Early model Hero 330? Please tell me the detailed information.

[Number99]

Hello.

 

It is Hero 330 from any point of view, but there is no inscription of Hero letters and logo, and there is a characteristic logo with A facing each other in capital letters and the inscription of Superior 330 in the filler.

 

 The placement of the inscription on the filler is very similar to that of the Hong Kong export version of Hero 329 in the 1960s.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/366336-im-curious-what-you-think-of-pens-made-in-china/?do=findComment&comment=4536863

 

 

 It is mentioned here that it is the early 1960s Hero 330.

 

https://clemdionglay.wordpress.com/category/fountain-pens/

 

 I found the following post in the forum search. Misunderstandings and prejudices-based discussions stand out in this thread.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/95438-anyone-know-about-the-superior-330-fountain-pen-or-superior-brand/

 

 

 If it's an early version of Hero330, I'd like to know the correct brand name, why the brand is different, and if other 3xx series have this phenomenon.

 

 We welcome all information and thank you in advance.

 

Postscript; There is no country of origin indication such as Made in China.

 

Edited June 10, 2022 by Number99
Image attachment.

[Mech-for-i]

well this is most likely an export only OEM order production, the absence of any Chinese TEXT on both the box and the sac protector pretty much tells, Hero had long in the business of providing both unique or re branded production towards OEM order ( still doing that today ) , where this " SUPERIOR " brand goes, am not so sure but likely South / West Asia region and Europe

[Number99]

4 hours ago, Mech-for-i said:

well this is most likely an export only OEM order production, the absence of any Chinese TEXT on both the box and the sac protector pretty much tells, Hero had long in the business of providing both unique or re branded production towards OEM order ( still doing that today ) , where this " SUPERIOR " brand goes, am not so sure but likely South / West Asia region and Europe

Thank you very much.

 

 It can be explained that there is no country of origin indication in OEM and the brand is different.

 I think the OEM request source and export destination are the Philippines or neighboring countries.

 I will check it a bit more.

 

[Number99]

Other than my pen, I found two identical pens on the net only in the Philippines, but scrutiny revealed that they could be the same pen.

 Therefore, my guess that the OEM requester and export destination is the Philippines or neighboring countries has returned to the starting line.

 

 What I got this time is that this pen is a relatively good export version, not the so-called old stock since the 1990s, which is of low quality, as is the case with many Chinese low-end vintage fountain pens.

 

 I'm still not sure if it's a 1960s product.

 However, if it is a feature of the 1960s to engrave the model number on the filler sack guard, there is a possibility.

 

  I think this pen is decent enough, at least for a fountain pen for everyday use, and worthy of collection.

 

 The linked article mentions "having a gold nib" for this model, but my pen is similar to the export version of the Hero 330 and has an "铱尖" "iridium tip gold-plated stainless nib".

 

 

 

[Mech-for-i]

depend on the order specifics , the 330 use the non standard 21.5 x 3.5 tubular nib , and indeed Hero did made 12K gold nib in this form factor, notably used in their 130, 131, 132 model ; I would not be surprised , if an order ask for it , that gold nib could be provided for

 

engraving on the sac guard is not exclusive to older 60's production so that cannot be taken as an  identification feature, but I do agree its most likely export version which go through extra steps in fitting , tuning and QC at the factory , I had a collection of export 33X and they all shown superlative quality over their home market peers ( despite all the parts being just the same )

[Number99]

46 minutes ago, Mech-for-i said:

depend on the order specifics , the 330 use the non standard 21.5 x 3.5 tubular nib , and indeed Hero did made 12K gold nib in this form factor, notably used in their 130, 131, 132 model ; I would not be surprised , if an order ask for it , that gold nib could be provided for

 

engraving on the sac guard is not exclusive to older 60's production so that cannot be taken as an  identification feature, but I do agree its most likely export version which go through extra steps in fitting , tuning and QC at the factory , I had a collection of export 33X and they all shown superlative quality over their home market peers ( despite all the parts being just the same )

I didn't know that gold nibs would be used in these series.

 From now on, I have to be careful about it.

 As I confirmed with the loupe, the polishing after plating is carefully applied, but the boundary between the plated surface and the chip is unclear and the chip is slightly golden.

 My Superior 330 was "铱尖" "Iridium"...

 

 Thank you for engraving the model number of the filler sack guard.

 It will be used as an export version identifier in the future.

 

 As I read in the article about 329, it was mentioned that the domestic version of iridium chips and the export version of iridium chips are made of different materials.

Do you have any knowledge about that?

 The Chinese articles I read use Google Translate, so there are sometimes "serious mistranslations" (probably my post ...)

 

 

 

 

[Number99]

I came across an example of distribution as a set with a ballpoint pen.

We will update the information for viewers by later search.

 Comes in a paper vanity case set with a ballpoint pen. There was an explanation that some were used.

 I've seen a similar set of Hero 329.

 Apparently one of the export destinations was Japan.

 There is no indication of the manufacturer or publisher in this box either, so "Superior" may still be a brand name.

 

 

 * Quoted image from the net.

Edited July 9, 2022 by Number99