Interesting pen on ebay

[sloegin]

Link (http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-ESTERBROOK-1555-FOUNTAIN-PEN-RARE-/291516354630?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43dfba9046#).

[Scrawler]

Yes it is an interesting Dollar pen. I get the impression the celluloid is crystallizing from the way parts of it seem to glow.

[pajaro]

Yes it is an interesting Dollar pen. I get the impression the celluloid is crystallizing from the way parts of it seem to glow.

You mean it's deteriorating?

I think that's a cracked ice pattern. I know they have a higher than usual Esterbrook value, but I'm not sure it was worth the ending price, especially if it's decaying.

[Scrawler]

Yes it is an interesting Dollar pen. I get the impression the celluloid is crystallizing from the way parts of it seem to glow.

You mean it's deteriorating?

I think that's a cracked ice pattern. I know they have a higher than usual Esterbrook value, but I'm not sure it was worth the ending price, especially if it's decaying.
Yes. You see this on some of these multihued celluloids. The colour seems to heighten and glow as it ages. Later it starts to crumble. Once upon a time I had a Canadian Eclipse that this was happening to. The barrel crumbled and disintegrated when I inserted the section. I suspect that it is due to the the celluloid being cellulose nitrate that is slowly oxidizing.

Here is an article on FPN with pictures that show what I mean http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/206514-cristallized-celluloid-pens-a-tibaldi-trasparente-ruined/

If you are interested in both thermal and oxydative degredation, and steps you can take to preserve some of these museum pieces, this article from the American Institute of Conservation might be of interest: http://cool.conservation-us.org/jaic/articles/jaic30-02-003.html

[sloegin]

It isn't a cracked ice pattern. I don't think the plastic is going bad, just crappy photos.

I cannot recall ever having seen that plastic before.