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"esterbrook #9550 Firm Ef Nib, In Original Box"-- Authentic Or Fake?

mx-fan

By mx-fan
in Esterbrook

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bass1193 Extremely Rare

bass1193

Posted
Posted

True, but who would go to the trouble and expense of making counterfeits of this particular nib? The market is quite small, I would think.

That is baffling, isn't it. Especially considering the feed looks perfectly proper.

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surprise123 Vintage

surprise123

Posted
Posted

I agree with corgicoupe. There is no market for fake, NOS Estie nibs. I messaged the seller, it seems that the nib I bought comes in a larger box of 12. The larger box reads "Master Series Renew Point for Esterbrook Fountain Pens".

 

A third party company making Esterbrook nibs? Wrong imprinting? Who knows?

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Hobiwan Vintage

Hobiwan

Posted
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Another speculation ... I once had a small, cheaply-made "golf pen" (or "vest pocket") with a tiny nib only marked "Esterbrook". And the Company was known to have made nibs for others "in the trade".

 

Maybe this is a nib that Esty made for some other low-budget penmaker, that somehow got into the wrong bin and was fitted with the screw-in collar by mistake?

 

Just a speculation. :P

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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Brian Anderson Collectors Item

Brian Anderson

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As the OP and I spoke on the phone the other day, this was an actual nib made to fit Esterbrook. Probably manufactured by Linton.

www.esterbrook.net All Esterbrook, All the Time.
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Hobiwan Vintage

Hobiwan

Posted
Posted

As the OP and I spoke on the phone the other day, this was an actual nib made to fit Esterbrook. Probably manufactured by Linton.

 

Hmmmmmm! I messaged the seller and asked her to look into the boxes and see if there were others, and she responded that of the "many" she opened up, only ONE was stamped "Esterbrook".

 

Did Linton make nibs for Esterbrook?

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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bass1193 Extremely Rare

bass1193

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The fact that they're contained in proper Esterbrook boxes, with proper feeds, etc. would indicate a business relationship. Maybe it would help if Brian could expound on that relationship. Maybe Linton made the nibs and everything else came from Esterbrook, for a certain market?

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RedRinger Mint

RedRinger

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There is an interesting discussion from a while back with photos, including one of the "Alloy Tipped" nibs in question:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/2703-non-esterbrook-renew-points/

 

Here's another thread mentioning some of the counterfeits out there...

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/171680-counterfeit-nib/page-2

 

 

But... drum roll please... presenting my favorite-named knockoff ever, "MISTERLOOK!" I saw this on the ebay for sale a while back, box only, and I nearly bought it because I couldn't stop laughing so hard. I hope you'll all enjoy it as much as I did.

 

(photos of actual pens here: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/53708-the-sincerest-form-of-flatery/)

 

fpn_1543333026__misterlook.jpg

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bass1193 Extremely Rare

bass1193

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There is an interesting discussion from a while back with photos, including one of the "Alloy Tipped" nibs in question:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/2703-non-esterbrook-renew-points/

 

Here's another thread mentioning some of the counterfeits out there...

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/171680-counterfeit-nib/page-2

 

 

But... drum roll please... presenting my favorite-named knockoff ever, "MISTERLOOK!" I saw this on the ebay for sale a while back, box only, and I nearly bought it because I couldn't stop laughing so hard. I hope you'll all enjoy it as much as I did.

 

(photos of actual pens here: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/53708-the-sincerest-form-of-flatery/)

 

fpn_1543333026__misterlook.jpg

Wow, that's a whole lot of info! Thank you for posting all these links! And Misterlook has me laughing! :D

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Corona688 Extremely Rare

Corona688

Posted
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I agree with corgicoupe. There is no market for fake, NOS Estie nibs. I messaged the seller, it seems that the nib I bought comes in a larger box of 12. The larger box reads "Master Series Renew Point for Esterbrook Fountain Pens".

There were quite a lot of third-party spare parts for American pens back in the day. Small-time penmakers would order parts and assemble themselves.
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gweimer1 Antique

gweimer1

Posted
Posted

Wow, that's a whole lot of info! Thank you for posting all these links! And Misterlook has me laughing! :D

I will need to shoot some pics of mine. I have the full set...in lavender.

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  • 10 months later...
antoniosz Antique

antoniosz

Posted
Posted

I am glad you enjoyed my old post. I love the Estie clones :)
The misterlook has a special place in my collection :)

There is an interesting discussion from a while back with photos, including one of the "Alloy Tipped" nibs in question:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/2703-non-esterbrook-renew-points/

 

Here's another thread mentioning some of the counterfeits out there...

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/171680-counterfeit-nib/page-2

 

 

But... drum roll please... presenting my favorite-named knockoff ever, "MISTERLOOK!" I saw this on the ebay for sale a while back, box only, and I nearly bought it because I couldn't stop laughing so hard. I hope you'll all enjoy it as much as I did.

 

(photos of actual pens here: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/53708-the-sincerest-form-of-flatery/)

 

fpn_1543333026__misterlook.jpg

1. A short guide to flex (comments welcome)

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  • 3 weeks later...
AAAndrew Antique

AAAndrew

Posted
Posted

A lot of companies made replacement nibs you could stick in your inexpensive fountain pens. I get a few in most every large assorted batch of dip pens. Most don't have a brand name, but some do. Turner & Harrison made really good dip pens, but never made fountain pens. The closest they came was a short-lived line of Dipless-like dip pens and ink wells with a feed on the pen, called Regal. They did make a line of replacement nibs for your fountain pen, but they're gold-toned steel with a folded tip. They have a big TH on them. I actually have one still on the card on which it was sold that tells you all about it.

 

I am not at all surprised that one of these third-tier pen makers also made off-market replacements for the Esterbrook pens, or even that Esterbrook themselves made them off-brand to sell to someone else to sell as Esterbrook replacements. Not too different than brand name companies making generic-branded (but not quite the level of quality) goods which compete with their branded goods. I guess they figure someone is going to make it, it might as well be them.

 

In their dip pen business, Esterbrook made the down-market Penesco pens which were a lower-cost, slightly-lower-quality version of their regular dip pens. So, there is precedent.

 

“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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