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Thread: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

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    Senior Member Lloyd's Avatar
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    Default What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    Whether you use it often or not, which one of your pens would you most hate to lose and why? For instance, it could be due to some irreplaceable reason (highly customized, personal significance, extreme rarity) or just because you like it so much.

    Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
    M: I came here for a good argument.
    A: No you didn't; no, you came here for an argument.
    M: An argument isn't just contradiction.
    A: It can be.
    M: No it can't. An argument is a connected series of statements intended to establish a proposition.
    A: No it isn't.
    M: Yes it is! It's not just contradiction.
    A: Look, if I argue with you, I must take up a contrary position.
    M: Yes, but that's not just saying 'No it isn't.'
    A: Yes it is!
    M: No it isn't!

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    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    You forgot to mention what you'd miss, Lloyd.

    I my case, it would be my Sheaffer oversize Balance in ebonized pearl with Lifetime EF nib because it has the best performing flex nib I've ever had in any vintage or modern fountain pen. This nib has been moved from Balance to Balance until I finally settled on this combination, pairing it with Sheaffer's final Balance feed design.

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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    Isn't that like standing in front of me with an axe and asking which I would miss more, my left leg or the right leg? And no, you're not getting any of my pens.



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    Senior Member Lloyd's Avatar
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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    Quote Originally Posted by FredRydr View Post
    You forgot to mention what you'd miss, Lloyd.

    I my case, it would be my Sheaffer oversize Balance in ebonized pearl with Lifetime EF nib because it has the best performing flex nib I've ever had in any vintage or modern fountain pen. This nib has been moved from Balance to Balance until I finally settled on this combination, pairing it with Sheaffer's final Balance feed design.
    While I have more expensive pens and pens with (sightly) better nibs, my MB149. While I haven't used it in over a year, it writes fantastically. What sets it apart are two things-
    1) It was my first fountain pen thus starting my odyssey into this beautiful hobby
    2) It was a gift* from my parents for my first graduate degree; it's the only pen I have that was a gift and/or for making a milestone.

    *The actual gift was a MB146. After MB service failed to get it to write without skipping in 4 trips to NJ Service (including swag up to a 2 pen leather case), they upgraded me to this pen that has been flawless.

    Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
    M: I came here for a good argument.
    A: No you didn't; no, you came here for an argument.
    M: An argument isn't just contradiction.
    A: It can be.
    M: No it can't. An argument is a connected series of statements intended to establish a proposition.
    A: No it isn't.
    M: Yes it is! It's not just contradiction.
    A: Look, if I argue with you, I must take up a contrary position.
    M: Yes, but that's not just saying 'No it isn't.'
    A: Yes it is!
    M: No it isn't!

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    Senior Member Jon Szanto's Avatar
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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    I don't want to dodge the actual question, but any of the pens that have a deep meaning to me are in some way connected with a person, and how much the person mean to me. It ends up with me having to choose between people I like! So it would be a short list, but a list nonetheless.

    Having said that, one of the people is my wife, and she is at the top of the list. She has gifted me a few pens, sometimes in cahoots with friends or dealers who knew my taste. I'll settle on two that she gifted me of similar lineage: a Sheaffer Imperial in sterling silver barleycorn pattern, and a Sheaffer Targa in ss with a rectangular grid and gp trim. Both lovely writers and never, ever cease to bring fond thoughts when I pick them up.
    Last edited by Jon Szanto; September 7th, 2021 at 12:12 AM.
    "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 Lloyd's Avatar
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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    Quote Originally Posted by An old bloke View Post
    Isn't that like standing in front of me with an axe and asking which I would miss more, my left leg or the right leg? And no, you're not getting any of my pens.


    If you find it easier than losing a leg or two, can you single out a few of your arsenal that would be more painful to lose than others and why?

    Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
    M: I came here for a good argument.
    A: No you didn't; no, you came here for an argument.
    M: An argument isn't just contradiction.
    A: It can be.
    M: No it can't. An argument is a connected series of statements intended to establish a proposition.
    A: No it isn't.
    M: Yes it is! It's not just contradiction.
    A: Look, if I argue with you, I must take up a contrary position.
    M: Yes, but that's not just saying 'No it isn't.'
    A: Yes it is!
    M: No it isn't!

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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    Quote Originally Posted by Lloyd View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by An old bloke View Post
    Isn't that like standing in front of me with an axe and asking which I would miss more, my left leg or the right leg? And no, you're not getting any of my pens.


    If you find it easier than losing a leg or two, can you single out a few of your arsenal that would be more painful to lose than others and why?

    Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
    My feeble attempt at humour apparently fell flat. So on to a serious answer.

    I have a vintage, circa 1930 ebonite Conway Stewart that I cherish. Then too there is the ebonite John Bull that my late wife gave me for Christmas one year. My Onoto Magna is so pleasurable to use that I would have to include it. That is just a few, and I could easily go on.

    Why those three? Firstly, each of them is a pleasant, smooth writer with excellent ink flow. The John Bull has a sentimental attachment. The Onoto, being the brand Winston Churchill preferred has for me, a student and lover of history an allure.

    Oh, and in my case, it was the left leg below the knee.

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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    Years ago I occasionally used to buy Montblanc Writer's Edition pens. I only bought those that really appealed to me, but over the years I have resold them on ebay because they sat there unused.

    I recently took out my Mark Twain that I have probably inked twice, and thought I should sell it as I'm no longer particularly keen on F nibs. However, I sat there and held it and looked at it and knew I couldn't part with it at that time. I feel the same about my Virginia Woolf that has recently had a couple of visits to Montblanc in Hamburg to make it 100% perfect again.

    Then there is my Montblanc Silver Solitaire Barley 146 with it's lovely replacement OB nib. That's also a keeper. A reminder of the time we met Hurricane Irma while we were on holiday in Naples FL. If it hadn't been for Irma I would never have had the funds to buy it, but significant savings due to hotel relocations gave me that opportunity.

    Meanwhile I could quite easily part with my Voltaire that I've never written with. It's made it onto my resale list.
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

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    Thumbs up The Parker VP is the one pen of mine that I would probably miss the most.

    For the purposes of this great topic, I'd have to pick the chrome trim parker vp with the number 21 nib over all my other fountain pens. The pen writes so well! Writing with it truly brings joy to my soul and I like the way my handwriting comes out with it a lot. What a great nib this Number 21 nib is. Parker vp's number 21 nib is technically a "Firm flexible extra broad left oblique." The ebay listing said the pen was a parker 21. I didn't know any better back then since I didn't know much about parker 21 or parker vp pens. I liked the "parker 21's listing," a lot because 1.) I knew parker 21s with gold nibs were hard to come by 2.) it was clearly a 14k nib on this pen, and 3.) because of how funny looking the nib is. I thought it was strange for a parker 21 to have such a weird nib for such a long time, but once I learned what a Parker VP was...and the fact this could be a prototype parker vp, I was ecstatic. Losing any of my pens would be a very tragic event (even if it was my purple pilot varsity). I have never left behind or lost any of my fountain pens. Hopefully I get to say that for as long as I live. Misplacing the vp would be a perpetually crushing blow to my soul. Hopefully that never happens so I can write with it whenever I want = )
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    Default Re: The Parker VP is the one pen of mine that I would probably miss the most.

    Quote Originally Posted by DocFr8t View Post
    ...I'd have to pick the chrome trim parker vp with the number 21...
    What a fantastic collection of vp nibs!

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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    I have a small collection of about 250 pens.
    Every pen has been carefully selected. About 10% of these pens deserve the description rare. Under this circumstances it is nearly impossible for me to choose a single pen which loss would hurt me most...

    but I'm pretty sure the loss of this yellowstone Parker "51" DJ with empire cap and personal engraving that almost shows my own initials (c.m.z.) would hurt a lot:




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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    Quote Originally Posted by christof View Post
    I have a small collection of about 250 pens.
    Every pen has been carefully selected. About 10% of these pens deserve the description rare. Under this circumstances it is nearly impossible for me to choose a single pen which loss would hurt me most...

    but I'm pretty sure the loss of this yellowstone Parker "51" DJ with empire cap and personal engraving that almost shows my own initials (c.m.z.) would hurt a lot:



    “C.M…”

    [Tilts pen horizontally]

    “…Z!”

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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    My Waterman 52 with flex nib, chased hard rubber. Especially now that I got it to fill right! I reach for it more than any other pen. It's just fun to write with.

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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    There are so many but I can narrow it down to two pens. Omas 360 Magnum and Edison Pearl bulb-filler. The Omas is my grail pen and while I don't use it often, I will not sell it. I sold off two other Omas pens when finances were tight and I regret it but it had to be done. The Edison Pearl I got in trade here on the board and I really enjoy using it. I would use it more but being clipless I keep it at home.
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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    My MB149 w/medium nib. Not because I write with it the most - in fact it is probably only used about 1xweek, but because I have had it since the mid 1990's and I have a lot of history with it.

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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    Quote Originally Posted by tde44 View Post
    My MB149 w/medium nib. Not because I write with it the most - in fact it is probably only used about 1xweek, but because I have had it since the mid 1990's and I have a lot of history with it.

    For me also, I like the 149, it is big, overpriced and doesn't work quite as well as it should, but there is still an unalloyed pleasure when I remove the cap and fill the darn thing.

    I am going to cheat an add an S to the word pen in the title of this thread. I adore my history and the 51 was a gamechanger, it even changed the way people wrote, Christof's 51 would be wonderful but I would settle for almost any Vac 51.

    Perhaps my fathers laminated Vac with a Duofold nib would also be sadly missed.
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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    What's with this thought-provoking, gut-wrenching questions about losing our pens?

    (just kidding, I think this thread is wonderful, thank you Lloyd!).

    I agree with Christof's comment. I also have quite a few pens -- the exact number changes almost weekly.
    And since I have spent time with each of them either during restoration, tinkering, testing, etc.
    Almost all of them would hurt me if I lose them, so it's impossible for me to single one or two out.

    But... for the sake of following the thread, this is one of many that I would truly be heart-broken over if I ever lose it:



    Why?

    Because this pen was literally only a shell (dirty too) when it came to me.
    The only saving grace is that it has no cracks or chips.

    I had to source a new clip, lever, section, nib, feed, and inner-cap. Guess how long it took me.
    So yeah, this one is going nowhere.

    Oh, here it is with its little brother Sapphire Jr.

    - Will
    Unique and restored vintage pens: Redeem Pens

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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    This is a tough question to answer.

    I have all sorts of pens. Some are just lookers and some are more collectible than others. Some were customized by nibmeisters who have left us; some by nibmeisters who someday, perhaps soon, will retire; some reground by yours truly. I have great writers and interesting writers. I have pens i have restored. Pens that i struggled with and others that were a breeze to restore. None of those

    I have had pens given to me by my parents. One Aurora from my father that more or less self-destructed. I still have the fragments in a box somewhere. And sometime in my academic career, my mother gave me a Waterman which i ruined by dropping it on its nib while marking exams. All that's left now are some scraps from my mother's pen drawer: an old Esterbrook 9128 nib and a Parker 51 cap with paint drops on it. I have the 9128 on my favorite J, a red one i got for a dollar or so at a yard sale. However, i don't think of the red J as my mother's pen. So not that one, either.

    Maybe it's the pens i stumbled upon and would be unlikely to stumble upon again: the plum 51, the Executive Skyline or the one with the flexible stub, the first year 51s, the mint-in-box BCHR Wahl, the flex OS Balance, or the OS Decoband. I did enjoy the hunt, and now that it's become harder to find pens out there than it used to be, i do value these finds highly. On the other hand, most of these pens fall into the "collectible" category, and "collectible" is just a short-hand way of saying that other people want them. Except for a couple, i'm not sure i would value them as highly if i were the world's last fp user.

    Thinking back on times when i have lost pens, there are some whose absence i failed to notice and others whose departure bugged me to no end. The painful losses were the pens that i used most. Expense or value of one sort of another was not nearly as important. That being the case, this question becomes another form of "which pen do you use the most?" The answer to that, at least for the time being, is my 149 Calligraphy.

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    Senior Member Jon Szanto's Avatar
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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    Yeah, Will had to bring out the Lapis Conklins. I remember when at least one of those two first appeared, remarkable color retention.

    Ok, here's a shout-out to Lloyd: did you think people would, in general, be able to narrow the answer down to one pen? I'm sure that might work for some people, and I didn't want to mess up your template/concept, but there were/are just way, way too many variables in play, pens that all mean a lot for various reasons. I'm guessing that if I had to do it, if I had to protect and preserve my most valuable, I'd get it down to 20-ish pens.

    Anyway, very interesting thread, thanks!
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    and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

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    Default Re: What one pen of yours would you most miss?

    I can't narrow it down to one pen... I wouldn't miss any of my pens now. Sure, I enjoy writing with those I have, but when all is said and done they are just tools to me and curiosities at that. I prefer writing with a fountain pen rather than a ballpoint, about the same as a pencil, but it they all disappeared tomorrow it wouldn't impact on my life in any significant or really any noticeable degree. Sounds a bit negative I guess, though it's only maintaining perspective.

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