Russian FPs?

[juhtolv]

I saw once a Soviet FP for sale.It looked like a replica of the Parker 51.

 

E-Bay has this one

 

and a few more here

 

Something like this was for sale at antique shop called Antiik Vanavara in Pärnu. Its address is Karja 26. Then you can walk along that street and go to market place called Vana Turg and some other antique shops and maybe some flea markets, too.

[juhtolv]

I saw once a Soviet FP for sale.It looked like a replica of the Parker 51.

 

All those fountain pens I bought from Pärnu were more or less like Parker 51. At least they had hooded nibs.

[davpineda]

There used to be a fountain pen factory here in Saint Petersburg (or Leningrad as it was once known), named Soyuz (Союз). It had quite a respectable history from the 1920es onward, and it made FPs with hooded and semi-hooded nibs, all of them, as far as I know, piston-fillers. I bought a couple of them when I first visited the Soviet Union in '91, and still have two, of which one is a terribly scratchy school FP with the text "be a good student!", and the other one a fantastic "Flighter" model. The other ones I bought I gave away or lost.

Apparently, Soyuz no longer produces FPs (or for that matter, anything that writes). Their old website, with corporate history and catalogue, went off the net a year ago, and the new site only mentions disposable plastic ... things. How are the mighty fallen.

I am at St. Petersburg at the moment and tried to find out whether the factory still has some old stocks, but they chose to ignore my e-mails. As a last resort I'm planning to go to a flee market and try my luck there; I'll report on any interesting finds.

Enclosed a picture of my beautiful Soyuz Flighter.

[Maja]

That Soyuz Flighter looks great! Thanks for posting the photo and for all the information

[pavlosh]

...

Apparently, Soyuz no longer produces FPs (or for that matter, anything that writes). Their old website, with corporate history and catalogue, went off the net a year ago, and the new site only mentions disposable plastic ... things. How are the mighty fallen.

...

 

I'm not from St. Petersburg (I'm not from Russia actually) so I can only rely on Soyuz plant web site info (sorry, in Russian only, they do have some branch in supposed to be in English but it contains only some text in Russian including "Sorry, under construction" equivalent):

>> the plant still produce stationary, including 8 models of FPs (see the price list). Sorry, info is in Russian but it's possible to click model name (second column) at least to get the idea.

 

[QM2]

I can only rely on Soyuz plant web site info (sorry, in Russian only, they do have some branch in supposed to be in English but it contains only some text in Russian including "Sorry, under construction" equivalent):

>> the plant still produce stationary, including 8 models of FPs (see the price list). Sorry, info is in Russian but it's possible to click model name (second column) at least to get the idea.

 

Thank you for that link, very interesting. The pens certainly are diverse and unusual in looks; I wonder what kind of nibs are on them (the site does not give this information). Check out the desk pens in malachite and black with hooded nibs.

 

They are selling the pens wholesale in packs of 100-200, so if anybody is interested in importing them and selling them, here is a chance.

 

pavlosh: but I don't understand the prices. What do they mean, "cena bazovaya" vs the other prices listed?..

 

http://www.souz.spb.ru/notes/1922085153.jpg

[Deirdre]

...

Apparently, Soyuz no longer produces FPs (or for that matter, anything that writes). Their old website, with corporate history and catalogue, went off the net a year ago, and the new site only mentions disposable plastic ... things. How are the mighty fallen.

...

 

I'm not from St. Petersburg (I'm not from Russia actually) so I can only rely on Soyuz plant web site info (sorry, in Russian only, they do have some branch in supposed to be in English but it contains only some text in Russian including "Sorry, under construction" equivalent):

>> the plant still produce stationary, including 8 models of FPs (see the price list). Sorry, info is in Russian but it's possible to click model name (second column) at least to get the idea.

Thanks for letting me know. Is there a place in St. Petersburg to buy them (that you see or know of)? I know you're in the Ukraine, but you're a lot closer than I am.

 

I'm going on a Baltics cruise in September, so it'd be nice to buy a local pen there.

[pavlosh]

...

pavlosh: but I don't understand the prices. What do they mean, "cena bazovaya" vs the other prices listed?..

 

"cena bazovaya" means base price meaning price without discount. All other prices are with discount depending on total amount (in roubles, that is in Russian currency) of order.

[pavlosh]

... I know you're in the Ukraine, but you're a lot closer than I am.

 

Well, there is still more that thousand kilometers from me to St.Pb (no words about borders) and I was not there during more than 10 years. So sorry, I'm just unable to provide you with advise but suggestion: ask for big (!!!, not small kiosk or something) stationary shop. I mean _stationary_ as that, not gift salons etc. where you will have only expensive imported stuff. Being in stationary shop ask (!) for Soyuz plant products (it might be reasonable to have printouts from plant site with you) or you will loose yourself between imported stuff as well. And please be aware that misunderstandings are possible as "Soyuz" mean union and is very popular nickname for Soviet Union so be ready to stress what are you asking about.

 

[QM2]

...

pavlosh: but I don't understand the prices. What do they mean, "cena bazovaya" vs the other prices listed?..

 

"cena bazovaya" means base price meaning price without discount. All other prices are with discount depending on total amount (in roubles, that is in Russian currency) of order.

 

Right, I see. So if you spend 20K or more, the price becomes 48.85 per pack, and so on. I understand Russian currency and the actual meaning of "cena bazovaya", I was just confused about the way they organised the discount structure.

[Richard]

Seeing this thread revived reminds me that I own a very nice Russian FP/MP set, a Soyuz "51" copy called the "Moscow":

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/zoomed/soyuz_capped.jpg

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/zoomed/soyuz.jpg

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/zoomed/soyuz_pencil.jpg

 

The pen actually has a slightly bouncy nib, and it's very nice to write with. It's an accordion filler.

 

The cap band is the Kremlin Wall; here's the back side:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/soyuz_krem.jpg

 

The cap jewels are garnets, and tere's a garnet set into the Red Star at the top of the steeple. It's probably over the top, but I like it!

[pavlosh]

...

Right, I see. So if you spend 20K or more, the price becomes 48.85 per pack, and so on. I understand Russian currency and the actual meaning of "cena bazovaya", I was just confused about the way they organised the discount structure.

...

 

Just to avoid any misunderstandings - as far as I understood all prices are (in Russian currency) per 1 pen, not "pack".

Look, 48.85 it's less than $2 so it's more or less reasonable price for 1 pen but badly for 1 pack (as big as 10 pens for this model that you took as an example).

[pavlosh]

Seeing this thread revived reminds me that I own a very nice Russian FP/MP set, a Soyuz "51" copy called the "Moscow".

...

It's probably over the top, but I like it!

 

Yessss, it's good thing. Is it that couple that was purchased in Bulgaria (it seems to me that I've read about it earliear)? <<<updated

 

Reagarding name "Moscow": I think it's kind of the name of whole set (pen+pencil), not the pen.

Believe you or not in coincidences like this but today I purchased (here in Kyiv, on special antiquatians market) the set (of pen + pensil) and it's name is "Moscow" as well while both pen and pencil are different from yours being replicas as well (I have no doubts in that while I'm unable to pick the original).

So such names were far from being unique in Soviet "Soyuz" (both country and plant... and spaceship,...).

 

[sorry interruption for inking of new purchase mentioned above ]

Edited June 28, 2008 by pavlosh

[QM2]

Both "Soyuz" (which simply means "Union") and "Moskva" were very generic names for thousands of products and manufacturing plants in the USSR. These brand names are the equivalent of something like "Acme" in American culture.

 

Soyuz pens, of which I have seen many examples over the years, have no particular look or recognisable brand "feel" to them. They are basically remakes and hybrids of various existing styles.

 

If one of the old Soyuz manufacturing plants has reincarnated as a brand of stationary products, that is interesting news. If they develop a distinct style and make good quality products, I think people will be interested. But the pens they currently have on their website, do not show a consistent style; the pens look rather generic to me. And the price structure suggests that they are low-tier, probably with IPG-type nibs. So I think we have to wait and see...

 

 

 

 

[kurzman]

Here's what I've got recently:

 

Soyuz Moskva-80 ("Moscow-80"), 1980 Olympics series. Supposed to be a part of a two-piece FP + ballpoint set in the red box with 1980 Olympics logo, but I've got only this one, unboxed. A bit scratched but works well. Age is the same as mine

Edited September 24, 2008 by kurzman

[Ink Stained Wretch]

Seeing this thread revived reminds me that I own a very nice Russian FP/MP set, a Soyuz "51" copy called the "Moscow":

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/zoomed/soyuz_capped.jpg

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/zoomed/soyuz.jpg

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/zoomed/soyuz_pencil.jpg

 

The pen actually has a slightly bouncy nib, and it's very nice to write with. It's an accordion filler.

 

The cap band is the Kremlin Wall; here's the back side:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/soyuz_krem.jpg

 

The cap jewels are garnets, and tere's a garnet set into the Red Star at the top of the steeple. It's probably over the top, but I like it!

Wow, that design is really just so Soviet Union. It brings back memories of times spent looking closely at some of their stuff.

[georges zaslavsky]

interesting thread, it is very rare and very uncommon to see russian fp.

[winedoc]

NOT exactly Russian... OK, ONLY Russian part here are the hand painted art:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/winedoc/AP%20Pens/tn_DSC07901.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/winedoc/AP%20Pens/tn_DSC07890.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/winedoc/AP%20Pens/tn_DSC07909.jpg

this last pen is infact Japanese Sailor KOP, not Russian at all :-) but, I like their painting on these too.

 

Kevin

[viclip]

Perhaps this isn't precisely on topic, but it's related & may be of interest. I recall from Armand Hammer's memoirs, that in the 1920s until ? he had the Parker franchise for the USSR. He described distributing what sounded like the Big Red, which he also donated to various comrades in return for favours. I'm not sure how long Parker pens were distributed there, but perhaps this would explain Parker 51 sightings as well. Anyways, I'm curious as to whether anyone has come across a vintage Parker that was produced for what was essentially the Russian market. If so, would the markings have been in cyrillic/Russian, or were these pens simply imported sporting the Latin alphabet version of the company name etc. (presumably in American English)?

[bernardo]

There was this thread some years ago...