What were the Omas pens of the early 90s?

[Garageboy]

What were their lines pre LVMH days?

I know of the Ogiva, Arte Italiana, 360, Tokyo

 

[Phthalo]

The Celluloid Collection, of course!

 

OMAS hadn't produced their beautiful celluloid for decades - the Paragon, Princess and Dama models were released in 1991, and continued until ~2000 or so.

 

"Released in 1991, the Classic Celluloid Collection was a high-quality OMAS range which featured the distinctive multi-faceted design in four beautiful celluloid stocks: "Scarlet Red, Saft Green, Pearl Grey and Bronze Arco (a shade of variegated yellow-ochre)". Later, three additional celluloids were added: Blue La Royale, Green Arco and Senape Blue, which is more commonly referred to as Saffron Blue and was sometimes referred to as Autumn Blue by OMAS in mid-nineties product literature."

Edited June 5, 2008 by Phthalo

[Garageboy]

Whoa, what's the Princess and Dama?

[Sazerac]

Whoa, what's the Princess and Dama?

 

The "Dama" was a small version of the Paragon.

 

There were three sizes -- the (large) Paragon, the (mid-size) Milord, and the (small) Dama.

 

Don't know about the Princess

[Phthalo]

Actually, the Milord was never made in celluloid - only coloured resin. The Dama is a mini, also referred to as the "1930" size in other lines (Arte Italiana, T2 etc). The Princess is a clipless ringtop model with a silk tassel.

 

http://www.ciar-roisin.net/photos/it/CCollection01.jpg

 

L-R: A complete 5-piece Scarlet Red Classic Celluloid Set: Dama Ballpoint #C2811, Princess Ring Top Fountain Pen with Tassel #8141, The Paragon Fountain Pen #8711, Dama Fountain Pen #8811, and The Paragon Rollerball #5711.

Edited June 6, 2008 by Phthalo

[handlebar]

I used to own one of the scarlet princess pens.They are beautiful yet too small.My wife loved it but she wanted a larger pen.

I sold it to Dillo who i think still owns it.

 

Oh how i would love to own all of the celluloid pens by Omas.I'm fortunate to own two now.

 

Jim

[Garageboy]

Okay

so the line up were

Celluloid

Arte Italiana

360

Ogiva

Tokyo?

[Juan in Andalucia]

Okay

so the line up were

Celluloid

Arte Italiana

360

Ogiva

Tokyo?

 

-There was a cheaper version of the ogiva (ref: 8631, 8621, 86101...) several combinations of demonstrator or solid bodies with solid caps.

 

-The Arte Italiana series also had silver and vermeil models.

 

- A.M. 87

- Cristoforo Colombo, Bibliotheque Nationale, Bologna, Amerigo Vespucci, MoMA (I have 2 of these)

- Almirante, Merveille du Monde, D-Day, Jerusalem 3000, Galileo Galilei, Guglielmo Marconi, FAO, Ferrari, Europa, Italia 90, Goya, The Cinema, Tassili...

 

Some of them were introduced in the mid 90s though, but before the LV move.

 

Juan

 

[gicoteni]

What were their lines pre LVMH days?

I know of the Ogiva, Arte Italiana, 360, Tokyo

 

This is the 1991 OMAS Catalogue.

Catalogo_1991.pdf

It is not complete, since I have not inserted the pages with accessories- inks and leather cases - but all the pages regarding the pens are included, so you can see all the production of that years; the date of print is october 1991, as in the last page. If you want to see other OMAS Catalogues here is the lik. I hope it helps. Ciao, Giuseppe

Edited June 8, 2008 by gicoteni

[CharlieB]

Omas, like most pen producers, had regular lines (Arte Italiana, Milord, Ogiva, Dama, 360, etc.) and many special editions and limited editions. I believe the Tokyo falls into the latter category, along with many other pens that have not been mentioned thus far in this thread. What, exactly, is the original poster's question? Is it a complete list of all Omas pens from the 1990s, including the special and limited editions? Or is it a list of the regular lines?

[omasfan]

Great stuff! Keep posting such things. I only wished my Italian were much better...

 

This is the 1991 OMAS Catalogue.

[gicoteni]

The catalogue refers to 1991\1992 models for sale.Tokyo is from 1993 and 360 is from 1996.

[Juan in Andalucia]

Before the LV move, Omas had way more "non-regular"models than most other brands; this is one of the things that made Omas different.

 

Another thing that made Omas different is that it used to be a small company with little marketing, so it remained an arcane brand for many fp users.

 

I think it wasn't until internet sales were established that Omas pens became known, and yet, they seem to have been "popular" after the LV move. That popularity seems to have been focused on some particular models (read: the paragon celluloid).

 

In short, I think this is one of those cases of "you don't know what you've got until you lose it" kinda (Potty Mouth).

 

Juan

[saintsimon]

Let's not forget some other long serving regular pen line: the dedicated desk pens as FPs and BPs, mainly - if not exclusively - in black colours.

Edited June 11, 2008 by saintsimon

[Garageboy]

Thanks!

[Martius]

Omas made many pens for specific shops as well. There was a Levenger model Ogiva, not to mention the famous Ogiva that was designed for the MoMA gift shop. These were not LE but weren't produced in great numbers.

 

Omas produced more varieties in the 1990's than I've seen from any other company - ever. I still don't think I've even heard of them all, and I have done a lot of reading on Omas.

 

The celluloid Paragons and Bolognas are some of the loveliest pens ever made. Take a look at the Auttunno Ogiva, the Arco Green Paragon, or the Royale Blue Paragon - not to mention Bronze Arco - and you'll see why. I wish they hadn't discontinued most of these colors.

 

Best,

Summer

[Juan in Andalucia]

Omas made many pens for specific shops as well. There was a Levenger model Ogiva, not to mention the famous Ogiva that was designed for the MoMA gift shop. These were not LE but weren't produced in great numbers.

 

Omas produced more varieties in the 1990's than I've seen from any other company - ever. I still don't think I've even heard of them all, and I have done a lot of reading on Omas.

 

The celluloid Paragons and Bolognas are some of the loveliest pens ever made. Take a look at the Auttunno Ogiva, the Arco Green Paragon, or the Royale Blue Paragon - not to mention Bronze Arco - and you'll see why. I wish they hadn't discontinued most of these colors.

 

Best,

Summer

 

I have 2 of those MoMAs; I agree, only the UNICEF series are a lot of LEs. I have 2 milords (old style) reserved in a local shop. One is a colonial, and the other is in teal blue. I think the nibs of the colonial series were made by Omas, but don't take my word for it.

 

Juan

 

[davidv7]

When did the LVMH move occur?

 

And what are the last Omases with in house nibs?

 

Thanks.

[Garageboy]

Martius, I think Rebbecca Moss is the firm you're thinking of

[grahamtillotson]

Hey all -- long shot here but I was wondering if anyone could help me identify an Omas model I had briefly while in Italy. It was my anniversary trip in 1998 and I bought the pen from a store in Rome, then went elsewhere in Italy, and because it wrote poorly I stopped back at the shop and upgraded to an Arte Italiana. Here are the details:

 

Black resin body with a silver/chrome cap

Round body (no facets)

Cartridge filler

Silver ring by blind cap (end of section)

Rhodium/silver nib

 

No worries if it doesn't ring a bell for anyone. It reminded me of an Aurora 88 in terms of the general size and shape and would have been around $280-$300 USD.

 

Thanks!

Graham