"The" Pen From Each Decade

[johnboz]

If you had to choose a pen that best represented (or are just your favorite) fountain pens of each decade of the 20th century, which ones would you pick?

 

Here's my picks:

 

1900's - Waterman Eyedropper w/metal overlay

1910's - Conklin Crescent

1920's - Waterman Ripple

1930's - Sheaffer Balance

1940's - Parker "51"

1950's - Esterbrook J

1960's - Parker 45

1970's - Parker T1

1980's - ???

1990's - Montblanc Special Editions?

What the heck...

2000's - Namiki VP?

 

Obviously, I'm pretty weak on modern pens. Let's hear what you think!

[FrankB]

Your list looks pretty good to me. In the 1920's I would choose the Parker Duofold, "Big Red." Parker began reissuing Duofolds in the 1980's, so I would choose the Duofold there, too. Obviously, I am a Duofold fan.

 

In the 1930's the Sheaffer Balance is a good choice. I can also see making a case for the Waterman 100 Year Pen.

[Have Fun]

This question demonstrates my ignorance & inexperience of pens

 

I'll have to skip a few decades but

 

1930's - Sheaffer Balance - Yes - The design re-wrote pen design

1940's - Eversharp Skyline - another re-wrote pen design ~ (Parker "51" - possible but I don't know it personally)

1950's - Esterbrook - Yes but I prefer to use the SJ or LJ

1960's - Rapidographs - Although the design probably originated sooner

70's onwards nothing really appeals to me / or is that revolutionary in design terms

* Edit ~ Apologies here I was forgetting the MYU

 

2000's - perhaps one of the Dani Trios

Edited November 18, 2008 by Have Fun

[blak000]

I don't know much about vintage.

 

For modern pens, though, I'd pick the Pilot Custom 823. I don't own one myself (I have the Custom 743), but feel that it is one very special pen. The transparent body, vacuum system, modern styling, and awesome #15 Pilot nib make it a writer that many people will remember for many years to come.

[burmeseboyz]

This question demonstrates my ignorance & inexperience of pens

 

I'll have to skip a few decades but

 

+1 to both. But here's my list:

30's: Parker Vac.

40's: Parker 51.

50's: Sheaffer Snorkel.

60's: Sheaffer PFM.

70's and later: Pilot Vanishing Point.

 

edit: Embarrassing decade misplacements. :embarrassed_smile:

Edited November 18, 2008 by burmeseboyz

[Johnny Appleseed]

If you had to choose a pen that best represented (or are just your favorite) fountain pens of each decade of the 20th century, which ones would you pick?

 

Here's my picks:

 

1900's - Waterman Eyedropper w/metal overlay

1910's - Conklin Crescent

1920's - Waterman Ripple

1930's - Sheaffer Balance

1940's - Parker "51"

1950's - Esterbrook J

1960's - Parker 45

1970's - Parker T1

1980's - ???

1990's - Montblanc Special Editions?

What the heck...

2000's - Namiki VP?

 

Obviously, I'm pretty weak on modern pens. Let's hear what you think!

 

No Snorkel? Them's fightin words. . .

 

 

Why stop at 1900? Lets go:

 

1860s - Prince's Protean Pen

1870s - Cross or McKinnon Stylograph

1880s - Paul Wirt or L.E. Waterman original ED (maybe one for each?)

Not sure for 1890s -

 

For 1900 it would have to be a Boston Safety. The invention of the inner cap revolutionized fountain pen manufacture - you can't leave that out of the picture. Just about every new pen from then until the Parker 51 used the threaded inner-cap principle.

 

The crescent came out in the late 1890s, so it would be more in the running for 1900 than 1910s. By the 'teens you had dozen of self-filling pens, including the lever filler. Maybe Sheaffers original lever filler?

 

I would go with either a Sheaffer flat top in Jade, for the first Big use of celluloid, or the Parker Duofold, which also was a pretty influential design. Of course the first celluloid was LeBoeuf, in 1922 or so, so we could use that, but I don't think it was "the" pen from that era.

 

Balance and Vacumatic of course are neck-and-neck for the 1930s.

 

I would give the 40s to the 51 - though Sheaffer did have the Triumph nib. Give the 40s to Parker and the 50s to the Snorkel.

 

John

 

 

[burmeseboyz]

For modern pens, though, I'd pick the Pilot Custom 823. I don't own one myself (I have the Custom 743), but feel that it is one very special pen. The transparent body, vacuum system, modern styling, and awesome #15 Pilot nib make it a writer that many people will remember for many years to come.

 

Oh I love my 823. It is one pen that I would willingly marry... if that was legal. However, I doubt that it's as popular as Pilot's own VP or the modern Pelikans.

[JJBlanche]

Wasn't the vanishing point made for the World's Fair sometime in the 1960s? 1980's would be the Pelikan M400, for me. 1990s would be Visconti, as a brand. Turn of the (21st) century...don't really have enough perspective, yet.

Edited November 18, 2008 by JJBlanche

[Roger W.]

I think the key pen for 1980 would not be a reissued pen such as the duofold but, the solid Sheaffer Targa.

 

Roger W.

[Deirdre]

Since nearly all my favorite pens are from the last two decades, this kind of decade thing just makes me wonder what my counter-idea would be.

[Hugh200au]

I've used the criteria that the pen of a decade should have been either easily accesible to plenty of people or a technical achievement worthy of merit.

00's Conklin Cresent

10's Shaeffer lever filler- the simplest and most durable system ever invented !!

20's I lean to Parker "Big Red", surely the iconic American pen... but plenty of contenders

30's Conklin Nozac - another revolutionary filling system

40's P51 -I lean to the aerometrics , Wearever 100- a great pen for the money and probably a massive seller.

50's Parker 21 or a Sheaffer Snorkel.. the former a quality for price winner the latter a technical masterpiece

60's Parker 45 - again a price/quality/durabily winner

70's Parker 45- more of the same...

80's Parker 45- getting somewhat monotonous, but still the most accessable value for money around.

90's and latter- out of my depth

[DeaconKC]

+1 on the Targa for the 80s. I would add the Pelikan 215 series for the 2000 decade as it is such a solid example of current state of the pen art. Good quality, nibs, piston fill, etc.

[offbase]

20's - Too many Waterman's to choose from

30's - Parker Vac

40's & 50's - Parker '51

60's - dunno

70's - 80's Parker '75

90's & 00's? I don't see anything that REALLY took off like the others. Hate to say it, but based on the average person's perspective, the precious resin monstrosity with the deformed snowflake on top of it.

 

[Richard]

Here's my list, culled from this page on my site -- the reasons for my choices are explained there.

 

1900–1909: Conklin's Crescent-Filler

1910–1919: Sheaffer's Lever Filler

1920–1929: Sheaffer's Radite

1930–1939: The Esterbrook Re-New-Point Nib

1940–1949: The Parker "51"

1950–1959: The Waterman C/F

1960–1969: The Parker 45

1970–1979: Targa by Sheaffer

1980–1989: The New Parker Duofold

1990–1999: The Parker Sonnet

 

[sumgaikid]

When it comes to "the pen from each decade",I take a slightly different tack:

 

-20's: Parker Duofold

-30's: Parker Vac,Chilton Long Island,Waterman Patrician,Eversharp Doric,Montblanc Meisterstuck 13x series

-40's: Parker Vac Imperial,51 Coronet,Swan Lizardskin

-50's: Parker 51 Presidential,Montblanc Meisterstuck 13x,14x series(esp. green & grey striated),CS "Cracked Ice"

 

Fountain pen use declined in the 60's in favor of the ball-point,so very few FP'S are standouts in this decade.

 

John

[xlvan]

Well here's my picks for landmark pens.

 

1940's Parker 51 - A pen that sent every manufacturer back to the drawing board.

1950's A tie between the Waterman C/F and Parker Jotter.

1960's I have to go with the completely modern and still in production Lamy 2000.

1970's Aurora Hastil – Every manufacturer made a copy of this iconic design.

1980's Lamy Safari - A pen owned by probably 90% of FPN members and remains a best seller 28 years young.

1990's The growth of the limited edition market, collectors only, not to be written with pen.

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2008 by xlvan

[gyasko]

1900s -- Conklin Crescent filler

1910s -- ack! i don't have any pens from this era

1920s -- Waterman 52

1930s -- Balance

1940s -- Parker 51

1950s -- Snorkel

1960s -- Parker 75

1970s -- Pilot Myu

1980s -- Montblanc Blingpen

1990s -- ???

2000s -- Rotring Core

[Shangas]

1900s - Conklin Crescent-filler.

1910s - Waterman '52' or Parker 'Jack-knife'.

1920s - Parker 'Duofold'.

1930s - Sheaffer 'Balance'.

1940s - Parker '51'.

1950s - Sheaffer Snorkel.

1960s - Parker '45'.

1970s - Sheaffer Targa.

1980s - Waterman Phileas.

1990s - Parker Sonnet?

2000s - ...Not sure.