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Thread: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

  1. #81
    Senior Member penwash's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    It's time for another obscure vintage brand. This time it's the Majestic.
    At a glance it kinda resembles Diamond Point, but it has a more tubular shape. The grey stripe celluloid is very nice.

    Some of you may have encountered a few pens from this brand, I have also,



    but this is the first time I actually see a 14K nib with MAJESTIC engraved on it.

    - Will
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  3. #82
    Senior Member AzJon's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    Here's one for ya, Will: a Mercedes pen.


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  5. #83
    Senior Member penwash's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    I'll rise AzJon's beautiful Mercedes with this Thompson.



    It looks like a SWAN pen (especially the clip design), and that massive GF cap band.

    The original THOMPSON nib looks 14K and big. One of the tough-as-nail vintage nib I've ever encounter. Sadly the tipping has pretty much gone, so my dilemma is whether to keep the original nib or find a good replacement (another similarly-sized vintage nib with flex or stub).
    - Will
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  7. #84
    Senior Member penwash's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    Here's another episode of... vintage pens no one ever heard of.

    Well, at least I never heard of this one, maybe Deb or our other members from the UK have.

    This is a Parker Duofold Junior clone, and I mean real clone. Everything is identical to a genuine Parker Duofold Jr. except a few mm longer when capped, which, in vintage pens means nothing because I can get two genuine Parker Duofold Jr. and they will be a few mm off from each other.

    The only branding is the white engraving on the barrel that seems to say "Velva Tip" and BRITISH MADE underneath it.



    Overall a cool pen, and look at the flex from the nib. I adjusted it because it almost fell off when it came to me.
    Last edited by penwash; May 31st, 2020 at 09:13 AM.
    - Will
    Unique and restored vintage pens: Redeem Pens

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  9. #85
    Senior Member Deb's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    I have come across Velva Tip pens (and nibs) from time to time. I don't know anything about the manufacturer and it isn't mentioned in Stephen Hull's book on British pens. Those I've had have been cheap pens of no real interest but your one looks like a keeper, Will. Is there anything on the nib?
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    Senior Member penwash's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    Quote Originally Posted by Deb View Post
    I have come across Velva Tip pens (and nibs) from time to time. I don't know anything about the manufacturer and it isn't mentioned in Stephen Hull's book on British pens. Those I've had have been cheap pens of no real interest but your one looks like a keeper, Will. Is there anything on the nib?
    Ah, there you are. So it is somewhat of an obscure brand even among UK pens.
    The pen seems to be quite nicely made (at least this one). The cap band is nice and thick (not just a super thin ring like in cheaper pens).

    The nib is just Warranted 14ct, no branding, which is why I didn't try to feature it on the photo.
    - Will
    Unique and restored vintage pens: Redeem Pens

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    Senior Member Deb's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    Even the warranted 14ct nib is exceptional for Velva Tip. The ones I've seen have had plated nibs. The thick cap ring may be in emulation of those on the Duofold, which stand proud of the cap. I've seen this sort of thing with other cheap brands, where they will produce the occasional superior pen - or, conversely, where a top rank manufacturer produces a poor economy pen. It goes against the idea that we can assign 1st, 2nd and 3rd tier labels to manufacturers. It's more complicated than that and we must judge the pen itself.
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    Senior Member Johnny_S's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    I had a one - off pen, it was a foolish design which I shall come to. It was designed by a pan called Medel Fried in the early 1950s, I found the US patent 2,658,479 which was for a small lever filled pen with a small glass container inside a second barrel, The overall length was then around 6 inches. The pen didnt work as intended, being a pen that you could fill whilst travelling. The failure was because the nib would not fit into the neck of the bottle

    I found what I thought was the family of Mr Freid and offered them this pen but heard nothing. I didn't feel comfortable about owning a one off US pen and gave the pen to a member of the New York Pen Club, I thought that they would give the pen a better home than I could.

    Patent 2,658, 479

  13. #89
    Senior Member penwash's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    Quote Originally Posted by Johnny_S View Post
    I had a one - off pen, it was a foolish design which I shall come to. It was designed by a pan called Medel Fried in the early 1950s, I found the US patent 2,658,479 which was for a small lever filled pen with a small glass container inside a second barrel, The overall length was then around 6 inches. The pen didnt work as intended, being a pen that you could fill whilst travelling. The failure was because the nib would not fit into the neck of the bottle

    I found what I thought was the family of Mr Freid and offered them this pen but heard nothing. I didn't feel comfortable about owning a one off US pen and gave the pen to a member of the New York Pen Club, I thought that they would give the pen a better home than I could.

    Patent 2,658, 479
    Any photos?

    I'm curious to see how a lever filler could work with a glass container.
    - Will
    Unique and restored vintage pens: Redeem Pens

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    Senior Member penwash's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    Quote Originally Posted by Deb View Post
    Even the warranted 14ct nib is exceptional for Velva Tip. The ones I've seen have had plated nibs. The thick cap ring may be in emulation of those on the Duofold, which stand proud of the cap. I've seen this sort of thing with other cheap brands, where they will produce the occasional superior pen - or, conversely, where a top rank manufacturer produces a poor economy pen. It goes against the idea that we can assign 1st, 2nd and 3rd tier labels to manufacturers. It's more complicated than that and we must judge the pen itself.
    Agree. I have long discovered that 1st, 2nd, 3rd tier monikers are generalizations and should be treated as such.
    - Will
    Unique and restored vintage pens: Redeem Pens

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    Senior Member Johnny_S's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    Quote Originally Posted by penwash View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Johnny_S View Post
    I had a one - off pen, it was a foolish design which I shall come to. It was designed by a pan called Medel Fried in the early 1950s, I found the US patent 2,658,479 which was for a small lever filled pen with a small glass container inside a second barrel, The overall length was then around 6 inches. The pen didnt work as intended, being a pen that you could fill whilst travelling. The failure was because the nib would not fit into the neck of the bottle

    I found what I thought was the family of Mr Freid and offered them this pen but heard nothing. I didn't feel comfortable about owning a one off US pen and gave the pen to a member of the New York Pen Club, I thought that they would give the pen a better home than I could.

    Patent 2,658, 479
    Any photos?

    I'm curious to see how a lever filler could work with a glass container.
    I don't have any photos but there is a drawing with the patent.

    I will try to describe it.

    Start with a small 4 inch long lever filled pen on to which fits another barrel. therefore you have a normal screw thread cap screwing on to the barrel and a second barrel. Inside that second barrel is a small glass bottle. The idea is that you could carry around your own ink supply. Perhaps the designer thought that you could empty the ink into another container so that you could fill your pen, but the problem with that is that the ink capacity would never have been enough and the neck of the bottle was so small that you could not fit your nib inside the neck.

    I guess that what happened was that Mr Fried had a pen made from his drawing but saw that it could not work and never made another.

  16. #92
    Senior Member penwash's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    How about no brand at all?

    This handsome (and well made) pen came to me in a batch of pens. It has no brand, no engraving on it anywhere. Look at that fascinating celluloid.

    The issue was, it had this rather weird section design that is long, tapered and ended up in an unimpressive semi-hooded nib (steel, corroded) that just looked odd overall. Having worked on hundreds of vintage pens, I can spot a lost-cause when I see one. I don't even bother trying to get it to work.

    But the cap and barrel are *very* nice, with the lever being strong and snug, I like it already.

    What a pity to not use the cap and barrel to get a nice pen out of them. So I do what I usually do, find a section in my jumble of "parts" and being hopeful to find a feed that would fit nicely. Then, I opened my spare nibs box (which is difficult and expensive to stock up) and ... this Sheaffer 14K called out to me.

    This nib, is ... precise. There is no other words that can describe it adequately. It's more precise than a Rotring Rapidograph, or the smallest Pigma Micron (I have both). It was scratchy too, so I worked on it for a while to smooth it.

    And voila,



    Delicate lines and hints of details. A sketcher's dream pen.

    That's what this pen is now made for
    Last edited by penwash; September 2nd, 2020 at 09:16 AM.
    - Will
    Unique and restored vintage pens: Redeem Pens

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    Senior Member KBeezie's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    One I haven't come across again was an Ero from the 50s, with a little semiflex steel nib that was a threaded unit



    Likewise this little "Ultra - Italy" syringe filler. Granted neither of these are nearly as obscure as some I'm seeing here, but I didn't really know what to make of them.


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    Senior Member KBeezie's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    And... I just remembered one I recently got, and restored, that has no brand at all that I can't quite figure out and have no history at all on it.

    Tiny little guy, very smooth steel nib, probably hard rubber.



    Came in a lot of some miscellaneous pens (including an old "Reliance" that I would love to find a cap for, and a Parker Challenger that needs both a new nib and button)


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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    Sometimes an unbranded pen can look very unique and actually is a good pen:

    - Will
    Unique and restored vintage pens: Redeem Pens

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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    Quote Originally Posted by KBeezie View Post
    And... I just remembered one I recently got, and restored, that has no brand at all that I can't quite figure out and have no history at all on it.

    Tiny little guy, very smooth steel nib, probably hard rubber.
    <snip>

    Came in a lot of some miscellaneous pens (including an old "Reliance" that I would love to find a cap for, and a Parker Challenger that needs both a new nib and button)

    Can you tell me anything about the second pen from the left (chrome overlay).

  25. #97
    Senior Member KBeezie's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    Quote Originally Posted by Scrawler View Post

    Can you tell me anything about the second pen from the left (chrome overlay).
    Nothing that I can really think of really. It's a vintage "Peerless" pen, has a big "P" on the clip (though other examples say peerless), steel nib that has some corrosion on it, but otherwise seems still ok. I've cleaned off the old sac and the lever is quite responsive and springy against the pressure bar. I haven't attempted to put a new sac on it yet. Pretty sure the black part is plastic and not something like ebonite. It's cleaned up a bit better now, just haven't tried to sac or ink it yet.

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    Senior Member Scrawler's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    Quote Originally Posted by KBeezie View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Scrawler View Post

    Can you tell me anything about the second pen from the left (chrome overlay).
    Nothing that I can really think of really. It's a vintage "Peerless" pen, has a big "P" on the clip (though other examples say peerless), steel nib that has some corrosion on it, but otherwise seems still ok. I've cleaned off the old sac and the lever is quite responsive and springy against the pressure bar. I haven't attempted to put a new sac on it yet. Pretty sure the black part is plastic and not something like ebonite. It's cleaned up a bit better now, just haven't tried to sac or ink it yet.
    I have an identical one here and know nothing about it. Not overly sure how I came by it. It is plastic. It is trying to look like something it is not. The nib is uncorroded but stiff and scratchy.

  27. #99
    Senior Member penwash's Avatar
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    First entry in 2021.

    An unusual Ambassador.

    Usually, I find pocket-sized pens with this brand. This one is bigger, a smidgen longer than 5-1/4 when capped. It still retains the overall shape including the round cap end, but it has a flat barrel end. I love the trims.

    - Will
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    Default Re: What is the most obscure FP brand that you can think of?

    A modern pen, a Mico, probably Greek in origin....

    Very narrow... Not comfortable pen to write with:

    6B5D98A0-8D69-4BC7-869F-A7EE152F9130.jpg
    F4AB7673-A3EA-43D5-A02F-EA77E1FF98B9.jpg

    Attachment 59554

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