Early 1940's Fountain Pens

[cpfred]

My parents gave me 2 older pens that haven't been used in years.

 

The first is a Parker that was given to my mother when she graduated from high school in 1944. The top unscrews and it appears to have a plunger type of mechanism to draw the ink up through the tip.

 

The 2nd pen is an Eversharp with a lever and bladder. My father found this on the ground in Army camp in 1943 in Casablanca before he was shipped over to the invasion of Anzio and he carried it through Italy and France until he was injured.

 

Obviously of sentimental value to me. Are they worth fixing up to use or are they better as just a display piece?

 

Thank you for any thoughts. Am very much a novice in teh world of fountain pens.

 

Chuck

Durango, CO, USA

[jar]

Sure, they are both worth getting restored. Without seeing the pens I'd guess that you could get both restored to working order and looking like new for less than $50.00.

[OldGriz]

Sounds like the first might very well be a Parker Vacumatic considering the date state..... generally very nice writing pens.. and well worth having restored....

Eversharps are also nice pens, depending on the model..... but considering it's provenance it is definitely worth restoring and using......

I do repairs on both of these pens if you are interested....

[rwilsonedn]

Yes, yes! Both of those should be very good writers and well worth having restored, not even counting the emotional value. IF there is some major issue you haven't noticed, a restorer would tell you about that before spending your money, so by all means go ahead.

ron

[Bo Bo Olson]

I don't chase American pens yet, but of course both pens should be fixed up.

First they are heirlooms.

Second fountain pens are a lot more fun now than back in your Grandparents day. (Being pre-net, they were sort of ignorant to what was going on right under their noses.) I admit to that...or I'd been collecting fountain pens for fifty years instead of three.

Third, both are top...good pens from that time.

 

I'm a generation younger, and due to ignorance fountain pens were no fun, to me back in silver dime days.

 

They sure are now, with this and that nib width & flex; a lot more fancy ink, and everyone looking for paper of my era and before....even though good modern paper can be found. It was better from when all were using a fountain pen.

 

Do look to see if there is any paper from your Grandparents laying around somewhere.

Once you learn to scribble with a fountain pen, such paper is a joy to write on.

[Ernst Bitterman]

Depending on the exact sort of plunger and the shape of the pen itself, the Parker could be just about anything the company made that is grander than a Parkette... and even a Parkette is worth getting back on its feet in most cases. Search for 51, Vacumatic, Duofold (be careful of dates; this name spans a LOT of years) and also Challenger; 1944 is past the end production date for the last one, but that doesn't mean it might not have been on a shelf awaiting purchase.

 

The Eversharp is also well worth putting back in shape, although if the point is seriously damaged on either one it might be more expensive to replace than one might like.

 

Speaking of point damage; Eversharp points can be extremely flexible, and even at that late date Parkers can have more give in them than a modern hand is used to. If you do have them refitted, be mindfully gentle until you're used to their ways.

Edited March 21, 2012 by Ernst Bitterman

[georges zaslavsky]

As other sais restoring them would be a good thing, once you will have mastered the flexible, you will like to write with these pens.

Edited March 24, 2012 by georges zaslavsky