pastel Esterbrooks

[knitbug]

Hi everyone!

 

Over the past week I've been contemplating what would be a good choice for my second FP. I want to try to largest variety of nibs possible, hopefully some with a little flex, and from my research it looks like an Esterbrook might be safe choice, there seems to be many nibs available on Ebay at reasonable prices. Only I don't like the aesthetics of the Esterbrook models I've seen at auction so far. I did google the pastel ones however, which I LOVE. LOVE LOVE LOVE. The yellow looks delish! Anyway, I have no idea where the best place to purchase it from would be, and even more importantly, what price is considered reasonable. There are some Buy it nows for $130, but some completed auctions show that in the past they've gone in the $50 range. As always, any advice is so appreciated!!

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Knitbug

[penguinmaster]

I think the Esterbrooks would be a good choice if you want to try out a bunch of different nibs. The system of being able to switch out nibs, and the nibs being relatively inexpensive would probably give you exactly what you want.

 

eBay can be a weird way to determine the amount a pen is worth though. Usually I've been seeing purse pens go for around the price that you have mentioned, but you just never know if a bidding war is going to break out and somehow a pen worth 50 dollars sells for 150. If you bide your time you can find a purse pen in the 40-70 dollar range, depending on the quality.

 

If your interested in looking at other Esterbrooks I just put a bunch up for sale in the marketplace, take a look! If not those ones, I'd definitely keep an eye out on the marketplace on this forum, they come up every so often. Might even be smart to put a post up about wanting to buy one. eBay is a good place, but be careful for the reasons above.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=34223

 

 

[knitbug]

Thanks for the sound advice! I'll hold off the $130 yellow one currently on ebay. I'll also post something on the market place.

I love the look of your desk pens! Only I don't even know what a "sac" is. Sad, I know.

 

 

Cheers,

 

Knitbug

[jimg]

Hi Knitbug,

 

(Why can't I think up a clever screen name like that? ).

 

I would suggest a "want to buy" post for a pastel "Purse" pen on the Marketplace forum might be your best bet. There are usually lots of keen purse pen collectors and sellers down there.Some of them might have swaps to sell. Also you might find someone who will sell you one which is immediately useable with a new sack etc and perhaps a selection of replaceable nibs.

 

Brian Anderson's excellent web page ( esterbrook.net) is a wealth of information, including through the 'nibs' link, full details of the available nibs.

 

In my experience the lemon/yellow and the "Aloha Gold" (darker yellow) are usually a bit more expensive than the (maybe) more common aqua and light blue ones. I would have thought that $80- $110 might be a reasonable range for a near mint lemon pen while the Aloha Gold might be more expensive.

 

The key things to look for are any cracks from the cap ring to the cap lip and cracked or scratched end jewels or section. Deep ink stains are also very common on the lighter coloured Purse pens .I would suggest that the ebay $50 sales might have one or more of these problems.

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

Jim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi everyone!

 

Over the past week I've been contemplating what would be a good choice for my second FP. I want to try to largest variety of nibs possible, hopefully some with a little flex, and from my research it looks like an Esterbrook might be safe choice, there seems to be many nibs available on Ebay at reasonable prices. Only I don't like the aesthetics of the Esterbrook models I've seen at auction so far. I did google the pastel ones however, which I LOVE. LOVE LOVE LOVE. The yellow looks delish! Anyway, I have no idea where the best place to purchase it from would be, and even more importantly, what price is considered reasonable. There are some Buy it nows for $130, but some completed auctions show that in the past they've gone in the $50 range. As always, any advice is so appreciated!!

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Knitbug

 

[EventHorizon]

Hello knitbug,

First of all let me say that this journey you are about to take towards vintage and Esterbrook is a slippery one. No group will cure the addiction and a few of us will only try to feed the addiction. Please note that my collection is approx 90% vintage and approx 50% of the 90% is Esterbrook so I have embraced my disease.

 

As Jim stated, Brian Anderson's web site is awsome and I go to it many times for information. I have purchased 1 pastel from E-Bay 2 years ago and it was $110. Yes, the prices have a broad range but it mainly depends on the color. The one I have is called a "nurses pen" as it is white and was meant for use in a hospital. The yellow one you seek should fall into the $75-$100 range. Another FPN member is delving into the area of vintage and this post will help you also (if you haven't read it already)

 

As for "What's a sac"?

 

A flexible rubber or silicone plastic ink reservoir, tubular and closed at one end. The open end is attached to the gripping section, usually with an adhesive such as shellac. Most sacs are plain cylinders, but some are necked down at the opening, and a few are tapered to make better use of the space within a tapered barrel. Illustrated here are several sacs for different pen models; the parts in the bottom row are a Vacumatic diaphragm (left) and a sac for Waterman’s Ink-Vue filler. as copied from Richards web site

 

Anyway, good luck and remember, we are here to help spend your money.

 

Oh Yea, welcome to FPN.

Edited June 20, 2007 by EventHorizon

[knitbug]

Thanks for the info! How has your pen held up over the last 2 years? Any special care required?

Are there any funky nibs you recommend?

 

Sacs are totally different than I imagined. So when some says "needs a new sack", is that something that is possible to fix yourself? Are the original sacs even available or are they replaced with generic brand new ones? Is it pricey?

 

So much to learn!!

(and loving every minute of it!)

 

 

 

Hello knitbug,

First of all let me say that this journey you are about to take towards vintage and Esterbrook is a slippery one. No group will cure the addiction and a few of us will only try to feed the addiction. Please note that my collection is approx 90% vintage and approx 50% of the 90% is Esterbrook so I have embraced my disease.

 

As Jim stated, Brian Anderson's web site is awsome and I go to it many times for information. I have purchased 1 pastel from E-Bay 2 years ago and it was $110. Yes, the prices have a broad range but it mainly depends on the color. The one I have is called a "nurses pen" as it is white and was meant for use in a hospital. The yellow one you seek should fall into the $75-$100 range. Another FPN member is delving into the area of vintage and this post will help you also (if you haven't read it already)

 

As for "What's a sac"?

 

A flexible rubber or silicone plastic ink reservoir, tubular and closed at one end. The open end is attached to the gripping section, usually with an adhesive such as shellac. Most sacs are plain cylinders, but some are necked down at the opening, and a few are tapered to make better use of the space within a tapered barrel. Illustrated here are several sacs for different pen models; the parts in the bottom row are a Vacumatic diaphragm (left) and a sac for Waterman’s Ink-Vue filler. as copied from Richards web site

 

Anyway, good luck and remember, we are here to help spend your money.

 

Oh Yea, welcome to FPN.

 

[dwmatteson]

Sacs are user-replaceable with a little time, effort, and some tools.

 

Richard Binder's site (to which EventHorizon pointed earlier) has a detailed walk-through of how to re-sac a pen. Best part is that it features an Esterbrook!

 

Esties are a great pen to start with in terms of learning repairs. They're also great from the standpoint of trying out lots of different nibs. Don't get your hopes up too high in terms of flex, though. Estie nibs that are described as flexible would probably be described as "semi-flex" at best, when compared to other vintage flex nibs.

 

Good luck getting hold of your pastel purse pen!

 

Don

Edited June 20, 2007 by dwmatteson

[skipwilliams]

I also love the Pastel Purse Pens. David I took a photo of most of my collection below, so you can see the various colors.

 

The first four are the later, deeper colors and you can see the contrasting colored cap jewels. The last seven pens are the earlier, pastel colors, all with black jewels except for the white nurse's pen, which has a red top signifying red ink. (David left out the picture of my pink one for some reason.) Many also came in neat colored polka-dotted, checked, or other "girly-pattered" plastic pouches, but I've never bought any....yet. There are also pencils to match each pen, but they're not easy to find.

 

I also think that I've seen clipless models too....anyone else?

 

The later, deeper colored pens usually sell for $80-150, more for mint/stickered. Pastel pens are typically $50-90. The gray tends to be the hardest to find, but all the others are pretty evenly found. Nurse sets are less common. As said above, be careful for cap cracks. I see many pens that have cracked caps and excess ink has leaked into the cracks, staining them. I assume that the pens crack because the plastic shrinks or they're posted too forcibly. They're pretty common at pens shows and a WTB post here or on the PenTrace GB should net you a couple.

 

Skip

 

http://vacumania.com/penteech/esterbrookpastelspread33per.jpg

[knitbug]

omg Skip, that is a spectacular collection!!!!

Polka dot? I would die. No, I would die if I saw one for sale and missed my chance. Have you ever seen one in person, or are they just legend now?

What is "Pentrace GB"?

 

I think I'm going to make that photo my desktop background

 

Cheers,

Knitbug

 

I also love the Pastel Purse Pens. David I took a photo of most of my collection below, so you can see the various colors.

 

The first four are the later, deeper colors and you can see the contrasting colored cap jewels. The last seven pens are the earlier, pastel colors, all with black jewels except for the white nurse's pen, which has a red top signifying red ink. (David left out the picture of my pink one for some reason.) Many also came in neat colored polka-dotted, checked, or other "girly-pattered" plastic pouches, but I've never bought any....yet. There are also pencils to match each pen, but they're not easy to find.

 

I also think that I've seen clipless models too....anyone else?

 

The later, deeper colored pens usually sell for $80-150, more for mint/stickered. Pastel pens are typically $50-90. The gray tends to be the hardest to find, but all the others are pretty evenly found. Nurse sets are less common. As said above, be careful for cap cracks. I see many pens that have cracked caps and excess ink has leaked into the cracks, staining them. I assume that the pens crack because the plastic shrinks or they're posted too forcibly. They're pretty common at pens shows and a WTB post here or on the PenTrace GB should net you a couple.

 

Skip

 

http://vacumania.com/penteech/esterbrookpastelspread33per.jpg

 

[gregamckinney]

Pencils are definitely harder to come by than their fp siblings. Clipless models exist, but are extremely scarce (might even say, "rare.")

The pale green pen in the image below is a clipless model. I am told that clipless pencils exist, but I've never seen one in person.

 

http://gergyor.com/images/pastels.jpg

 

Best regards, greg

[EventHorizon]

Thanks for the info! How has your pen held up over the last 2 years? Any special care required?

Are there any funky nibs you recommend?

 

 

All Esterbrooks have held up very well and the white one is no different. I don't use it to much as it is special. The picture that skip posted shows two white ones. I have the one with the black jewels (plastic "button" on the end of the cap and barrel)

 

No special care other than draining the ink if I know I won't be using it for a while. Of course dropping them is never a good thing.

 

Start with a 2556 nib as it is for General Writing. You could start with the higher end nibs (9XXX) which are very nice but a little more expensive. Go to Brians site and click on the "Nibs" section. Please note that the 2556 nib is considered medium but the good news is, all the nibs will work with any J, LJ and SJ pen. Ah (bleep), just go to Brians web site and revel in the glory that is also our bane <_<

 

[FrankB]

Hi, Knitbug!

 

I want to add to the affirmation that your choice of Esterbrooks to try a variety of nibs is a very good one. I have been using Esties for decades and I can't recall one going bad on me. I think I have had one resaced. That is it.

 

I know little about the pastel Esties, so I am learning something new. Of all the Esties I have, I don't have one pastel pen.

 

I don't see that anyone answered your inquiry about the Pentrace GB (green board). Pentrace is another pen chat site. It has its differences from FPN that make it unique. Personally, I prefer FPN. Pentrace has two colored boards - a green board for marketing pens; and a yellow board for community discussions. To seek out an Estie to suit you, you would post your "wanted to buy" on the green board as you would post it on the "Marketplace" here.

 

Good luck. Let us know how you fare.

[knitbug]

Hi, Knitbug!

 

I want to add to the affirmation that your choice of Esterbrooks to try a variety of nibs is a very good one. I have been using Esties for decades and I can't recall one going bad on me. I think I have had one resaced. That is it.

 

I know little about the pastel Esties, so I am learning something new. Of all the Esties I have, I don't have one pastel pen.

 

I don't see that anyone answered your inquiry about the Pentrace GB (green board). Pentrace is another pen chat site. It has its differences from FPN that make it unique. Personally, I prefer FPN. Pentrace has two colored boards - a green board for marketing pens; and a yellow board for community discussions. To seek out an Estie to suit you, you would post your "wanted to buy" on the green board as you would post it on the "Marketplace" here.

 

Good luck. Let us know how you fare.

 

Thanks for vouching for the brand, I'd hate to buy a pen considered among the most fragile! I'm a bit of a klutz. Aren't those little colorful purse pens pretty?! I'm so enamored!

Thanks also for answering my question about Pentrace! I didn't know there was another forum! I wonder if most people post on both forums or if some choose only one, and why?

 

Cheers,

Knitbug

[knitbug]

Oops, I just noticed that the "polkadot" written about above was to describe a pen case, not an acutal purse pen

 

I especially love all of your pink ones! I'm glad I prefer the paler colours, seeing as you've pointed out that the darker ones are more expensive. Congrats on such a gorgeous collection!

 

Cheers,

Knitbug

[John Cullen]

This has been an interesting thread and the pics are wonderful. Thanks to those of you who posted them.

 

For those of you who collect Esterbrooks, how solid are the plastics on these? Will the pastel plastic have gotten brittle over the years and will that make the pen one that needs to be handled extra carefully----say like the vintage mandarin duofolds?

 

Is a purse pen so small is has to be posted? I too assume cap lip cracks are often the result of posting.

 

If one of these pens ends up with a cracked cap lip, what can be done and what is the effect of that on resale value?

 

These pictures people have posted are indeed wonderful. I love looking at the photos on these boards both for the pleasure and education of it. Are these collectible pastels suitable for daily use and carry or are they more collectibles mainly for use at home at the desk?

 

I am surprised at the prices these pastel pens go for. I did not know they were so expensive. Did they not make many or are there just not a lot of them around that survived?

 

Again, amazing collections in those photos. j

 

 

 

 

 

[EventHorizon]

John,

I can hold a purse pen without posting but it is small and not 100% comfortable so if you don't mind posting pens it would be better.

 

The plastics are very durable and if a crack exists it's usually on the pens that Esterbrook first made from injection molding around 1938 (Esterbrook was one of the first to do this). The crack would be on the "seam" line from the molding process. Another crack could be on the cap where it screws to the barrl. I have only seen a few like this and one for sure was due to the owner being a little over zealous tightening the cap.

 

The pastels are just as durable as the other Esterbrooks and can be used all you want. Yes, they are more expensive due to the fact they are harder to find and some of the colors more desirable than the others.

 

For anybody interested in learning more about Esterbrook, there is a book by Paul Hoban that I have, like many others, and it gives a great history of Esterbrook. It is no longer in print and I got mine from E-BAy. The title is "The Fountain Pens of Esterbrook"

Edited June 24, 2007 by EventHorizon

[dwmatteson]

The Hoban book is also available from Pendemonium for $20+shipping. The item code is HOBAN; you can find it in the "Reference Books" section.

 

Don