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Thread: An Italian pen (at last)

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    Default An Italian pen (at last)

    Parcel arrived today - first day back at work too.

    In the package was this:



    The name on the label refers to a jewelry shop in the Province of Cuneo, about 40km south of Turin. The box was made to hold one of these:



    This a later model Aurora 88P. This is based, as I understand it, on the lack of a serial number on the pen. Apparently they stopped stamping the numbers after a certain sales threshold had been exceeded, but please correct me if anyone knows a different story.

    Another quick shot:



    The pen came from a seller I hold in high regard. Mostly I don't have any luck with vintage pens, nor the usual sellers, but this one is a gem! The pen is also NOS and in perfect working condition.



    A part of me wonders if this pen should represent the best I can get in this format, and that I should ditch the search for a P51 as a waste of my time.
    Last edited by Empty_of_Clouds; January 5th, 2021 at 03:25 AM.

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    Default Re: An Italian pen (at last)

    That certainly is a beauty, EoC. Congratulations!

    In my experience, the P51 will only arrive after you ditch the search. I find the universe likes irony.

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    Senior Member mizgeorge's Avatar
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    Default Re: An Italian pen (at last)

    What a beauty! But then I love a good piston-filled pen

    Hope it's a dream to write with as well!!

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    Senior Member Yazeh's Avatar
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    Default Re: An Italian pen (at last)

    Elegant... Congratulations

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    Senior Member Jon Szanto's Avatar
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    Default Re: An Italian pen (at last)

    One of my all-time favorite pens, ever. The OP knows that, I believe. And I would heartily and sincerely suggest using this pen and getting to know it before searching for any other pen. On a strictly personal level, and I have numerous friends who swear by the 51, I would trade 10 of those for a good 88P. Just my take on it.

    A beautiful pen in pristine condition. Frankly, it doesn't get any better than this. Don't think about it, just ENJOY it!
    "When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
    and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

    ~ Benjamin Franklin

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    Senior Member manoeuver's Avatar
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    Default Re: An Italian pen (at last)

    oh wow. a true classic! Congrats EOC!

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    Senior Member dneal's Avatar
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    Default Re: An Italian pen (at last)

    Great find! About as good as it gets.

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    Default Re: An Italian pen (at last)

    Quote Originally Posted by Empty_of_Clouds View Post
    Parcel arrived today - first day back at work too.

    In the package was this:



    The name on the label refers to a jewelry shop in the Province of Cuneo, about 40km south of Turin. The box was made to hold one of these:



    This a later model Aurora 88P. This is based, as I understand it, on the lack of a serial number on the pen. Apparently they stopped stamping the numbers after a certain sales threshold had been exceeded, but please correct me if anyone knows a different story.

    Another quick shot:



    The pen came from a seller I hold in high regard. Mostly I don't have any luck with vintage pens, nor the usual sellers, but this one is a gem! The pen is also NOS and in perfect working condition.



    A part of me wonders if this pen should represent the best I can get in this format, and that I should ditch the search for a P51 as a waste of my time.
    Did you get this pen from Paolo at Zona900? If so, I think I saw that listing. I decided to get a slightly cheaper user grade pen with a couple of small dents in the cap.

    Wow, this aurora 88p is something special. I was really impressed by how smooth and wet it wrote and I can tell it is as durable as a parker 51 and just as reliable. The piston is a bit stiff but that's okay for a vintage piece like this. I also got a Pelikan m600 in the same week and it was very surprising the difference in quality between this aurora pen and the cheaper feeling m600 that didn't write nearly a quarter as well.

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    Default Re: An Italian pen (at last)

    Lovely!

    Mine did not come from Zona900, though I have looked at that website and often been tempted by a number of pens there.

    Haven't filled the pen yet. I thought to use a black ink but find that I don't have a black ink - how weird is that! So may order a bottle of Aurora Black just to keep it all honest.



    Edit: I'm actually a bit scared to ink it up, seeing as it is essentially a brand new pen. Then again, all inked pens were brand new once, so perhaps I should just go ahead.
    Last edited by Empty_of_Clouds; January 7th, 2021 at 12:03 AM.

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    Senior Member silverlifter's Avatar
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    Default Re: An Italian pen (at last)

    Quote Originally Posted by Empty_of_Clouds View Post
    Edit: I'm actually a bit scared to ink it up, seeing as it is essentially a brand new pen. Then again, all inked pens were brand new once, so perhaps I should just go ahead.
    It's waited 60 years to fulfil its destiny. Do EEET!
    Vintage. Cursive italic. Iron gall.

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