Aurora Duocart Vintage or not?

[KrazyIvan]

I did not want to derail another thread where my purchase of an Aurora Duocart came up so I started this thread. I purchased the pen in black and it is the third Aurora in my collection but I currently own two. I hope to get a vintage 88 when I can free up some funds but the opportunity to get a Duocart was something I could not pass up because I ended up paying less than $30 out of pocket for it.



When the pen was announced, I was intrigued but also confused. I understood the Duocart to be a new pen being modeled after the original Duocart but packaged in vintage cases. Later, after reading a certain retailers site, I came to the conclusion that the Duocart was actually a vintage pen that had been refurbished. Here is the statement from the retailers website (emphasis mine):

Aurora is celebrating the Duo-Cart by releasing two models of the authentic vintage 1950's fountain pen in the original packaging! The pens have been completely refurbished and updated at Aurora’s factory in Turin, Italy.

After speaking with @fountainpenday over Instagram, Cary confirmed that only the packaging is vintage. (Those vintage package deals have sold out and they are shipping in modern cases now). I think that people should know they are not getting a vinage pen and that is the purpose of my post. I am a little confused at why the retailer would state it is a vintage pen.

Anyway, here are some pictures I posted to Instagram. Vintage or not, I am enjoying this pen.

[EHV]

Thanks for posting this. I was initially confused as well but finally came to the conclusion that it's a modern pen. My black version is on it's way to me right now. :-)
I wonder if the vendors were confused initially based on the information that they received from Aurora.

I also read of speculation about the (initial) packaging. Some claimed that it was sprayed with an aroma chemical to get the vintage packaging scent and others said that the packaging was truly vintage and had been sitting around in a basement and it had acquired the musty aroma naturally. The latter would be my guess. I had no idea that they are now shipping in different/modern packaging. I was hoping to get the vintage vibe.

I have a vintage 88P and I'm curious to see the differences.

[KrazyIvan]

Thanks for posting this. I was initially confused as well but finally came to the conclusion that it's a modern pen. My black version is on it's way to me right now. :-)
I wonder if the vendors were confused initially based on the information that they received from Aurora.

I also read of speculation about the (initial) packaging. Some claimed that it was sprayed with an aroma chemical to get the vintage packaging scent and others said that the packaging was truly vintage and had been sitting around in a basement and it had acquired the musty aroma naturally. The latter would be my guess. I had no idea that they are now shipping in different/modern packaging. I was hoping to get the vintage vibe.

I have a vintage 88P and I'm curious to see the differences.

The packaging on mine is definitely vintage. The package sat in a mailbox under the hot desert sun for a few hours. A portion of the internal material came unglued and you can see the old wood and rusty hinges that hold the clamshell case together. I was tempted to glue it back in but I'm leaving it as it is.

[EHV]

I received mine yesterday. The packaging is the same but sadly, the inner case containing the pen is not the vintage, musty smelling deal that came with the pens originally. Not a big deal at all because the packaging doesn't really play any part in my pen purchases but I just think that for a few minutes, the novelty would have been kinda cool. :-)
This does surprise me though because how many of these have really sold already and how many vintage boxes did Aurora have available to them?!

It's a terrific pen with Aurora's usual well tuned lovely writing nib. The ink flow is on the wet side and just perfect for me, (Aurora blue ink). Their attention to detail on the nib is just as evident as it always has been for me.

Otherwise, the pen is as I expected and a nice throwback to the days of yore. And do note that as mentioned elsewhere, this new pen will NOT hold two modern Aurora cartridges. In fact, I am using the supplied, Aurora converter and although I cannot see inside the barrel, after inserting the converter and screwing down the barrel, it feels like the converter goes the whole length of the body. Not a problem, just don't expect to be carrying two cartridges with you inside this pen.

[jar]

I received mine yesterday. The packaging is the same but sadly, the inner case containing the pen is not the vintage, musty smelling deal that came with the pens originally. Not a big deal at all because the packaging doesn't really play any part in my pen purchases but I just think that for a few minutes, the novelty would have been kinda cool. :-)
This does surprise me though because how many of these have really sold already and how many vintage boxes did Aurora have available to them?!

It's a terrific pen with Aurora's usual well tuned lovely writing nib. The ink flow is on the wet side and just perfect for me, (Aurora blue ink). Their attention to detail on the nib is just as evident as it always has been for me.

Otherwise, the pen is as I expected and a nice throwback to the days of yore. And do note that as mentioned elsewhere, this new pen will NOT hold two modern Aurora cartridges. In fact, I am using the supplied, Aurora converter and although I cannot see inside the barrel, after inserting the converter and screwing down the barrel, it feels like the converter goes the whole length of the body. Not a problem, just don't expect to be carrying two cartridges with you inside this pen.

Two Parker shorts will likely fit.

[EHV]

Thank you! I will give that a shot after I write the first converter fill dry.

I suppose that they already own the Duocart name and have a current production 88 so re-using the name costs nothing. To add to that; their sole customer base for this pen is probably people already into the hobby and already nostalgic so the need to properly market the pen went out the window right away.

I received mine yesterday. The packaging is the same but sadly, the inner case containing the pen is not the vintage, musty smelling deal that came with the pens originally. Not a big deal at all because the packaging doesn't really play any part in my pen purchases but I just think that for a few minutes, the novelty would have been kinda cool. :-)
This does surprise me though because how many of these have really sold already and how many vintage boxes did Aurora have available to them?!

It's a terrific pen with Aurora's usual well tuned lovely writing nib. The ink flow is on the wet side and just perfect for me, (Aurora blue ink). Their attention to detail on the nib is just as evident as it always has been for me.

Otherwise, the pen is as I expected and a nice throwback to the days of yore. And do note that as mentioned elsewhere, this new pen will NOT hold two modern Aurora cartridges. In fact, I am using the supplied, Aurora converter and although I cannot see inside the barrel, after inserting the converter and screwing down the barrel, it feels like the converter goes the whole length of the body. Not a problem, just don't expect to be carrying two cartridges with you inside this pen.

Two Parker shorts will likely fit.

[Jon Szanto]

Could someone give info or a link to the retailers for this pen? I'm intrigued.

[EHV]

I purchased mine from Penchalet. It ended up being quickly drop shipped from the distributor, Kenro to me. I have seen it in the Fahrney's catalog as well as "coming soon" on the Penboutique website.


I apologize because ordinarily, I would include links but the sites, (all shopping) are blocked here at the salt mines. :-)

Could someone give info or a link to the retailers for this pen? I'm intrigued.

[catbert]

Anderson and Goulet have it too.

[fountainpenkid]

It does nothing for me--it appears an inelegant redesign of the original pen, which itself was a simplification of the original 88, 88k and 88p. Thanks for the information though!

[eharriett]

Am interested but I do not know if I'd like to seek out a vintage or get one of the newer ones. Does anyone have both and can share a mini review of the modern vs vintage versions of these pens?