Four German pens from the fifties

[Shinyblue]

Here are four German pens form the Fifties from top to bottom:

Pelikan 140

Montblanc 344 with gold nib

Staedtler

Soennecken 444

 

The Montblanc is an odd one, no ink window and petrol blue colour which implies it's an export model.

The Staedtler has the smallest nib and was probably the cheapest. Anybody know more about this model (nothing written on the barrel).

 

Eric

[OCArt]

@ShinyblueGerman piston fillers from the 50's are my jam and you've got some beauties. I've never held a Staedtler. or a Soennecken, do they have the same soft bouncy nibs as Pelikans and MBs from that era?

[Christopher Godfrey]

OCArt, I can, in some small way, answer your question inasmuch as I have several Soennecken pens.  The nibs are <all> good ones, some having moderate flex and the best being the equal of any good vintage Pelikan.  One of my Soenneckens, for example -- a rather small model 504 -- has a most wonderfully-flexible nib!

 

As for build quality: as good as any, with the upper level pens of the 1950s (models 111, 222) being equal to any MB or Pelikan, IMO.

 

I hope this helps?

[OCArt]

@Christopher Godfrey Thanks, I expected that the nibs and quality would be similar. Now I have a model number to look for!

[Shinyblue]

The Soennecken nib has quite some flex and an unusual right oblique resulting in thin horizontal lines and thicker vertical lines. 444s are the cheapest version of the 111, 222, etc series but their nibs are still high standard.

All have flex, even the Staedtler, compared to British or American pens at that time a big difference.

 

Soenneckens are fairly rare and therefore expensive - nearly always $100+. Staedtlers are also rare but don't get much attention and it's almost impossible to find any info about them.