Birth Year Pen

[AberHulk]

When I was was into collecting double edge razors. I collected a few that were from my birth year. My question is do any of you hunt down vintage pens from your year of birth for collecting?

[dogpoet]

I would if there were any worth having, but I think the best I have to look for is one specific Sheaffer pseudo-Imperial that nobody would ever bother buying for any other reason...

[Bo Bo Olson]

No, but I lucked into a '48-52 Gray Esterbrook DJ as my inherited first pens. The loading lever showed that. I got rid of it along with four other grays. There were at least 8 different gray Esties. It was a color that grew on me.

 

I had a Touchdown from that era. And a couple post war Wearever Deluxes but none were chosen because of birth year. I don't know when my P-51 was made either.

Snorkel was later.

Edited October 23, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[OCArt]

Yes, I wanted a Pelikan from my birth year (or as close as possible) and obtained a beautiful early 50's M400 tortoise with a springy OBB nib. One of my favorite pens, I just think it's really cool to be writing with a pen the same age as myself.

[AberHulk]

Yes, I wanted a Pelikan from my birth year (or as close as possible) and obtained a beautiful early 50's M400 tortoise with a springy OBB nib. One of my favorite pens, I just think it's really cool to be writing with a pen the same age as myself.

Very nice!

[Runnin_Ute]

The closest I have is a 1952-1959 Pelikan 140.

 

The problem is unlike vintage DE razors, most pens don't have a date code. My birth year razor is a D1 Gillette Flare Tip Super Speed. I wish I could get that close with a pen.

[pajaro]

Parker 51 in midnight blue -- "8" -- 1948. One dot, third quarter. At least the year and quarter when I was born.

[AberHulk]

The closest I have is a 1952-1959 Pelikan 140.

 

The problem is unlike vintage DE razors, most pens don't have a date code. My birth year razor is a D1 Gillette Flare Tip Super Speed. I wish I could get that close with a pen.

That would be awesome.

 

Parker 51 in midnight blue -- "8" -- 1948. One dot, third quarter. At least the year and quarter when I was born.

That is great.

 

I have no idea what was available in 1976 so I am going to look.

[chromantic]

I like to imagine that my Sheaffer Cadet Tip-Dip was produced around my birth year as the black section indicates mid-50s.

[MercianScribe]

By 1972 I doubt there were many pens produced that I'm particularly interested in, unfortunately!

[sharonspens]

I have a Touchdown that purported to be from my birth year, 1960. I chose to believe it is so.

 

Sharon in Indiana

[LanceSaintPaul]

Birth year - no; not usually enough data. Birth era - yes indeed. Pelikan 100N, 400NN for two.

[mitto]

Would a '4' datecode on an English P51 aero be a 1954 production? If so, I have a few of my birth year pens. And yes the English 51 continued to be datecoded until late 1950s.

 

Besides, I have Pelikan 400s from the 50s and earliest production 140s. May be one of these was made in 1954.

 

And others and others from different other brands from the 50s.

[praxim]

I am pleased to say that every one of my pens is within 0.4% of my birth year as a ratio of the natural logarithms. I have pens which may possibly coincide cardinally, but what advantage is that?

[catbert]

I have pens whose production runs encompass my birth year, which is close enough for me.

[BillH]

Have a lovely first year Pelikan 400 Tortoise set and a beautiful Burgundy Parker "51" with Gold cap, both from my birth year. Have a MB 142 from the early 50's as well but cannot date it more precisely than that.

[PAKMAN]

I'd like to have a '56 but most manufacturers had stopped date coding by the 50's so hard to get the exact year.

[praxim]

@Pakman, one option is to look for an Aurora 88K with serial between 2,509,000 and 2,555,500. The closer to the middle of the range the better of course, although the range should be reasonably good. That is a late production 88K, with the 88P introduced the following year. Good luck.

[AberHulk]

Since I started this thread and I have found a few in 1976. Of course I have been drooling on the Pilot MYU which is way above my budget lol, but one can still dream

[ISW_Kaputnik]

I actually have a Gillette Super Speed double edged razor from my birth year, 1957. I know that because of the manufacturing codes they used, which narrowed it down as far as which quarter of the year it was made in. Of course, that wasn't the question.

 

But I'm less clear on how precisely I could narrow down the manufacturing year of a pen. I would not mind finding a functioning Esterbrook Safari, a model which was introduced in that year, although I think it could have been sold in other years as well. In fact, I did find one of these for sale from a reputable seller some time ago, at a price which was not ridiculous considering its rarity, but I decided that it was not worth it to me.

 

Maybe the closest I have is a Parker 61. That model was introduced in 1956, and for all I know the one I have could be from 1957. But I bought it for my collection of filling systems, since it has the unique capillary filler. It writes quite well, but has an unfortunate tendency to clog, occasionally.