Wasp pens

[Blackhill]

I have some Wasp pens and they very nice writers, but their trim gives them away as lower tier pens. Still, they are very pretty pens and have a solid, comfortable feel to them, similar to the look and feel of Esties.

 

There didn't seem to be much demand for nor interest in Wasp pens until recently. Now I see them on eBay going for prices similar to Balances, Triumphs, and Imperials. Is interest in them as collectibles rising?

 

I'd like to hear what other people have to say about them.

 

Cheers,

Laura

[Johnny Appleseed]

I think it depends on the type of WASP, and the pattern. I can remember Jim Mamoulides selling a couple of snake-skin WASP vacuum-fillers for over $100 on the PenHero site a few years back. Ordinary addipoints do not fare so well.

 

John

[david i]

I'm fond of WASPS. Some seem to be of better build quality than others.

 

The pattern i like to consider "circuit board" indeed is referred to by Sheaffer just as various shades of pearl- green pearl, etc.

 

Here are some.

 

http://removed.xyz/penteech/waspspreademail.jpg

 

Another pattern- seemingly a bit more fragile on the trim- is one called "lahn", green lahn, silver lahn etc. I mite even have been first (go prove it, right?) to identify this name. Here is a silver lahn with metal threads buried in the plastic

 

http://removed.xyz/penteech/waspclippersilverlahn50per.jpg

 

Here is a link to the essay discussing some WASPS and showing sources for identifying the Lahn name.

 

http://www.removed.xyz/websiteessaypics/...plinesessay.htm

 

regards

 

david

[Johnny Appleseed]

Indeed, those are some beautiful WASPs.

 

I wonder too if your posts on WASPs did not generate some additional interest and bring the prices up. I certainly started paying more attention to those patterns after your article, and thinking maybe I should add one to my collection.

 

Of course, as I mentioned, some were selling vac-fill WASPs for more than $100 a few years ago, so the prices on them may not be new.

 

John

[*david*]

Prices in a small field like Wasp pen collectors can go up and down wildly depending on one or two people. But don't forget that the pens are the same as they were last year.

[jackoguit]

I have developed a "parallel" interest: Parkettes.

I search on ebay using "Parkette" as a general search term.

Some sellers don't know the relationship to Parker and only put them in "Other Pen" catagory. If that happens I can sometimes get 'em for $.99. But if they put 'em in "Parker" catagory, they'll go for more.

If you use the "Wasp" search (rather than looking under "Sheaffer", maybe you can score for less. :ph34r:

I've been keeping half an eye on the WASP.

[Richard]

I have two Wasp Clippers, a Standard Vacuum-Fil and a Deluxe silver "circuit board" lever filler. They are both delightful pens to use, not all cheap in look or feel. They sold for $4.00 and $5.00, respectively.

 

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

 

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

 

Wasps had 12K ball-point nibs; the reduced gold content seems a small thing, but amortized over a lot of pens it can make a difference on the bottom line. Sheaffer marketed these pens against competitors who used plated steel or brass nibs, and Wasp advertisements advised the prospective purchaser to ask the dealer if the pens under consideration had solid gold nibs.

[david i]

well, at least some WASPS had 12k nibs :-)

 

As to earlier writers notes about Parkette interest. Stay tuned this month. Suspect Riepl over at Stylophiles is going to have a heck of an article about Parkettes to show ;-)

 

d

[Richard]

well, at least some WASPS had 12k nibs :-)

Okay, so the Addipoints didn't.

[Johnny Appleseed]

Thanks to everyone for starting and contributing to this thread. It encouraged me to ink-up an underused member of my collection.

 

Sure, it is not as pretty as the others here. I picked it up for $1.00 at a yard sale, and frankly, even at that price, it isn't much of a Sumgaic - but it has a very special place in my collection.

 

Since it only cost $1.00, I just couldn't see sending it off to Richard for a $30 resack. Instead, I ponied up for the 20 piece sac assortment and a bottle of cement from Pendomonium - it was the first pen I repaired myself.

 

John