Eversharp Symphony Varieties?

May 18, 2022

Friends, can any of you share some insight into variations of the Eversharp Symphony? The green pen pictured on the left has a peculiar, curvy section that I can't relate to any Eversharp pens I own or have seen—but otherwise it seems nearly identical to other third-generation Symphony fountain pens I have, such as the black one on on the right. Is this truly a Symphony? Or some other Eversharp model with a Symphony cap subbed on? Or...something else? I'll be grateful for any knowledge you can share!

May 19, 2022

Strange! I think that it did not come like this from the Eversharp factory. Is the green section a single piece and of similar length as the black section? Was the green section sanded down, eg to remove deep pliers marks?

May 19, 2022

Thanks for the questions, @joss. The green section is a single piece and has the same dimensions (except for the pinch shape) as the black section, which is from a known third-gen Symphony. While it's possible that it was modified into this form, I don't see any evidence of that. Also, the green section is a perfect fit and color match to its barrel, and the green pen overall has the same dimensions as the black pen. Internally, the green pen is fitted with a straightforward longitudinally ridged J-bar, which doesn't seem very Eversharp-ish, but lots of pens have had their mechanisms refurbished, after all. So...a bit of a head-scratcher still.

May 19, 2022

Hmmm. I only have one Symphony, and beyond that I don't know much about the pen (my husband spotted it in an antiques mall we were in about an hour east of here a few years ago and said "Hey -- there's a pen in that case! Did you see it?"). And the price seemed decent, so I bought it.

I have notes in my inventory file that it's a 3rd generation (like the black one in the photos), but beyond that I know very little about the pen. And haven't used it for a couple of years, so I don't even remember now what it looks like or which zipper case it's in.... :blush:

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

May 19, 2022

Thanks for the note, @inkstainedruth. Your experience speaks to why I'm skeptical that the section might have been modified. Why would anyone bother? The Symphony is a nice pen, but...just nice. The main draw is the bit of history around the Raymond Loewy–designed "slipper" cap...which wasn't a feature of the third generation. I remain curious!

May 20, 2022

11 hours ago, gcliburn said:

Also, the green section is a perfect fit and color match to its barrel, and the green pen overall has the same dimensions as the black pen. Internally, the green pen is fitted with a straightforward longitudinally ridged J-bar, which doesn't seem very Eversharp-ish, but lots of pens have had their mechanisms refurbished, after all. So...a bit of a head-scratcher still.

If it was modified to remove damage, the section would be original to the pen with perfect fit and colour match. A damaged section can be replaced but in this case you need finding a green Symphony donor pen. Finding that replacement part is always going to cost more than attempting to remove the damage yourself.

The Symphony is not sought after (yet) but also does not come cheap. I think that it is a good looking pen, especially these versions with the Deluxe cap. Your pen also has the nice 'T' banner nib: is that the two tone version of this nib (difficult to see on the picture)?

May 20, 2022

Yes, @joss, I agree the Symphony is a lovely pen, and the nib on this one, though not two-tone, is nice. I’m not convinced this section was modified, but it’s a possibility; if it was modified, whoever did it was very skilled, as the appearance is flawless. Anyway, I’m inclined simply to rehab the filler, smooth the nib as needed, and give the whole pen a cosmetic spa treatment but otherwise let it be as it came to me. If I happen upon a good replacement section, I may swap it out.

May 21, 2022

The depression shows tooling marks which are different from the rest of the section. This means some hobby-machinist turned the section to make it more fitting to his desired grip.

Somebody, in the past owned a lathe, and made use of it.

May 24, 2022

Thanks for the close scrutiny, @Addertooth. Whoever did the modification seems to have had decent skill to go with the tool, if not a strong interest in polishing. As you and @joss, have suggested, I'll think of it as modified unless some impressive counter-evidence shows up.

March 21

Here are my 2 Symphonies. The black one has a slightly larger (gold plated) nib. The blue one has a gold nib, fine, but very smooth and nice. I bought both pens on line and am particularly pleased with the blue one, which also comes with a mechanical pencil. I couln't find too much information on these pens. I would assume them to be model 917, although the blue one carries the number 645 stamped on the body. Most of the Symphonies I've seen have a metal cap.

March 25

Thanks for the reply and photo, @pieemme . Those look like examples of the model 715, with plastic cap, gold-plated furniture, and medium-wide cap band. The models numbered 9xx have chrome-plated furniture. One helpful writeup is at http://www.richardspens.com/ref/profiles/symphony.htm. No idea what the "645" imprint is about!