migo984
May 12th, 2015, 10:05 PM
Just arrived, a vintage Aikin Lambert Capitole Cabinet in an attractive brown & gold celluloid, with a really great 18k Capitole nib. It has a heart-shaped breather hole. It's a slightly unusual nib; it writes on the fine side, with perhaps a hint of an italic edge. The nib is marked "18KT Capitole, U.S. America" and is original to the pen. Later nibs were marked A.L.Co. It makes that wonderful "scratchy" noise on paper that I associate with good antique nibs. Despite the noise it writes smoothly, and the ink flow is great. I love the feedback it gives.
The pen appears to have had very little previous use.
Aikin Lambert were originally a jewellery maker, founded in 1864 and based in New York. After diversifying into gold dip pens to meet demand after the American Civil War, they went on to make fountain pens, and to supply very high quality gold nibs to Wirt & L.E. Waterman, in the latter part of the 19thC and early 20thC. Waterman eventually absorbed the company around 1915, but continued to make some of the Aikin Lambert pen models. I believe (please correct me if I'm wrong), that these pens eventually evolved, through several iterations, into the 1930s - 40s Skylines.
The pen appears to have had very little previous use.
Aikin Lambert were originally a jewellery maker, founded in 1864 and based in New York. After diversifying into gold dip pens to meet demand after the American Civil War, they went on to make fountain pens, and to supply very high quality gold nibs to Wirt & L.E. Waterman, in the latter part of the 19thC and early 20thC. Waterman eventually absorbed the company around 1915, but continued to make some of the Aikin Lambert pen models. I believe (please correct me if I'm wrong), that these pens eventually evolved, through several iterations, into the 1930s - 40s Skylines.