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Counterfeit Nib ?


kathleen

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I recently purchased a black LJ on ebay. I was happy to get it with a final bid of $21 + shipping. I did not want the pen as much as I wanted the nib it carried. It was listed as having a #9968 nib. The #9968 nib is the firm broad that puts down a wide line and is perfect for the notations I make on the papers of my first grade students.

I asked the seller questions about the jewels, and the size of the pen. The pen arrived and every inch of the pen looks to be authentic old Estie, showing some light surface wear and a clear and proper Esterbrook imprint on the barrel. I was pleased with my purchase. I expected to replace a crumbling sac; which I did, no problem and I removed and soaked the nib in water/ammonia solution. Everything reassembled, pen filled, I began to write and something was WRONG. This nib felt scratchy, not at all like a properly aligned #9968. So, I get out my loupe and what do I read on the nib?

EASTERBOOK 9968.

 

So, I ask the experts, "Have any of you seen an EASTERBOOK nib?" Who made it? Are they plentiful?

This nib is certainly a cheap knock-off without iridium tips and not a smooth writer.

It does twist in and out of my Esterbrook pen perfectly.

 

My Esterbrook collection now contains this interesting anomaly and I would appreciate knowing more about it.

 

Thanks.

Kathleen

Edited by kathleen

"Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars" ~Henry Van Dyke

Trying to rescue and restore all the beautiful Esties to their purpose.

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Guys, I promise you it is exactly as I will describe here. I only have a Nikon COOLPIX 4200 camera and no macro lense. My husband helped me attempt a photo, shining a bright light on the nib and photographing through the lens of a Baush & Lomb magnifier. This is the best I can come up with photo wise. EASTERBOOK is in all caps with a slight curve, the TE is just under the hole in the nib, below that, and slightly larger than the lettering is the number 9968. This nib screws into my authentic Esterbrook pen perfectly.

post-44035-035893900 1287361375.jpg

Edited by kathleen

"Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars" ~Henry Van Dyke

Trying to rescue and restore all the beautiful Esties to their purpose.

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haha nice! (That photo turned out pretty well--good job on that!) Does the tip appear to be "iridium" or steel? I wonder what the story is behind it. Thanks for the photo!

 

--Stephen

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Brian,

The black LJ with the EASTERBOOK nib appears, to my eyes, to be identical to another black LJ. I have a beautiful mint condition black LJ purchased from a FPN member, one was acquired with original box and stickered. The pen says ESTERBROOK and looks dead-on authentic ESTERBROOK to me.

Again I am trying to take photos with no macro lens. This is the best picture I could get of the pen's imprint.

"Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars" ~Henry Van Dyke

Trying to rescue and restore all the beautiful Esties to their purpose.

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Stephen, even after your wonderful tutorials on nibs, I fear I do not possess a very discerning eye. With simple 10x magnification it appears to me that the tip is solid, not folded over, so it may be tipped. Still, I have not been successful in getting the smooth, wet line of ink that I would expect from a 9968 nib. The tines look, again, to my old, not too wise eyes, to be correctly aligned.

The undersides of the EASTERBOOK and ESTERBROOK nibs are slightly different. I wish I had the ability to take better pictures.

 

The EASTERBOOK is on the left and in a Blue J on the right, an authentic ESTERBROOK nib. both nibs are marked 9968.

The nib in question has a more oval shape to the smooth surface and the gills or ribs are fewer.

post-44035-037290500 1287366279.jpg

Edited by kathleen

"Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars" ~Henry Van Dyke

Trying to rescue and restore all the beautiful Esties to their purpose.

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Not that I've seen many many Estie nibs, but I've never seen an Estie feed like that one on the left.

I keep coming back to my Esterbrooks.

 

"Things will be great when you're downtown."---Petula Clark

"I'll never fall in love again."---Dionne Warwick

"Why, oh tell me, why do people break up, oh then turn around and make up?

I just came to see, you'd never do that to me, would you baby?"---Tina Turner

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I'll swap you a real Esterbrook nib for the Easterbrook if you so desire.

 

I've not seen one of these. The pen looks authentic.

 

T

San Francisco International Pen Show - The next “Funnest Pen Show” is on schedule for August 23-24-25, 2024.  Watch the show website for registration details. 
 

My PM box is usually full. Just email me: my last name at the google mail address.

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I'll swap you a real Esterbrook nib for the Easterbrook if you so desire.

 

I've not seen one of these. The pen looks authentic.

 

T

 

WHOOP!WHOOP!WHOOP! WE HAVE A DEFCON 5 C-WORDER ALERT!!

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

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I'll swap you a real Esterbrook nib for the Easterbrook if you so desire.

 

I've not seen one of these. The pen looks authentic.

 

T

 

WHOOP!WHOOP!WHOOP! WE HAVE A DEFCON 5 C-WORDER ALERT!!

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

:roflmho:

God is seldom early, never late, and always on time.

~~Larry Brown

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I'll swap you a real Esterbrook nib for the Easterbrook if you so desire.

 

I've not seen one of these. The pen looks authentic.

 

T

hey Farm Boy-

I'm pulling rank as her son I'll trade her nibs. :P

dibs.

Another Day Another (Esterbrook) Dollar.

 

" There is an art, it says, or rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." - The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy- Douglas Adams

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Slight correction, to some who have said, Easterbrook, the name on this queer nib is EASTERBOOK, Think childrens's BOOK written for a holiday with little bunny rabbits in the illustrations)

 

I wish someone knew more. When I said, "So, experts, what have I got here?" I fully expected Todd or Brian or Stephen to say, "Oh, yeah, you've come upon one of the cheaper nibs produced in..... and by ........

 

But no answers, I am left with an enigma wrapped in a conundrum.

I wonder if any older persons would remember a generic, imitator of Esterbrook nibs. I'd love to know if Esterbrook had some competing nib manufacturer attempting to infringe upon their name and unscrupulously marketing a knock-off. Could it have been profitable? What did it cost to produce a nib? What would the cost difference have been between and authentic ESTERBROOK 9968 nib, and an EASTERBOOK 9968 nib?

 

Found in an authentic, old Esterbrook LJ pen, I do hope it is something old and not something new. I don't think the market needs this nib, unless I can get it to perform better. I am going to soak it some more.

 

I will be keeping this little anomaly in my collection, at least until I know something more about it. And of course, if my son, John wants to trade me a wonderful, genuine, Esterbrook 9968 nib, then its his.

Edited by kathleen

"Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars" ~Henry Van Dyke

Trying to rescue and restore all the beautiful Esties to their purpose.

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Kathleen,

 

I know zilch about the EASTERBOOK imprint. Very interesting, though.

 

Since you still seem to be interested in getting the thing to write more smoothly and since I don't think anyone else mentioned it as a possibility, may I suggest that you look for a "foot" on the nib? Lots of the (authentic) 1xxx and 2xxx points I've gotten have had *really* big flat spots worn onto them, which isn't surprising since they aren't iridium tipped. But lots of other tipped points that I've gotten (Esties and other) also have pretty significant feet that need to be massaged before they can begin to write at all smoothly. Just a thought.

 

Brett

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I'll swap you a real Esterbrook nib for the Easterbrook if you so desire.

 

I've not seen one of these. The pen looks authentic.

 

T

 

WHOOP!WHOOP!WHOOP! WE HAVE A DEFCON 5 C-WORDER ALERT!!

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

:roflmho: :roflmho: :roflmho:

 

You just made my day!

__________________

Kushbaby

 

I like eating peanuts with chopsticks...

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What I want to see is someone write a fictional history about easterbook pen company. I think it would be fun to read...

http://www.chiltonpens.com/images/displaystyle.jpg
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Brett,

Thanks for the advice.

I will probably just screw another nib into my pen and put this one away. As hawkgnat replied, "I doubt it will ever be as good as the real deal".

 

I have acquired a few, authentic 9xxx series nibs, NOS and I would rather have my Estie outfitted with a true ESTERBROOK nib than cause it to wear this EASTERBOOK.

 

While imitation may be the highest form of flattery, I do not think very highly of this nib even if it were to write beautifully. It is a bad thing; something that was most likely intended to defraud a consumer. The names ESTERBROOK AND EASTERBOOK are only 2 letters, an A and an R, from being identical. I would like this queer nib better if I did not think it was placed in the marketplace to deceive. I really had to do a double-take to believe my eyes were not seeing the Esterbrook name that I'd expected to see. Had a truly honest person manufactured it they would have given it a distinctly, different than ESTERBROOK name and it would compete in the marketplace with no confusion or mistaken identity.

 

Have you ever named and inanimate object, maybe your car? I teach little children and children's literature is filled with anthropomorphism, the attribution of human characteristics to nonhuman objects. Anthropomorphism is imaginative and fun. I know it is absurd, but I don't think my Estie would be happy with this nib and she deserves better. She deserves the real thing. I have a small plastic container and this queer EASTERBOOK nib is going to be shut away, imprisoned for conspiracy to commit fraud. It won't be tasting ink for a long time!

Edited by kathleen

"Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars" ~Henry Van Dyke

Trying to rescue and restore all the beautiful Esties to their purpose.

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Ever hear of "park pen" or "waterson" ? I am in disbelief that someone would copy an esterbrook nib. Pretty wild.

http://www.chiltonpens.com/images/displaystyle.jpg
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