Late 30's/Early 40s Recommendations

[bigevilgrape]

Apparently I'm buying a house that was built in 1937. I'd really like to have a pen of a similar age to sign the final papers with. What I'd really like is a nice celluloid vacummatic, but they are too pricey given the whole buying a house thing. I'd like some recommendations on a decent pen that would be easy for me to restore, or sells restored for pretty cheap.

[Kaputnik]

For easy to restore and (fairly) inexpensive, an Esterbrook Dollar Pen might be the ticket. Check out Esterbrook.net (http://www.esterbrook.net/) for information on different models. Don't expect to find one for a dollar unless you're really lucky at the flea market. I paid $40 for my nicest one, which only needed a new sac. You might find one for half or a quarter of that, depending on opportunity.

Sheaffer Balances are very nice. I got one quite cheaply, but although I thought I was being very cautious, managed to destroy the section trying to restore it myself, the only pen that I've done that to. I have another one that I bought already restored from a reputable dealer, but it wasn't cheap.

There are no doubt other possibilities. I have a number of pens that didn't cost me much and which I restored myself. Some of them could be from the thirties, like your house to be, or the forties, or the twenties. I don't always have a very clear idea. But the Dollar Pen and the Balance are from the mid to late 1930s, I believe.

[fountainpenkid]

If you're lucky, you can find a 1st generation Vacumatic in decent but unrestored condition for well under $100 on eBay. Restoration costs can be as low as $20 if you use Danny Fudge, so I would not give up hope necessarily.

[jar]

Sheaffer Flat Top or Balance lever fill (http://www.pendemonium.com/sheaffer.htm).

[pajaro]

Sheaffer Flat Top or Balance lever fill (http://www.pendemonium.com/sheaffer.htm).

+1. I'd go with a Sheaffer of the period. The ones I have seen for sale seem to cost less, and they have great style.

[Hawk]

Buying a house made you a poor person. What's a few more bucks in the whole scheme of things? A nice pen, especially with an attachment to the new (for you) house will give you memories for many years to come. Spend a couple hundred and put in on your mortgage or skimp on something else.

[bigevilgrape]

I like sheaffers. I have a couple of snorkels so that would keep it in the family.

[Jon Szanto]

I just want to mention: keep an eye out, around the weekends, when Rick Krantz posts his pens for sale (he's at the DC Pen Show this weekend, I think). Rick has a bunch of people that hunt pens for him, and he gets a lot of pens that are good, user-grade on up pens. Many from your era, lots of Sheaffers and Parkers. He is very clear in his descriptions, has often done the restore himself, and sells at very reasonable prices (very). A fine, honest person to deal with, and a great source for this era pen, unless you have particular and pristine models you are after. He's a good guy.

[Hawk]

I just want to mention: keep an eye out, around the weekends, when Rick Krantz posts his pens for sale (he's at the DC Pen Show this weekend, I think). Rick has a bunch of people that hunt pens for him, and he gets a lot of pens that are good, user-grade on up pens. Many from your era, lots of Sheaffers and Parkers. He is very clear in his descriptions, has often done the restore himself, and sells at very reasonable prices (very). A fine, honest person to deal with, and a great source for this era pen, unless you have particular and pristine models you are after. He's a good guy.

I totally agree. I have purchased a number of pens from him and have not been disappointed.

[Tiggercat]

+1 for Rick - he is single-handedly responsible for my entry into vintage pens. I have bought Esterbrook, Parker, and Sheaffer pens from him, and all have been outstanding values.

[Hawk]

Did you ever find a pen or narrowed your choice?

[KBeezie]

The Vacumatics would definitely be my vote to look at because you can get them narrowed down to an Exact Quarter of an Exact Year, if the year is more important than a specific feature of the pen.