Glass Nib, Button Fill From The 1950S

[howdydave]

I recently saw this on eBay and, since I'd never seen anything like it before, I purchased it.

Does anybody have any idea of who manufactured it?

 

The seller in Germany got it in a lot and, apparently, it is not a unique pen.

(Free shipping probably means that it will be in transit for about 2 weeks.)

 

I was told that it was made in the 1950s and that the glass nib was functional: so that people could make carbon copies.

Edited March 7, 2019 by howdydave

[SoulSamurai]

That's a very nice pen! I haven't seen too many glass nibbed fountain (as opposed to dip) pens, although I seem to recall there was one that got kickstarted two or three years ago; the "wink pen" according to google. I recall writing or drawing with wine and tea and stuff was a big part of the marketing.

Edited March 7, 2019 by SoulSamurai

[sirgilbert357]

That's supposed to have been used for carbon copies?! I'd be afraid to press that hard!

 

Looks really nice and in great condition. Enjoy it!

[howdydave]

I'm glad that I have a lot of Mont Blanc Burgundy Red ink because it looks like one needs to partially submerge the section in order to fill it.

 

She may have been talking through her hat when she said that the glass nib was for carbon copies.

Edited March 7, 2019 by howdydave

[fabri00]

It is not said that glass nib was the original nib for this pen.

Is possibile to mount glass nibs in any pen, and the nib of the picture look too new to be the original one for that pen.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I had an original glass nibbed pen, that I gave away. Not having a use for it....wasn't buying new inks every week to test....and that with say a dip pen. Mine was a German pen.

I don't know if the glass nib was developed for carbon paper, in there were always nibs even back in the dip pen era that were nails, and used for carbon papers.

 

Double sided carbon paper before @ 1867 (The original with the writing on the back was kept, the carbon copy was sent to the repentant. Single sided afterwards. Train orders were done with five carbons, the non-carbon top sheet was given to the Captain of the Train, the Conductor.

 

Who was much more than a ticket puncher. A tough clever man who had worked his way up from the track to being a breakman, with his 'staff of ignorance' for beating tramps who didn't pay, closing or opening break wheels. The Conductor made $5.00 a day, an Eagle Eye only made $4.00 and the movies are always wrong; showing some old back as fireman***...it was always a young one. The apprentice engineer who would climb out on the engin to oil the wheels in any and all weathers worked their way up out of the Yard. They got first and second copy, third and 4th went to the two breakmen, the last was kept by the station agent.

 

***Movies always wrong showing some old man telegrapher in a hick town or a whistle stop.....he'd been a young hard drinking IT Geek of the day.

Pure out in nowhere whistle stop would have been a woman who made 1/3rd less....in no male telegrapher would be so far from Saloon Society.

[fabri00]

Glass nibs were used to make carbon copies at office, as they were cheaper than any metal nail nib.

[howdydave]

I have been hunting online for glass nibs because I figure that I will eventually need to replace this one.

I haven't found glass nibs sold anywhere online yet!

I decided to cool it until I have the pen in my hot little hands and can see exactly what would be needed as a replacement part.

[fabri00]

https://www.bortoletti.it/it/Scheda/R/1014/A/pennino-in-vetro-di-murano-blu

[sidthecat]

I’ve seen glass nibs on eBay and Etsy: they’re usually called ‘Bohemian’ glass. The pens are usually sold under the name of Spors: I have a ringtop version.

[howdydave]

Deleted

Edited March 8, 2019 by howdydave

[rudyhou]

this looks great. is this strictly as a dip pen? or can you fill the barrel with ink?

[fabri00]

The glass nib do not change the functionality of the pen.

[Paul-in-SF]

I'm very curious, Howdydave, what happened when you received this pen? How did it work, and did you like it?

 

I just acquired a Spors glass-nib fountain pen, looks fairly recent with a purple plastic body, and it has a crescent filler system, also very interesting (I like it, it seems easier and more effective than a lever, and with no j-bar it allows the sac to be cut longer and go all the way to the bottom). However, I'm not sure if the nib (not new, looks well used) is seating properly. It just seems to sit in the section, and although it doesn't move with writing, with a very tiny twist it pops right out. Is that the way it's supposed to be? Is there supposed to be anything holding it in other than friction?

[sharonspens]

 

I have a glass nib pen, probably about the size of then one the OP has. it is 4" long, lever filled. I believe I was told they came about around the time of WW 2 when metal was going toward the war effort. I have heard nothing about the carbon copy situation.

 

Picked it up from a vendor at the Chicago Pen Show in 2018; I know they had several of them for sale.

 

Sharon in Indiana

[OMASsimo]

There was the German manufacturer Haro, founded in 1926. They were well-known for their pens with glass nibs. The glass nibs had two advantages, first the use with carbon copy paper, which is well established, second they wouldn't rust when used with IG ink but were much cheaper than gold nibs. The original glass nibs I've seen so far all looked a little brownish like the one sharonpens shows. Also, Haro pens are easily identified by their imprint on the barrel. So, your pen probably is not a Haro but beautiful anyway.