknw3m.jpg

 

and here there is the nib

 

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w253/gennyesposito/DSC_0037_zpsjpad16hs.jpg

 

Alfredo

[Ted F]

I've been looking at your photos and it is hard to make out what they are. I believe the W mark you see below the clip and elsewhere is actually the "double check" mark used by Eversharp. I thought the mark over the DOUBLE OR LAMINE was some kind of hallmark but I couldn't find anything that looked like that. When I get mine this coming week I'll look at the marks carefully and maybe even use a microscope. This model of the Symphony is actually called the "Golden Symphony". The original version (Model 500) had a silver-colored cap without any bands. I'm still looking for one of those. The Swedish guy I bought my pen from said it has a French Market Stamp on the clip. I can't find anything that shows those.

Edited February 25, 2017 by RoyalBear

[Ted F]

Here's the mark on my Gold Symphony. It looks like 2 Es, a small V, and the top mark is either a V or a check mark.

 

[Ted F]

I just looked at the mark under a microscope and it is definitely two Es and two check marks; one left and one right. Maybe because Eversharp was selling to the French market and had DOUBLE OR LAMINE on the pen and pencil they were required to have a manufacturer's mark also. Nowhere is there any mark the says MADE IN USA. Usually that's on the top of the clip but this mark is also in that location on the clip.

 

Does anyone else have a different explanation? This is all just a wild guess.

Edited March 5, 2017 by RoyalBear

[Parker51]

I suspect that your pen is completely origonal and French made. It would have come out just after the Second World War at a time when France had high import duties on equipment and so while the overall design is the same as the USA made pen, the nib was likely made to an earlier design using equipment which was already available to the French manufacturer. It is even possible that the nib was pre-war and had been hidden to avoid its sale during the war.

Unfortunately I can't explain why this would have been done without straying into Politics which may be forbidden, even though they are 70 years gone Politics.

[Ted F]

I had thought that Eversharp manufactured in three locations: Chicago, Canada, and Bridgeport. The nib itself says EVERSHARP plus 14Cts.

 

Of course, the one who knows the answer (and knows everything about Eversharp) is our Moderator Syd "Walnut".

Edited March 5, 2017 by RoyalBear

[alfredop]

I suspect that your pen is completely origonal and French made. It would have come out just after the Second World War at a time when France had high import duties on equipment and so while the overall design is the same as the USA made pen, the nib was likely made to an earlier design using equipment which was already available to the French manufacturer. It is even possible that the nib was pre-war and had been hidden to avoid its sale during the war.

Unfortunately I can't explain why this would have been done without straying into Politics which may be forbidden, even though they are 70 years gone Politics.

 

Hence do you assume that there was an Eversharp plant in France?

 

With the marks present on the pen this is quite logic, on the other hand I was not aware of this fact.

 

Alfredo

[Ted F]

By the way, the nib does not say MADE IN USA as do other Symphonys. All that is marked on the nib is EVERSHARP 14Cts. I bought this pen from Sweden as NOS, which it is and it still had a price tag on it of 141 Krona. It's puzzling that the country of manufacture is not indicated unless that odd mark is for that purpose.

[joss]

The "cts" mark for Karat was not exclusively used for the French market (where 18 cts was common) but was widely used on English nibs too, especially Conway Stewart. So the pen is rather for the European market, not just for France.

 

I have a similar Eversharp Symhony with adjustable nib and Deluxe cap.

Interestingly, the Eversharp double check "√√" logo appears on the nib slider, on the feed and on the barrel (see pictures below). this suggests that these parts do belong together eg that the adjustable nib on these Symphony pens is not a replacement.

 

 

 

Edited October 13, 2017 by joss

[Ted F]

That's a very unique pen and a good find. It would be interesting to know the history of the pen and the reason for the marks the way they are and the nib. Maybe the nib was a special order.

[joss]

That's a very unique pen and a good find. It would be interesting to know the history of the pen and the reason for the marks the way they are and the nib. Maybe the nib was a special order.

 

I do not know the history of this pen apart from the fact that the seller was in England (not France).

 

It is a pity that the detailed pictures of Alfredo's pen are not available anymore because I think that, apart from the earlier slipper cap on Alfredo's pen, our pens are similar.

[joss]

I suspect that your pen is completely origonal and French made. It would have come out just after the Second World War at a time when France had high import duties on equipment and so while the overall design is the same as the USA made pen, the nib was likely made to an earlier design using equipment which was already available to the French manufacturer. It is even possible that the nib was pre-war and had been hidden to avoid its sale during the war.

Unfortunately I can't explain why this would have been done without straying into Politics which may be forbidden, even though they are 70 years gone Politics.

 

These are interesting thoughts but are you just assuming or do you have evidence for these statements?