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"warranted" Nibs...


Christopher Godfrey

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What do we know about this one? I have seen pens from all over the place with these nibs and yet I know nothing about them. Mostly, perhaps, they have been fitted on American pens; but I fancy that I have seen them on plenty of European pens, too, and sometimes on really decent brands (vintage, of course).

 

Were they replacement nibs only? Where were they manufactured? And their quality?

 

Anyone got answers? I am hoping so...I'm curious and do not recollect seeing any discussion of this previously.

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Thank you, Carlos. I am assuming, then, that these nibs were often installed as replacements? And I have almost certainly seen "warranted" on the nibs of some Europeans...were they then replacements? I also assume that the use of the word "warranted" implies American-made?

 

Unfortunately that other thread went no further, really, than discussing was warranted.

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Sometimes installed as replacements, but often used as factory nibs for small brands or a way to offer a greater nib variety without having to do it all in-house (those stamping machines are pricey and take up space)

 

Think of it like Opus 88, or esterbrook, tactile turn, or any number of small manufacturers. They use a basically unchanged JoWo or bock nib. Warranted nibs were just like that, they just used the "warranted" to imply that they were at least 14k gold.

 

Though I have seen "warranted nibs" say "gold plated" below the section line however, which is scummy as heck.

 

There are UK-made warranted music nibs that I know of.

Edited by Honeybadgers

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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In Europe, the pen industry lagged behind the US initially and US products were a luxury. So, an imprint like “warranted 14k” was considered fancy. It was used for local nibs of all kinds and qualities. I haven’t seen a fraudulent one on a European pen yet, though. Specialised nib factories used this kind of imprint and provided nibs to well known brands as well as the local jeweller. Even early Kaweco nibs with that imprint or at least the addition of “warranted” can be found.

 

I have a significant number of “warranted 14k” nibs in my collection, some I can trace back to the nib factory of Rau in Pforzheim, Germany. Most of them are excellent nibs not standing back (much) behind top brands of the time like Pelikan, Kaweco, Osmia, or Montblanc. I think it was just a marketing thing in a time when the most convincing argument was still the actual quality of the product.

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In Europe, the pen industry lagged behind the US initially and US products were a luxury. So, an imprint like “warranted 14k” was considered fancy. It was used for local nibs of all kinds and qualities. I haven’t seen a fraudulent one on a European pen yet, though. Specialised nib factories used this kind of imprint and provided nibs to well known brands as well as the local jeweller. Even early Kaweco nibs with that imprint or at least the addition of “warranted” can be found.

 

I have a significant number of “warranted 14k” nibs in my collection, some I can trace back to the nib factory of Rau in Pforzheim, Germany. Most of them are excellent nibs not standing back (much) behind top brands of the time like Pelikan, Kaweco, Osmia, or Montblanc. I think it was just a marketing thing in a time when the most convincing argument was still the actual quality of the product.

Very interesting. I had no idea that Warranted-label nibs were available from a variety of makers. I thought it was a US brand name.

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Very interesting. I had no idea that Warranted-label nibs were available from a variety of makers. I thought it was a US brand name.

Yes, that’s what I thought, too, initially. Then I started researching because I found too many of those nibs in German piston fillers.

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Methinks you can think of warrented as something like the "x year warranty" you see in many current products or "Made in X". It only makes a statement. It's missing the X that misleads you. It is easier to read it as it usually appears in nibs: "Warranted 14k" or "Warranted 585", "Warranted 1st Quality" or some such. That it is written in more than one line shouldn't be construed as a "brand name", only as a lack of space to say that the product is warranted to be whatever it says it is (e.g. 1st quality, for whatever that may mean).

If you are to be ephemeral, leave a good scent.

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Thank you for the input, everybody: very enlightening!

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  • 2 weeks later...

It only warranted the nib was 14 K.

There are real good ones, with good tipping and even a bit of flex....and others were just gold where the money for the tipping was saved.

Good nib tipping has always been an expensive science, even then.

 

 

Often it will depend on what decade it was made. The 20-30's had lumpy tipping and chunks could or would fall out. Tipping was perfected in WW2.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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  • 1 year later...

I'm reviving this thread to ask about a particular point. There seem to be a lot of Warranted 14K nibs around with the number 8 under the 14K. I saw two of them on eBay just now while trawling through the vintage pens -- one seller touted it as being a #8 nib as if it were that modern size, when I'd say it's closer to a #5 modern nib. Which is fine. I have one myself, it writes very nicely, but it isn't a large nib. 

 

What I would be interested to know is anything about what scale or standard is being referenced by this (seemingly) fairly consistent usage of the number 8 on some of these Warranted nibs. If anyone knows. 

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I‘m afraid that there won‘t be a general answer to that question. What period and what kind of pen and origin might lead to different interpretations. I’m not sure since how long this „#8“ labelling of nib sizes exists but such a size would be extremely uncommon in earlier pens and most likely only offered by some top brands. And they usually would use their own imprint on the nib.

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