The blue Tibaldi's transparency is phenomenal! Wow!
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The blue Tibaldi's transparency is phenomenal! Wow!
Almost a Parker Pelikan if you squint really really hard.
Fantastic looking pens.
That Omas 361 is gorgeous it looks like it is made of that water marked silk material.
This thread is going to lead to big problems combined with my new found interest in Viscontis.
Hi AltecGreen,
Lovely pens. Do you have a favorite celluloid pattern? Are there any of the vintage Italian brands and/or models that you find a greater liking towards? Looking forward to seeing more of the collection.
No favorite pattern. They all have their special qualities. I tend to focus on Columbus and Omas but have pens from a number of companies.
For today since time is short, I have an Ancora #4 buttonfiller. Ancora is one of the five big Italian pen companies from the golden age to still survive today . As of a few years ago, Ancora was still making their own nibs so that already sets them apart.
The Ancora buttonfillers and lever fillers were the medium budget pens in the Ancora range in the 1930's. They were below the faceted Damas and the round Maximas. The #4 was the large senior sized pen in the line. The shape of this pen is classic Italian; a shape duplicated by many of the great Italian pen makers. This is the shape I have in mind when I think of an Italian pen. Perfect balance and grace. This is one of the few vintage Italians in my collection that I ink up and use.
The celluloid is called oriental azure or something like that. It has deep rich blue color set off by veins of gold. Quite elegant and one of my favorites.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8394/8...7c5c7cfb_z.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8255/8...039ed6a1_z.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8125/8...110d335e_z.jpg
The Ancora #4 buttonfiller is another beautiful pen. Plus that little roller on the clip looks fascinating.
I hate to gush and interrupt the flow of a tread, but the workmanship of these just can't be
left without comment.
Just superb.
When you consider some of what was being offered in this country after the Depression,
the plating, threads, fit, design and materials are simply remarkable.
Good point. Very few of the pens I have were made during a time of economic strength. Most were made in the 1930's which included the beginning of WWII, a few are wartime pens, and many were made only a few years after the war ended. I buy very few vintage Italian pens after 1952.
In keeping with yesterday's theme of large size round pens in gorgeous celluloid, I present today a senior sized Montegrappa Extra (ca. 1930's?). If you compare this Montegrappa and yesterdays Ancora, you can see the similarity in form. Classic Italian. This pen has a difference. The pen has a twist fill mechanism. It's basically a sac filler where the sac is depressed by twisting the rear knob. You do tend to find interesting variations on sac filling in vintage Italian pens. I'll get back to this point when I show a pen with a spoon filler.
On a side note. Montegrappa was one of the big five Italian pen companies and exist to this day. Montegrappa was well known for mass production and making pens for other companies. They don't seem to have the same cachet as the other companies I've presented so far. I don't know any Italian pen collectors (at least in the US) that are too keen on Montegrappa. They certainly are not something I focus on. Nonetheless, the pens are still gorgeous.
This pen attracts dust like no other.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8254/8...924d9a35_z.jpg
Green Celluloid
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8413/8...48384be5_z.jpg
Twist Fill knob
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8558/8...d97e1202_z.jpg
Nib
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8256/8...79b27d50_z.jpg
Will this get better with every new pen you present?
Thanks for your note on Montegrappa. Their style was quite different from the current one.
I've yet to come across a vintage Montegrappa in the wild here in the US. They are lovely pens though.
Awesome thread. Loving it! Thanks!
Fantastic thread, Ricky -- very informative. Thanks for doing this!