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Thread: Obscure Writing Instruments - assistance, please!

  1. #21
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    Default Re: Obscure Writing Instruments - assistance, please!

    Quote Originally Posted by wingwiper View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by FredRydr View Post
    The pen with the Majestic Iridium nib has very interesting patterns in the celluloid and the band. Third-tier pens often outshine the big names like that. Ebonized pearl is my favorite celluloid for the Balance pens, though the brilliance of the abalone dims when the celluloid ambers.
    "I'm w/Fred on the Sheaffer's.........the Ebonized Pearl can be gorgeous albeit most are discolored today. My Carmine and Rose Glow ain't to shabby either. The finishes on some of the Gold Bond, Gold Medal, Diamond Medal, Universal, etc., which are supposedly 2nd tier pens can be outstanding. Clips on these brands are all over the place as well.......... One thing I do like about these manufacturers is the nibs were warranted and occasionally very flexy.
    Hmm, red carmine sounds familiar - I think I actually have one of those. It's like a darker red, striated design, right? Believe mine is a triumph with a wide band and a conical nib...it's quite lovely, although it was ugly when before I cleaned it up. I've got a variety of different pen brands, but none of those you named. I'm sure one will show up at an estate sale one of these days. There's one that I cleaned up today that was obviously an Esterbrook J lookalike and I really like how the Esterbrooks look. Still in the cleaning and fixing stage...looking forward to giving them all a try when I'm done!

  2. #22
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    Default Re: Obscure Writing Instruments - assistance, please!

    Well, it's been a little while. I've been slightly sidetracked by the birth of my first child 7 weeks ago....but have used any spare time (when not working) trying to learn about pens of all varieties via online forum posts, "penography" pages, YouTube vids, and just about anything available other than the two books that are widely respected as being the best for restoration and identification. I asked for these for Christmas, however, so hopefully it won't be long before that's happened as well. I'm still working on the instant-identification skills that some of you guys have, but am getting better at identifying the regular suspects and some of the variations of same. There's far too much history to soak up in a matter of 3-4 months, but I'm trying my best. Any suggestions resource-wise that you highly recommend for restoration/identification/etc would be greatly appreciated.

    It would appear this truly is an addiction. After starting my journey in early July of this year, I've built my collection to around 125 pens and mechanical pencils that are now in Gary's pen holders inside an eight drawer wooden toolbox I got at Harbor Freight for like $65. This collection consists almost entirely of bargain hunting purchases and not necessarily me seeking out a specific pen, but the research and the hunt is fun and exciting and the cost was fully covered by selling the stuff I elected not to keep (how else can you justify this to your significant other?). I figured the best way to jump in with both feet was to acquire a bunch of pens of all varieties, see which ones I liked writing with or looking at, keep the ones I liked the most, and sell the rest to people who would appreciate a revived piece of writing history. So far so good.

    Also, as my collection has grown, there are still tons of pens I've yet to fully identify. Some are oddballs or most likely very rare specimens that aren't documented online. So at some point in the (hopefully) not too distant future, I'll start posting these things for everyone's viewing pleasure, along with whatever history I'm able to unearth.

    My favorite pens so far (okay, I love almost all of them, so this isn't easy) are probably a PERFECT (still have stickers on them) set of Waterman Starlets/Stalwarts in a color that might be the ivory (but doesn't look like it really) that cost me $20 for a pen/pencil set, a lacque green moire Sheaffer Targa ($100), an unused Pelikan M481 Demonstrator ($5), a beautiful turquoise Columbus 25 inside a Marca Estense box ($10), a Kashmir Doric with an adjustable #3 nib that actually works/adjusts and appears to have no crazing whatsoever ($50), a stunning Waterman Ideal 0554 with Gothic 18K gold-filled overlay ($15), a Conklin Crescent Filler that is in insanely perfect shape ($60), and my birthday present to myself...an uninked Namiki Sterling Silver Collection Geisha pen with some really sweet patina going on (that one was by far my most significant outlay at around $225). I also have some pretty unique acquisitions which cost me about 10 bucks each, but they're just 100'ish year old black rubber'ish pens that would likely bore you guys, so maybe I'll touch on those later. I personally think the chased rubber is cool though.

    Looking forward to posting here and there and getting feedback on pens whenever time allows. See you guys soon!

    -James

  3. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to moonamongus For This Useful Post:

    FredRydr (November 16th, 2020), Ole Juul (November 16th, 2020)

  4. #23
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    Default Re: Obscure Writing Instruments - assistance, please!

    Thanks!

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    Default Re: Obscure Writing Instruments - assistance, please!

    I missed the news until now. Congratulations!

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