Vintage Review: Very Small Conklin Crescent

[asamsky]

I got this pen at the Long Island pen show. As you'll gather from the review I don't know much about it other than that it probably dates from the 1920s - if anyone has any more information about it I would be very interested to hear it!

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2024/2342078346_efbfb78784.jpg

 

 

First Impressions (5/5)

This is a tiny old crescent filler in black chased hard rubber. It looks extremely old (which it is). Capped it’s about 4” long. It has a rounded cap, which dates it to the 1920s, and a wave pattern chased into the rubber. It has a 14k #2 Warranted nib (more on that later). I saw this pen at the Long Island pen show and asked to try it - a short conversation and a big drop in price later I snapped it up, and I’m glad I did.

 

Appearance (4/5)

This is a very old pen, and it looks very old. You can see that the hard rubber is not nearly as black as it was when it was new, and in direct sunlight it has a noticeable green color. But the imprint on the barrel is strong and unblemished, and the wave pattern chased into the rubber is superb and intact. It’s supposed to look like a 70+ year old crescent filler, and it sure does!

 

Design/Size/Weight (3/5)

I feel a little silly writing about the design of a pen this old, but it really doesn’t have any flaws other than its small size. The section is nicely contoured and feels very natural, the crescent really doesn’t get in the way, and the rubber has a very lively, pleasant feel in the hand. You really have to post this pen for balance (which makes me a little nervous about the BCHR cap), but when posted it’s a totally reasonable size, about the same as a Pelikan m200.

 

Nib (5/5)

This pen has a Warranted nib, which is most likely a replacement for the original Conklin nib. The pen’s loss is my gain - this is a FABULOUS nib. It’s very flexy (I don’t know if it’s wet noodle level since I have no other experience with flex), writes a fine, consistent line, and has a hard-to-describe combination of smoothness and response to the paper that I love. It feels more “alive” than the very hard nibs I have on most of my other pens.

 

Filling System (5/5)

I really bought this pen for the iconic crescent fill. A few pumps and you’re ready to go - classic, simple, and it hold a surprising amount of ink.

 

Cost and Value (?)

I paid $100 even for the pen. With the Warranted nib it may be worth less to a collector, but for a piece of history that’s amazingly fun to write with I’d say it’s worth it.

 

Conclusion (5/5)

I (obviously) just love this pen, and I’ve been writing with it every chance I get. It’s by far the oldest vintage pen I have, and it has the most personality of any of my pens. Maybe old Conklins are the pens for me...

 

 

[AllWriteNow]

Great Review. Thanks !

[rroossinck]

Excellent review. Those Warranted nibs will really surprise people, won't they? I've got one in a Thompson flat-top that I've been working on fixing up and it's a neat nib, too.