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Thread: Help Identifying mystery pen?

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    Question Help Identifying mystery pen?

    HI there All, as usual i need to pick your brains in working out what on earth these two pens are, identical to each other, in a job lot of pens that i purchased for parts, and they are intriguing me. I cant find any ID on them at all.
    The barrels have 'ROYAL' '8 58' On them and the nibs ( the hoods unscrew really easily from the section say warranted R made in France but nothing else. The feed is clear plastic.
    Also puzzling is the filling system, there are no blind caps, and no lever so i can only assume they were cartirdge fillers, but if so then there are the remains of shelac on the nipples of one of them and powder in the barrels when tapped which looks like dead sac material. Also they dont seem to have the right mechanisms to hold or pierce a cartridge.
    Please see pics below. I rather like them but clearly not a Parker though the arrow clip would love you to think they were, but still rather sturdy and pleasant to hold.
    Attached Images Attached Images

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    Default Re: Help Identifying mystery pen?

    It looks like a version of the "standard" Italian school pen.

    They were made in the 60's and 70's. You are missing the captive convertor/piston mechanism that would be glued/attached to the back. The piston mechanism had a very thin piece of plastic to draw ink, which would easily break. The mechanism on mine got stuck. They were cheap & cheerful and not designed to last.

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    Senior Member Fermata's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help Identifying mystery pen?

    I saw the clip and thought that the pen had a whiff of India.

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    Default Re: Help Identifying mystery pen?

    I also looked at the clip and thought it was a copy of a Parker, but the filling system was a mystery to me. Thanks Sandy for clearing that up.

    There must be a way to attach something to the nipple to make the pen work? Something like a Hero filler possibly? I guess a Parker 51 filler might be too long.

    Or I wonder if you could glue a sac onto the nipple and use the metal part of an old Parker converter over it? Maybe a bit of experimentation might make them write?
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

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    Default Re: Help Identifying mystery pen?

    Quote Originally Posted by martinjfrost View Post
    HI there All, as usual i need to pick your brains in working out what on earth these two pens are, identical to each other, in a job lot of pens that i purchased for parts, and they are intriguing me. I cant find any ID on them at all.
    The barrels have 'ROYAL' '8 58' On them and the nibs ( the hoods unscrew really easily from the section say warranted R made in France but nothing else. The feed is clear plastic.
    Also puzzling is the filling system, there are no blind caps, and no lever so i can only assume they were cartirdge fillers, but if so then there are the remains of shelac on the nipples of one of them and powder in the barrels when tapped which looks like dead sac material. Also they dont seem to have the right mechanisms to hold or pierce a cartridge.
    Please see pics below. I rather like them but clearly not a Parker though the arrow clip would love you to think they were, but still rather sturdy and pleasant to hold.
    IMG_4137.JPG


    This is a unbranded version of what I think you have. I've been told they were mass produced pens primarily for school children. You can see the threated nipple for the piston mechanism on the back.

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    Default Re: Help Identifying mystery pen?

    Also it is possible that cap is not the original for that pen.

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    Default Re: Help Identifying mystery pen?

    'fraid I'm going to disagree with Sandy; that two step nipple arrangement looks more like it's designed for a squeeze filler to me. On the whole I'm really not getting the Italian school pen vibe from the mystery pen, but I don't know what it is beyond "51" wannabe. Which hardly narrows it down.
    In the words of Paul Simon, you can call me Al.

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    Default Re: Help Identifying mystery pen?

    I agree that it's a mass-produced Italian school pen. It's a syringe filler.
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    Deb
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    Default Re: Help Identifying mystery pen?

    Fascinating. I've taken four of those syringe fillers in hand one after the other, and compared Sandy's picture of his, and I still can't make them the same as the mystery pen. I start to doubt my own eyes, so could I crave members' indulgence while I describe what I'm seeing, and someone can tell me if that's actually what's there?

    Mystery pen: Solid colour hood - clear ink window - step down to clear threads - step down to unthreaded area - step down to second unthreaded area.

    Italian Syringe Filler: Solid colour hood - clear ink window - step down to clear threads - unthreaded area creating clear body of the syringe, no noticeable step down.

    Even if we're to conclude the majority of the syringe barrel has broken off, I still can't make it work. Thus I seek knowledge. Gracias.
    In the words of Paul Simon, you can call me Al.

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