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Thread: Vintage Italian Pen series

  1. #61
    Senior Member AltecGreen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    A quick one for today.


    The pen is a Zemax. I'm not sure of the model. I'm not even sure Zemax had model numbers. Zemax was a company founded in 1934 in Turin by Massimo Zeme, hence the name Zemax. The pens are not quite equal to the quality of the major houses but the pens are of good quality, had interesting trim, and by all accounts were good value for the money at the time. The big attraction of this particular pens are the two rather intricate and ornate bands on the cap and barrel. The bands give the pen a very elegant look and is something not common in vintage pens. Modern on the otherhand.....




    barrel band



    cap band



    The pen has a celluloid section.

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  3. #62
    Senior Member fountainpenkid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Ohh baby!!!
    Will
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    Senior Member tandaina's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Quote Originally Posted by AltecGreen View Post
    A quick one for today.

    The pen is a Zemax. I'm not sure of the model. I'm not even sure Zemax had model numbers. Zemax was a company founded in 1934 in Turin by Massimo Zeme, hence the name Zemax. The pens are not quite equal to the quality of the major houses but the pens are of good quality, had interesting trim, and by all accounts were good value for the money at the time. The big attraction of this particular pens are the two rather intricate and ornate bands on the cap and barrel. The bands give the pen a very elegant look and is something not common in vintage pens. Modern on the otherhand.....
    I will sell a kidney for that pen. Holy cow that is unspeakably beautiful! So warm, so honey glowing, the silver, just, WOW>
    ---
    Current pen rotation: way too many!

  5. #64
    Senior Member AltecGreen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Quote Originally Posted by tandaina View Post

    I will sell a kidney for that pen. Holy cow that is unspeakably beautiful! So warm, so honey glowing, the silver, just, WOW>
    You won't need to sell a kidney. I paid $150 from a seller in Italy. I've seen another on eBay a few months after I bought mine for about the same price. Zemax is a 2nd tier maker and thus their pens don't command the sometimes outrageous prices that the big first tier pens.

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    Senior Member fountainpenkid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Quote Originally Posted by AltecGreen View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by tandaina View Post

    I will sell a kidney for that pen. Holy cow that is unspeakably beautiful! So warm, so honey glowing, the silver, just, WOW>
    You won't need to sell a kidney. I paid $150 from a seller in Italy. I've seen another on eBay a few months after I bought mine for about the same price. Zemax is a 2nd tier maker and thus their pens don't command the sometimes outrageous prices that the big first tier pens.
    What makes this pen second tier?
    Will
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  7. #66
    Senior Member AltecGreen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Quote Originally Posted by fountainpenkid View Post
    What makes this pen second tier?
    The maker is relatively small. Zemax started just making pens for others under various names and then put out their own. The pens are good quality and solid but the execution, finish, etc. are not up to the standards of say a Omas or Columbus. They were also mid-range price pens. It's easier to see the differences if you hold this pen in hand and say an Omas.

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    Senior Member fountainpenkid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Quote Originally Posted by AltecGreen View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by fountainpenkid View Post
    What makes this pen second tier?
    The maker is relatively small. Zemax started just making pens for others under various names and then put out their own. The pens are good quality and solid but the execution, finish, etc. are not up to the standards of say a Omas or Columbus. They were also mid-range price pens. It's easier to see the differences if you hold this pen in hand and say an Omas.
    Are they easily restored and suitable for daily use?
    Will
    If my p.m box is full, feel free to email me at dabantur@gmail.com.

  9. #68
    Senior Member AltecGreen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Quote Originally Posted by fountainpenkid View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by AltecGreen View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by fountainpenkid View Post
    What makes this pen second tier?
    The maker is relatively small. Zemax started just making pens for others under various names and then put out their own. The pens are good quality and solid but the execution, finish, etc. are not up to the standards of say a Omas or Columbus. They were also mid-range price pens. It's easier to see the differences if you hold this pen in hand and say an Omas.
    Are they easily restored and suitable for daily use?
    The Zemax is a buttonfiller so it is easy to restore and quite useable. The material does not seem to be too fragile and the pen is not that expensive.

  10. #69
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    The cap band reminds me a bit of what Stipula currently puts on some of their Etrurias.

    In the third picture there is a clearly visible cut in the band. Given the difference in the width of the lines on both sides of the cut I would assume this to be how it was made and not a crack. While it does not make the pen any less beautiful does this come under the "lower standards of finish"?


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    Senior Member fountainpenkid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Quote Originally Posted by peterpen53 View Post
    The cap band reminds me a bit of what Stipula currently puts on some of their Etrurias.

    In the third picture there is a clearly visible cut in the band. Given the difference in the width of the lines on both sides of the cut I would assume this to be how it was made and not a crack. While it does not make the pen any less beautiful does this come under the "lower standards of finish"?
    Yeah, I saw that and thought the same thing.
    Will
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Quote Originally Posted by AltecGreen View Post
    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.






    What a beautiful pen. I have not looked at Italian pens closely, but this thread has made me reconsider. The celluloid is amazing on these pens.

    Thank you Ricky for taking the time to post in this thread. I always enjoy learning about pens and understanding their history adds to appreciating them more.
    Last edited by JustinJ; May 8th, 2013 at 12:13 PM.

  13. #72
    Senior Member AltecGreen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Today's pen is a Williamson, the Italian Williamson.

    According to research, the founder of the Italian Williamson was an agent for the American Williamson and sold the American made pens in Italy. In the twenties, the Italian Williamson starting making pens in Turin and by all accounts took the American name and four clover logo as expediency. The Italian Williamsons most successful pens were from the thirties and were button fillers in ringed celluloid. The celluloid obviously invokes Parker but has a unique feel to it. They are very nice. Williamson also made safety pens and other celluloid pens. My pen is in a slick golden ringed celluloid and is in the large size.


    Williamson



    Williamson logo



    Stylized arrow clip. Kinda looks like a Stipula clip.



    Unfortnately, my pen does not have the original clip. It has an ABT (another Italian pen company) replacement.
    Last edited by AltecGreen; May 10th, 2013 at 07:47 PM.

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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Could you take a picture of the nib to show all the design?

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    Senior Member AltecGreen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Quote Originally Posted by JustinJ View Post
    Could you take a picture of the nib to show all the design?
    I'll take a new photo when I put up today's pen later tonight.

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    Senior Member blopplop's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    I love the look of these pens. Hopefully one day I'll acquire one.

  18. #76
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Did Williamson ever make a piston or non-button filler?
    Will
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Quote Originally Posted by AltecGreen View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by JustinJ View Post
    Could you take a picture of the nib to show all the design?
    I'll take a new photo when I put up today's pen later tonight.
    Thank You

  20. #78
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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Quote Originally Posted by fountainpenkid View Post
    Did Williamson ever make a piston or non-button filler?
    The earliest Williamson pens were eyedroppers and then safeties. Then came buttonfillers.

    I do not know of a Williamson pistonfiller.

    Pistonfillers only became common in Italian pens in the 40's and more typically in the late 40's/early 50's.

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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Quote Originally Posted by JustinJ View Post
    Could you take a picture of the nib to show all the design?
    Here you go.



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    Default Re: Vintage Italian Pen series

    Since there was interest in pistonfillers, I have today a Montegrappa from the 1940's.

    By the forties, many Italian companies adopted the piston filler mechanism. These were produced along side other filling systems. This Montegrappa pen is kind of mid-range pen. It is medium sized and came in a variety of different celluloids. The Montegrappa pens sported a large ink window. In this pen, the ink window has a web pattern. I've seen other pens in this series with cross hatch markings on the ink window. This pen sports a steel nib and is possibly wartime production. The piston works pretty well and this is a nice user pen. There were fairly popular because they came in a wide variety of colors.















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