What are your top ten favorite vintage pens?

[lalindsay225]

As I posted recently, I have recently learned to appreciate vintage fountain pens, after a decade of collecting only moderns. I was wondering what vintage pen makers and/or models are popular, especially in terms of looks, performance, affordability, repairability, and dependability.

 

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

Lisa

[OldGriz]

I don't think I have 10 but here are my favorites not in any particular order...

 

1. Parker 51 - I prefer vac fillers, but the aero is a lot easier for a new collector to flush out and get writing. All time favorite is the Flighter, even though it is not a vac fill...

2. Vacumatics - I really love the First Generations and have all the colors... but there are so many variables that it is insane to keep up with them...

They are generally fantastic writers and if you get a Canadian made one it might have a flexy nib. Down side it restoration.... not for the faint of heart...

3. Parker Duofolds... the old ones, especially the true blue ... there is just something about that color....

4. Sheaffer Snorkel and Touch Downs with Triumph nibs... interesting filling system and great nibs... occassionally you can find a flexy one

5. Sheaffer Tuckaway with Triumph nibs... most are vac fillers that will need professional repair.. but they also made them in a touch down filler..

Great writing pens and just so neat looking with that mini clip

[Ernst Bitterman]

Pretty much any Sheaffer with a triumph point, vacuum-filler or flat-top. The vacs are stinkers to repair but generally sweet pens otherwise.

 

Parkers appear more popular, because I've been able to afford far more Sheaffers than Parkers-- I do like all the pre-1960 Parkers I've got (5 or 6 of diverse sorts), and can understand somewhat the fascination. Vacumatics are a good combination of interesting mechanism, nice points and good looks, but are also not fun for repairing. "51"s are an iconic pen, and you should probably try one sometime in your life-- some folks are mad on 'em.

 

I've yet to get a vintage Waterman that has quite lived up to the hype-- they're nice, but the ones I've got stop short of anything beyond nice (because, in part, I scrape around the bottom of the pile for want of money). I can see the promise of hype living-up-to in a couple of them...

[Shangas]

Parker Duofold and the Sheaffer flattops/Balances. They were icons of their era upon which most modern pens are still modelled. Also, they're easy to repair and they look great!!

[johnboz]

I exclusively collect vintage pens and while I won't claim to have used them all, I've been fortunate enough to lay my hands on a few. Here's a quick list, but this is just my opinion:

 

Looks: I think the Parker Vacumatic is a very attractive pen. I also think that Waterman Ripples are beautiful as well. Of course, there's the beautiful silver and gold overlays that many companies put out, but that's getting a little out there.

 

Performance: I have yet to see a Parker 51 Aerometric that has not just needed a cleaning to start writing. These things are pretty tough pens and great writers. Esterbrook pens are also some that you can usually pick up and start using with minimal fuss. The sacs seem to survive pretty well and if you don't like the nib or if it's ruined, just pop in a new one!

 

Affordability: Once again, Esterbrooks are excellent pens for what they cost ($15-$30). I'd also have to say that Parker 51s can be had for under $50 and are great pens. I've also had very good luck with some of the Waterman's made in the 40's and they've cost me less than $40.

 

Repairability: Most simple lever-fillers are easy to make basic repairs on. But, once again I think Esterbrook is on top here, as a damaged nib just needs unscrewed and a good nib screwed back in.

 

Personally, I think it's really nice to sample different pens. You'll eventually start to pick up on what you like about certain pens and dislike about other pens. Then you can narrow it down and really focus your collection. Too bad I'm not there yet!

[Martius]

Except for #1, these are in no particular order.

 

1. Sheaffer TM Triumph Snorkel. I love the look and the nibs are great. A masterwork of precision engineering and anti-bling style.

2. Sheaffer Flat-Top Senior. I find these pens to be some of the best balanced of all pens (even more so than the Balance).

3. Sheaffer Lifetime Balance. Some great wet stiff nibs on these. They are also cheap.

4. Waterman 7 with "Pink" nib. Nice big size with magnificent flex.

5. Parker Vac. Love the celluloid.

6. Sheaffer Targa. Great size, weight, and nib.

7. Sheaffer PFM-style pens. Ditto from 4; those inlaid nibs are fantastic.

8. Waterman 52 - a great sized pen.

9. Parker "51" - a true classic. No-nonsense users.

10. Vintage green-stripe Pelikans. Some nice soft nibs and classic looks.

 

I had to cut out some great pens (like vintage MB, Pilot, Mabie Todd, and the Duofold Senior), so don't be offended if you didn't see yours here.

 

Best,

Summer Greer

[Treehugger]

Being a newbie my exposure is limited. I have a couple Wahl Eversharp Skylines and a Sheaffer Admiral w/ a triumph nib. I would recommend anything with a triumph nib. I fell in love with it the first time I inked it up.

[philm]

It' hard to pick ten, but I will give it a shot. I use almost exclusively vintage so....

 

1a. Pelikan 100N

1. Parker Duofold Senior

2. Sheaffer Touchdown (pre 1950 before the thin models)

3. Parker Vacumatic

4. Waterman 5x (pick either 52 or 54)

5. Parker 51 Vac

6. Parker Duofold Jr.

7. Any vintage Eyedropper

8. Aurora 88P (not very vintage though)

9. Conklin Crescent Fillers

 

Whew....

[aunt rebecca]

parker vacs

parker duofolds--i love the canadian nibs, when i can find those pens.

parker televisors-- these are made in canada, wonderful nibs.

pelikans from the 30s, some have flexible steel nibs.

conway-stewart 58s--sweet nibs

sheaffer triumphs

sheaffer flattops

waterman 100 year pens.

wahl-eversharp personal points

old momtblancs

osmias

and so many more!!

[Doug Add]

My favorite is the Parker Duofold Jr. because its short length when capped allows it to fit in a small shirt pocket, yet with the cap posted it is a comfortable length for writing. However, the best part is the nib--what a great writing pen!

 

Except for triumph nibs that leak I have never had a vintage Sheaffer pen that was anything but a reliable pen and good writer. Most are a bit too thin to be comfortable for me, but the oversize Balance and Flat Tops are fantastic.

 

1950s era German pens, my favorite being the Pelikan 400 series and the Geha Schulfuller pens. I also had a 1952 Mont Blanc 142 that I was foolish to ever part with. Nice size and fabulous semi-flex fine nib.

 

I have owned two Parker Vacs, and they both had really nice nibs. The filling mechanism is a bit funky to me, but they are sweet writers.

 

The English Parkers I have owned have also been very nice. I had a couple Juniors and a Victory. The Juniors had rather wide medium nibs, and the Victory a really nice semi-flex fine.

 

I know you will get to see many, many vintage pens at the show next month. However, if you want to try some of mine to help you get a feel for what you like and what feels good in your hand before the show, PM me. I make it down to Raleigh on a fairly regular basis.

[Fountainbass]

I can only come up with four, based on my personal experience & my pen collection. Here they are in no particular order:

 

1. Parker Duofold flattop - Large, beautiful pen that writes well & is extremely simple to repair. I love the button fill mechanism, too.

2. Parker Vacumatic - Great-looking pens, and I love the large ink capacity.

3. Parker 51 - Need I say more?

4. Sheaffer Balance - A great, streamlined-looking, lightweight pen.

[System of Adam]

Okay, I have limited experience but my personal feeling is that learning to collect a vintage pen is mostly learning to like a pen that writes well and you can afford. For some people that means Waterman 100 years, or Duofolds... they write great, look great and if you can afford them they are wonderful. For those of us with a more modest budget, things like Eversharp Pacemakers and Esterbrooks fit the bill... once again they write well (or can be adjusted to write well) look great and pretty much any one can afford them.

 

I would never argue that an Esterbrook with a steel nib could out-smooth a Waterman hundred but one I can afford and one I cannot so I learn to love the pen that meets my needs and find that my learning it's history and collecting it's rarer varieties I can get at least as much enjoyment out of my collection as the guy with the Dorics and Decos.

 

Sometimes you also just find a pen that works well for you regardless of anyone else's preferences or prejudices, I have a Sheaffer Fashion slim line fountain pen that writes beautifully but I've not heard of anyone trying to collect those.

 

My point is that the fountain pen world has enough nooks and crannies for any price point and any taste, and it's hard to decide what you like based on the masses preferences.

[simonrob]

As I posted recently, I have recently learned to appreciate vintage fountain pens, after a decade of collecting only moderns. I was wondering what vintage pen makers and/or models are popular, especially in terms of looks, performance, affordability, repairability, and dependability.

 

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

Lisa

 

I couldn't possibly limit it to 10, so I'll cheat and refer to classes of pens. I haven't yet developed that whatever-it-takes to consider repairing a pen myself, so I'll just ignore repairability (there are enough trained professionals out there, and I'm quite happy to play my tiny part in keeping them going).

 

My favorite vintage pens to look at include, in no particular order, Pelikan 100 (standard green or grey), Pelikan 100N (ditto), Pelikan 140 (green striped - a bit small, perhaps, but I don't think any pen looks better than this; perfect proportions, perfect shape, perfect colour combination), various other German celluloid pens from the 30s, Waterman (silver) Ink-vue, Parker mandarin Duofold (for some reason I prefer the look of these in the junior size), blue Parker Vacumatic, striped Parker duofold (all of them, but especially the green/brown), just about any Wahl/Eversharp gold seal flat top, Eversharp Skyline with striped caps, blue or moss agate Waterman Patrician (not that I own one - in the future, perhaps...), any number of black pens with gold trim, or coral or lapis.

 

My favorites to write with have flexible nibs and/or are left obliques (usually closer to stubs than cursive italic). For that combination, nothing beats German pens from the 30s-50s (and sometimes beyond); Pelikan, Soennecken, Montblanc, Geha, Osmia Faber-Castell and others all made marvelous left oblique nibs in varying widths with varying degrees of flex (my recently-acquired flexible OBB oblique by Soennecken is just astonishing to write with and, despite its designation, not that broad unless you flex it). Nothing made today comes close, except perhaps Lamy 2000 (but then it's probably old enough to qualify as vintage anyway). (Other countries sometimes produced such nibs - e.g. I have an Onoto and an English Parker Duofold with semi-flex oblique nibs - but as far as I can tell straight stubs were more common outside Germany than obliques.)

 

For regular flex nibs, the vintage Germans are still good, but the competition from elsewhere is much stiffer. For very fine nibs that spread with pressure to something much wider, Waterman (especially the Pink nib), Conklin and Wahl/Eversharp probably lead the pack, while for an all-purpose semiflex which just provides a pleasant comfortable ride, I doubt anything beats a Waterman 100 Year nib. For broader flexible nibs Swan (English or American) probably gets my vote.

 

Standard firm round-tip nibs don't interest me much and if I'm going to use one at all it has to be wet enough to leave a bold line, even if fine. I have a Parker Big Red with a nail-hard medium nib fine-tuned by Greg Minuskin that strikes me as being as good as such a nib is ever going to be (though I have a few Sheaffers that run it close).

 

Simon

[Robert Hughes]

My favorite vintage pens? Waterman 52 of course, along with the usual characters - Parker 51, Sheaffer Lifetime, Esterbrook, Eversharp Skyline, Sweeney Todd and Charlie Manson - oops, make that Mabie Todd and Conway Stewart.

Edited May 15, 2008 by Robert Hughes

[lalindsay225]

Thanks, everyone, for your helpful suggestions. Some might say my first vintage pen was the best -- it was a Parker 51 vac filler that my grandmother used during her days as a nurse in the Women's Army Corps during World War II. Ron Z restored it at last year's Raleigh Pen Show, and it's an amazing pen.

 

I also have an Epenco Merlin that I like using. I have acquired a couple of pens that need new sacs, including an Eversharp Fifth Avenue 6?4 (eBay) and an Esterbrook that came from a desk at my grandparents's house. And en route, also from eBay, is a Kaweco Monopol 200. Hmm, I might be selling off some of my Asian pens soon.

 

Lisa

[dmmcf]

I'm not really a collector of anything (well, maybe ink; I'm trying not to look at the shelf to my left, it scares my wallet), but I do find I'm drawn to the Parker Vacumatic. This evening I've finally found time to use one I picked up at the Chicago show for a modest price, and it's chugged through several notebook pages without a bit of trouble. I've had a similar experience with a Vac I found on the FPN Marketplace around the beginning of the year. Neither pen will ever pass for new, but neither will I, and at least they've been restored.

 

I'll also second the positive opinions about Esterbrooks. I have a grey J that's a thing of beauty, however humble its beginnings may have been.

 

Maybe it's just that my tastes are unsophisticated or immature...nah, these are nice pens.

 

Michael

 

[PAKMAN]

Well Let See:

 

From the ones I have the most of in my collection:

 

Parker Vacs

Parker Duofolds

Waterman 7, 5, 54

Wahl Gold Seal Personal Points

Parker 51

Sheaffer PFM

Sheaffer Carmine Craftsman

Conklin Endura

Conklin crescent filler

Eversharp Symphony

Esterbrook

 

 

[LedZepGirl]

I've only really played with Sheaffers, Parkers and Esterbrooks. But my tops are:

Parker Duofold- simple filler mechanism, smooth, wet writing nibs, plus their not bad looking pens.

Parker Vacumatic- nice looking, write great and hold loads of ink. I've been averaging eleven pages both sides with my debutante.

Esterbrook J's and Transitionals- you can't go wrong with them. They are easy to fix and maintain. If you have any nib problems you just screw in a new one. The only downside is they are quite small and it's easy to touch the nib and get inky fingers.

Parker Super 21's aren't bad either, they write nice and smooth and always start right away even if you've let is sit awhile with the cap off. They are tough little things too- depending on what year they were made. Some models are prone to cracking or plastic shrinkage. The performance of this pen has made me want to get a Parker 51- vacumatic model.

[MYU]

Lots of praise for Parker, Sheaffer, Esterbrook, and Waterman. But no mention yet of Japanese or German pens. Would it have to be 50+ years to be considered vintage?

 

The huge inlaid nib that Pilot came out with on the Custom series is superb. It can write very smoothly with a little spring, and doesn't dry out rapidly. It's probably my all time favorite writer.

 

Equally a favorite of mine is the Lamy brand. The 2000 and 27 models have excellent nibs in a wide range of sizes. These pens also come with ink windows, which I find to be a very useful feature.

 

Vintage Montblanc pens are great writing instruments as well. If you look for the right models in the 60's and 70's, you can avoid the hyped overpriced models. You get top-notch nibs on those pens, too.

[gyasko]

Lookers

1. Vacumatic
2. Doric
3. Balances
4. Duofolds
5. Esterbrook Dollar Pens (I don't like the jewels on the Js)

Good/fun writers:

1. Skylines
2. Wahl ringtops
3. Dorics
4. Triumph-nibbed Sheaffers (If i weren't a flex guy, these would be at the top of my list.)
5. 50s Pelikans. (love the broad and exotic nibs)

Blah, but usually reliable:

• 51, aerometric version

My favourite pens are Vacs with Skyline nibs.

 

If the Parker 75 is considered vintage, i'd figure that in somewhere. I like the nibs better than those on Vacs or the 51s.