PDA

View Full Version : My Esterbrook story



FredRydr
December 4th, 2019, 08:32 PM
My turn to share my Esterbrook. I don't collect Esterbrooks. I just have this copper J that I don't sell because of certain nostalgia.

My mother had a copper Esterbrook J that only came out to write Christmas cards in the '50s and early '60s. She refused to buy pre-printed cards; every one was handwritten in green ink. Well, in the mid '60s, I was smitten with Illya Kuryakin's two-way communicator pen* on the TV show, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. "Open Channel D!" he would speak into his pen. I wanted one, but how? I searched for and found my mother's copper Esterbrook, and without any plan or forethought, I gutted it and trashed the section, nib and feed. I then searched in vain for something cool that would fit inside the barrel and cap, but nothing electronic was so small in the '60s! I lost interest and at some point pitched it before the following Christmas rolled around. I never did hear anything from Mom about a missing pen. (Insert guilt here.)

When the fountain pen bug bit decades later and I met Bert Heiserman at The Pen Haven, I asked Bert to put together a copper Esterbrook J for me. I showed it to my mother without explanation, and she said it was hers and I could have it. So I have it. I really should finally ink it. It's got a 9555 nib.


50963

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FdK2oXFOWeM/T37nWSFwlBI/AAAAAAAAB0c/2k8iHtaP3sA/s400/poorilya.gif
Illya always did manage to escape from situations like this, but seemed to enjoy doing so.

____________________________________
*Hey, you can actually buy a replica U.N.C.L.E. communicator pen. (http://vi.vipr.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemDescV4&item=272486402602&t=1560232983000&tid=10&category=164115&seller=hollywoodprop&excSoj=1&excTrk=1&lsite=0&ittenable=false&domain=ebay.co.uk&descgauge=1&cspheader=1&oneClk=2&secureDesc=0&oversion=ba082ba5)

jbb
December 5th, 2019, 11:49 AM
OMG, I loved Man from U.N.C.L.E. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjmOkqU6Roo&list=PLqtDgIFK7GTHEr9a3tisa34guexlyXfaQ&index=2

Ron Z
December 5th, 2019, 01:04 PM
My turn to share my Esterbrook. I don't collect Esterbrooks. I just have this copper J that I don't sell it because of certain nostalgia.

My mother had a copper Esterbrook J that only came out to write Christmas cards in the '50s and early '60s. She refused to buy pre-printed cards; every one was handwritten in green ink. Well, in the mid '60s, I was smitten with Illya Kuryakin's two-way communicator pen* on the TV show, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. "Open Channel D!" he would speak into his pen. I wanted one, but how? I searched for and found my mother's copper Esterbrook, and without any plan or forethought, I gutted it and trashed the section, nib and feed. I then searched in vain for something cool that would fit inside the barrel and cap, but nothing electronic was so small in the '60s! I lost interest and at some point pitched it before the following Christmas rolled around. I never did hear anything from Mom about a missing pen. (Insert guilt here.)

When the fountain bug bit decades later and I met Bert Heiserman at The Pen Haven, I asked Bert to put together a copper Esterbrook J for me. I showed it to my mother without explanation, and she said it was hers and I could have it. So I have it. I really should finally ink it. It's got a 9555 nib.


Aren't you the little stinker.