Platinum 3776 Redux

[stan]

There seems to be much activity recently regarding Platinum 3776 pens so we thought to provide images of some of our collection. Sixty three (63) are shown. Sorry not everything. Maybe about ten to fifteen more. Difficult to access right now. We guess there might be another fifty to sixty more different regular, LE, and SE models out there so there is a good number of pens to pick and chose from, and this does not include more recent Century models. Nibs. Cap Bands, Feeds. Etc. That could be another post as there are basic differences in models as the 3776 evolved. Please don't ask about model numbers. We might be able to find some in our back catalogues but, frankly, this is a meaningless exercise.

 

As you go through the photographs note there are only two (maybe three?) duplicates.

 

This started as a low cost effort to see what was out there with a focus only on older models with ebonite feeds and JIS marks on the nib and it got out of hand. Except for several LEs and SEs we have pretty much held to that direction. We're probably missing fifty to sixty models if we were to acquire an entire collection.

 

Please ask about any model. Some are super rare and doubt they can easily be found. One of the models shown was designed for the 65th anniversary of Godzilla. I've developed a fondness for him.

 

 

[mke]

Now, this is a really nice collection! Congratulations. Hopefully, you can add pictures of the remaining pens too.

 

[jde]

Stan, thank you for sharing your photos. I particularly love the top photo with the Platinum that has clovers on it. (Are they flowers?) Gorgeous. But they are all beautiful, and they are pens I haven't seen in a very long time. 

[Fatestorm]

This is a wonderful collection.  I am new to Platinum, so I can contribute nothing more than my admiration and gratitude--one day I hope my collection will be as beautiful!

 

I particularly enjoy the second photo, the 3rd and 4th from the left--the two that look similar to the ringed celluloid of the Parker Vacumatics.  Were such pens in current production, I would buy every model. I just adore that design.

[kpong11]

Thanks for sharing this awesome collection

[stan]

13 hours ago, jde said:

Stan, thank you for sharing your photos. I particularly love the top photo with the Platinum that has clovers on it. (Are they flowers?) Gorgeous. But they are all beautiful, and they are pens I haven't seen in a very long time. 

Thank you. Supposedly it and the adjoining neko clipped pen were made for an unknown jewelry shop. Yodobashi Camera in Shinjuku had several for sale. Their advertisement did not mention it. Those may have been remaining unsold stock. According to Yodobashi, the diamond in the clover is real. The clips were mentioned to be vermeil but, don't know for sure. They came with 14K MEDIUM nibs.

 

Could be aftermarket products. Note the two pens with the animals to the right that are aftermarket. Same type of barrel. Platinum was known for selling standard models for others to decorate. 

[stan]

9 hours ago, Fatestorm said:

This is a wonderful collection.  I am new to Platinum, so I can contribute nothing more than my admiration and gratitude--one day I hope my collection will be as beautiful!

 

I particularly enjoy the second photo, the 3rd and 4th from the left--the two that look similar to the ringed celluloid of the Parker Vacumatics.  Were such pens in current production, I would buy every model. I just adore that design.

Thank you. The 'Parker' style of celluloid was used by a number of Japanese makers from the mid-1930s onward. The type of celluloid seems to have fallen out of favor in the 1950s. Platinum must have purchased sufficient celluloid to market it to at least 2000 when it disappears from their catalogue. Both celluloid patterns sell for a premium over others, when they can be found. 

[jchch1950]

A wonderful collection.😋 Do your celluloid pens show any change of colour or size?

[stan]

4 hours ago, jchch1950 said:

A wonderful collection.😋 Do your celluloid pens show any change of colour or size?

Color: I don't recall any discernable change in color. Maybe if I look hard under different types of lighting there might be some differences. But no, no changes. On one of the pens the colors the celluloid section seems darker and brighter. This might be due to the batches of celluloid used. Pen makers produce a large number of parts and assemble from those batches of parts so it is possible different colorations might occur.

 

Size: Celluloid shrinks over time. older models with flat cap bands are slightly snugger onto the threads of the section. Sometimes tight but, can be removed without any problems. Models with the curved cap bands tend to grip the threaded portion of the section and remove it along with the barrel. Undesirable as impossible to insert cartridge or convertor. Some work okay and some are very tight requiring gently heat for removing the barrel. As they reshrink heat might need to be applied to reattach the barrel. Buy models where you can see the barrel removed without any problems. They are out there. Can it be repaired? My understanding is yes it can. There are pensmiths who can relearn the celluloid to not shrink as much. I've tried this on three pens and was successful on one. Two were victims of too much heat. Heck, I'm not a professional.

[Ambien]

Thanks for the photos. I like the nature and flower themed pens. 

[Paul-in-SF]

Thanks for the photos, they certainly bear studying for examples of pens no longer in production (not to mention very nice to look at just to enjoy).

 

I see you have two of the "PTB" Gathered versions of the 3776 (2nd photo, on the left). I've had one of those for a while, but I'm dubious about the snap cap, it seems to not provide much of an air seal. Have you had any issues with them drying out?

[mallymal1]

Superb.

[stan]

On 10/28/2021 at 10:21 AM, Paul-in-SF said:

I see you have two of the "PTB" Gathered versions of the 3776 (2nd photo, on the left). I've had one of those for a while, but I'm dubious about the snap cap, it seems to not provide much of an air seal. Have you had any issues with them drying out?

The snap cap on the gathered models is the same as on every snap cap model made by Platinum until recently. I try to use pens regularly so I've had no issues with them drying out. 

[Paul-in-SF]

1 hour ago, stan said:

The snap cap on the gathered models is the same as on every snap cap model made by Platinum until recently. I try to use pens regularly so I've had no issues with them drying out. 

 

Thanks for the information. I don't think I have any other snap cap Platinums to compare to. 

[effandpee]

FWIW, I did have problems with my 3776 Gathered drying out, but the hack described here (including by contributors to this thread!) managed to help things: Platinum Pen - Loose Cap - Japan - Asia - The Fountain Pen Network

[jchch1950]

Stan: thank for your information ,it is very useful.😃

[amk]

Wow, what a superb collection! The one that catches my eye is the black one with golden diagonal streams (right hand side of the next to last pictures). Was that an LE or aftermarket?

[stan]

4 hours ago, amk said:

Wow, what a superb collection! The one that catches my eye is the black one with golden diagonal streams (right hand side of the next to last pictures). Was that an LE or aftermarket?

It is difficult to determine if a model was a 'regular' issue pen as Platinum provides model numbers for most of their pens whether they made it into the annual catalogue. Without digging through my records I believe it had a number.

 

That said, there were only a limited quantity made with visually obvious differences in pens as the artwork and urushi was applied by hand. So, LE would be the most appropriate description.

 

Interesting you mention aftermarket. Most of the aftermarket models in the photos above have a gold ring near the end of the barrels and they appear to be pre-Century models. It may be that Platinum supported aftermarket production at one time as it was possible to purchase the basic model in quantity directly from Platinum. Without input from Platinum it may be impossible to determine who bought and made what during this era. In addition to the Kubo models above (animals on the barrels), Ron Dutcher had at least two models made, and a laquerware firm in northern Japan made a very limited number of simple makie models with very elegant thick black urushi applied to the barrel and cap. In the first photo above the second pen from the right is also an aftermarket design by unknown artist. I will make a follow up post on what I know to be aftermarket models.

[stan]

I've attached a photo from a 2018 promotional brochure that depicts the history of the development of the 3776. Thought it might be beneficial for those with older models.

 

 

[amk]

What's the little fat one? Is it a tribute to the 'jumbo' pens of old? It's very cute!