Unknown Omas

[fabrimedeiros]

Can anyone identify this model???? The store says in portuguese: "Minha 1a caneta demonstrador azul" or "My 1st pen Blue Demo". There are other colors, if you want to check. I've just made a quick search, but I didn't find a "my 1st OMAS" model.

 

 

It seems an OMAS student pen, piston filler. They ask R$ 200 (about US$ 100). Is it a fair price?

 

 

I'll be glad for any help.

 

 

http://www.ravil.com.br/Produtos/180_2I4I4OWJ3XV.jpg

[sanpei]

620 or 630, not sure about model's name, comes from nineties, price is correct,

was made in black, maroon, green, blue and maybe gray

[eric47]

I think the 630 is the demonstrator, with the 620 the solid one.

 

Lol, but I may have that backwards.

[jar]

I think the 630 is the demonstrator, with the 620 the solid one.

 

Lol, but I may have that backwards.

 

I have a 620 and it's solid so you are likely right. Interesting my 620 came in one of the larger boxes and with a bottle of ink.

[fabrimedeiros]

Sanpei, Eric and Jar,

 

Thank you for the great info!

[georges zaslavsky]

great pen indeed

[Tdot]

I have the red one, bought new in the mid 90s. The cap has a single band with engraved Greek key pattern, the body is engraved OMAS EXTRA ITALY. Red, green, blue, black were the available colors. Gold plated nice steel nib.

 

Capped around 130mm, about the length of a Pelikan 200 or Parker Sonnet, but thinner and lighter. I think it feels smaller than it really is.

 

I remember there were no model markings and I've never known exactly what it is. But I do remember it was not a demonstrator, just featured a full ink view. Of course any pen with any transparent pieces automatically gets labeled as a demonstrator anyway.

[Freddy]

I have the red one, bought new in the mid 90s. The cap has a single band with engraved Greek key pattern, the body is engraved OMAS EXTRA ITALY. Red, green, blue, black were the available colors. Gold plated nice steel nib.

 

Capped around 130mm, about the length of a Pelikan 200 or Parker Sonnet, but thinner and lighter. I think it feels smaller than it really is.

 

I remember there were no model markings and I've never known exactly what it is. *But I do remember it was not a demonstrator, just featured a full ink view. Of course any pen with any transparent pieces automatically gets labeled as a demonstrator anyway.*

 

 

*From Omas Catalog*..printed January 1997 in Italy..Marcovici Designs..50 Temple Place..

Boston..MA 02111 U.S.A. ..The N.A. Distributor..at this time..

 

*630 Demo-Pen*

 

Hope this helps..

 

Fred

[Tdot]

That's excellent Freddy. I bought mine from one of the well known shops (probably FPH or Joons) who made a point of insisting they were not demonstrators I remember this because I hesitated to buy a transparent body and got a mini lecture. Apparently "their" opinion that a real demonstrator has all transparent pieces including the cap, section, and end piece.

 

Also interesting to see the 5th & 6th color. Mine was referred as red (1 of 4 colors), but it is actually burgundy (not the first time burgundy or Bordeaux was called red) from the ad. So I have an Omas 630 model 8631 which is actually one of six colors including black. (Or perhaps the added colors came later and weren't part of the initial run?)

 

Then on the other hand, I work with marketing and advertising people, and they have a strong tendency to make things up, use buzz words, or define products as they see them, not necessarily as the original designer or manufacturer intended. In fact the ad doesn't say it is a demonstrator, it says "...model can be used as a demonstration pen..." (Yes I see the "Demo pen model#" by the color samples). In the late 90s there was a bit of a craze for demonstrators, vintage prices were high and manufacturers were mass producing them for retail sales, not limited production for sales reps or store display use. :hmm1: I can see a scenario where a rep from Omas instructed the store staff "not demonstrator". Then sometime later a group of creatives stoked up on espresso, gathered around a conference table in a NY high rise office, and decided to write a trendy blurb and label the pen name to fit. Or, maybe Omas was just jumping on the trend, and the store staff were just stubborn old guys.

 

Is there an official/technical definition of a demonstrator? Who decides what qualifies? Actually I don't care, I think full demonstrators are ugly, if my little Omas had no color I wouldn't have bought it.

 

But back to fabrimedeiros - it is a nice pen, feels good, writes well, and has a classic unpretentious style. My only caution is that if you receive it by mail, you may be surprised and find it to be smaller than expected.

[eric47]

Indeed Oma's made both a burgundy (bordò in Italian) and a red -- red as a Ferrari red.

 

The classic modern Arte Italiana colors, from when the series with that name was introduced in the 1980s were black and burgundy resin. You find those two colors across the series, Paragon, Milord, 1930, and the various Ogivas (557/S, 556/S, 555/S, 620). Pretty much that was it as color choices.

 

Later I think in the 1990s they introduced more resin colors as can be seen in the catalog above, not just for the 620 and 630 but for other pens in the Arte Italiana collection. Not all were used across the series however. I believe yellow was not so prevalent on the faceted pens -- that's why some people went nutso for yellow Ferrari faceted yellow rollerball.

 

The 620 and 630 were I believe marketed as school pens. They are small with a steel nib. Sometimes they find their way into promo packages, jar's with a big box and ink bottle sounds like just such packaging.

 

Whether the 630 counts as a demonstrato...whatever. Maybe you can count it as a tribute to the Lucens.

Edited June 17, 2012 by eric47

[sumgaikid]

Indeed Oma's made both a burgundy (bordò in Italian) and a red -- red as a Ferrari red.

 

The classic modern Arte Italiana colors, from when the series with that name was introduced in the 1980s were black and burgundy resin. You find those two colors across the series, Paragon, Milord, 1930, and the various Ogivas (557/S, 556/S, 555/S, 620). Pretty much that was it as color choices.

 

Later I think in the 1990s they introduced more resin colors as can be seen in the catalog above, not just for the 620 and 630 but for other pens in the Arte Italiana collection. Not all were used across the series however. I believe yellow was not so prevalent on the faceted pens -- that's why some people went nutso for yellow Ferrari faceted yellow.

 

The 620 and 630 were I believe marketed as school pens. They are small with a steel nib. Sometimes they find their way into promo packages, jar's with a big box and ink bottle sounds like just such packaging.

 

Whether the 630 counts as a demonstrato...whatever. Maybe you can count it as a tribute to the Lucens.

 

Eric........I'd go nutso for a Ferrari yellow faceted Paragon................

 

 

 

John

[eric47]

Lol, iPhone, hard to type and edit. The Ferrari yellow is a rollerball.

[sumgaikid]

Lol, iPhone, hard to type and edit. The Ferrari yellow is a rollerball.

 

Now I'm disappointed--are you telling me that the faceted Ferrari

yellow came only as a rollerball?

 

 

 

John

[eric47]

Lol, iPhone, hard to type and edit. The Ferrari yellow is a rollerball.

 

Now I'm disappointed--are you telling me that the faceted Ferrari

yellow came only as a rollerball?

 

That's what I said, but after a bit of research it stand corrected. There appears to be a fountain pen well.

 

Get that and the Italia 90 in blue/azzuro and you've got yourself the pair of the once most sought after *resin* Paragons.

Edited June 19, 2012 by eric47

[sumgaikid]

I thought there was a Ferrari yellow FP by Omas! IIRC,an FPN member

--Vicary--sold a yellow Ferrari Omas fp a couple of years back. It was the

only Omas I saw that was in that color and I haven't seen one since. I've

heard of the blue Italia `90,but I've yet to see one.

 

 

John

[fabrimedeiros]

I have the red one, bought new in the mid 90s. The cap has a single band with engraved Greek key pattern, the body is engraved OMAS EXTRA ITALY. Red, green, blue, black were the available colors. Gold plated nice steel nib.

 

Capped around 130mm, about the length of a Pelikan 200 or Parker Sonnet, but thinner and lighter. I think it feels smaller than it really is.

 

I remember there were no model markings and I've never known exactly what it is. *But I do remember it was not a demonstrator, just featured a full ink view. Of course any pen with any transparent pieces automatically gets labeled as a demonstrator anyway.*

 

 

*From Omas Catalog*..printed January 1997 in Italy..Marcovici Designs..50 Temple Place..

Boston..MA 02111 U.S.A. ..The N.A. Distributor..at this time..

 

*630 Demo-Pen*

 

Hope this helps..

 

Fred

 

Thank you also Freddy and Tdot! Nice info!

 

In fact, the website says " My first OMAS Pen" and don't say 630. I had tought the seller was wrong about the name or invented this "My 1st OMAS" just because the pen looks like a student or entry pen. According to the Omas Catalog, they really call it as "My first Omas" (probably the collection name) and 630 to designate the demo model.

I'll visit the store in a couple days (it's only 3km far from home)