New Here, Pen Query.

[Aldington]

Good morning, my first post having emigrated from the world of antique clocks. My pen knowledge is slowly accumulating but I'm still very much at the novice stage.

 

So my tactic at the moment is to read as many reference books as possible and to buy up plenty of cheapish pens at auction, take them apart and learn as much as I can.

 

This pen has got me confused. I'm guessing 40/50s and presumably French - I have bought a couple of Stylomines which are similar. The pen is quite bulky and just under 13cms long. The nib is embossed ??"Seciers" or similar but the script is indistinct. Beneath this is the letter C in a shield and then below this "Warranted" - the latter I presume confirming that it is 14K gold. The only other ID is to the head of the clip - in a semicircle - "DoubleOr18Carats" - which once again I'm guessing just confirms the gold content - I suspect the thick cap band is also gold.

 

So forgive my asking what may be a very simple question to you lot - any ideas as to manufacturer/model ??

[Carrau]

Welcome aboard, Aldington, from Charleston, South Carolina. It would help to post additional photos, being sure to include individual pictures of the section (the part just above the nib where you would hold the pen), barrel, cap, clip, the ring that attaches the clip, the end of the cap, and the top and bottom sides of the nib, This will help experienced eyes here to help you better.

As a newbie to fountain pens, you should visit the website Richard’s Pens, and find the Reference Pages. There is a wealth of information about fountain pens there, collected by a man respected for his work with fountain pens over his entire career. Another website worth visiting to find out how the pens work is fountainpendesign.wordpress.com. This website is managed/written by an engineer specializing in fountain pen design and function. Be advised, his discussions are very detailed but enlightening. I’m guessing English is his second language (German likely is his first), as some of the syntax require careful reading. If you review much of the info at Richard’s Pens first, then start at the Table of Contents at the Fountain Pen Design site, you should have no problems. I hope this is helpful. Good luck.

Mike

[Aldington]

Mike - thanks for that. Richard's Pens is exactly the type of reference source that I have been after, I can now add it to the specific one-make websites that already litter my I-Macs favourites bar.

 

Thanks for the prompt response, hopefully with time I will be answering rather than asking questions on this Forum !

[welch]

Hello from New York, Aldington.

 

On this pen: my guess is 1930s, judging from the styling (take a look at the original Parker Duofold), the "button" filling system, and, especially the comb-like structure under the nib. That's a feed. Before 1941, fountain pens usually had a thin, flat feed. Look at Richard's description of the Parker 51 for the radical advance in feed design, made popular by Parker's 51, released in 1941.

 

In addition to Richard's pages, read Tony Fischier's Parker site, http://www.parkerpens.net/. (Also known as "Parker Panography" and Parkercollector.com), Tony lists nearly every pen Parker has made, with pictures and some business numbers...prices, targeted market. number sold, Parker's revenue and profit when the pen was introduced.

 

Sheaffer information is scattered. Later Sheaffer pens are covered at http://www.sheaffertarga.com/. Youtube has some great Sheaffer advertising/informational movies. From about 1947, there is "26 Old Characters", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xUDehNvbrE.

 

Also, the Sheaffer'S "info-mercial" about wartime production, 1943. It ends with a word from the founder, WA Sheaffer, himself.

Edited December 7, 2017 by welch

[PaulS]

hi - hazarding guesses is always risky, but some potentially useful thoughts might be ............... 18ct. is the French standard, rather than the 14 ct. which is the more common fineness found on a lot of pens, so could well confirm this was made for sale within the French market.

The blackness looks bright and may well indicate celluloid rather than Black Hard Rubber (Vulcanite) - if you rub the pen with a mild cleaning compound, you should smell table tennis balls if this is celluloid.

It would be unusual for the word Warranted to be unaccompanied by the carat, although it's not uncommon the other way around - your nib may possibly have the 14/18 ct. bit underneath the word Warranted - although looking at some of my French made Waterman's it seems those nibs are shown with the ct. in plural i.e. cts.

Nibs are changed frequently, possibly more so than any other part of the pen, and yours may have had a replacement at some time.

 

Regret this of no help in id for your pen, hopefully if you can show some more pix as suggested, this may help.

Edited December 7, 2017 by PaulS