Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Question on Parker Black Giant. Excuse to post a photo.

I received an email day or so back--- "IIRC, and if I recall anything at all, I remember seeing either on Zoss or FPN about two years ago a very worn Parker Black Giant with a name engraved on the cap or barrel that you made a spread into. I wanted to know a. If you still have it, and b. if you would be willing to part with it."                  (Photo shows standard and short Black Giants to scale with a Parker Vacumatic Senior Maxima)

I no longer have that pen. Strange, when I bought it, I thought I'd be owning for the longest haul.  An item of significant cachet, the giant Parker Lucky Curve fountain pen from the 1910's always makes a strong impression.  The example I'd purchased had no fatal flaws. It did have the correct clip (full washer ring, not split in back to suggest adaptation from a smaller pen's clip, though some argue those were original, too). It had significant wear.   I traded it a couple years ago. The recipient was tickled pink to have it, and I was quite content with the material I received in trade.  So it goes.

The pens do turn up. Watch for recoloring (impact on value is... debatable). Check the clip for the "split back".  Look for cracks in rubber or in nib.


  The spread at left shows my Black Giant in  detail. Clicking on image will load it to its own page and then can be magnified to full size.





The #12 nib on the Black Giant always impresses.

BITS AND BUCKETS: Week of Sept 29, 2009

Open thread for your questions/observations (if any).  Drop a note. I'll try to turn each post into a thread.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Hunting Sheaffer Balance with Anomalous Cap-Band: Part 2

A couple posts down, I showed my personal collection of 1930's Sheaffer Balance fountain pens with uncatalogued decorative double and triple cap-bands. Not so many pens after more than several years hunting.

In this post I present my very limited collection of uncatalogued Sheaffer Balances, this time featuring the "fish-scale" cap-band.  The earliest color I've seen to feature this band is the Ebonized Pearl, along with Black pens from similar era. The pattern made it all the way to the striated pens, which are the final Balance plastic patterns.

The pen at right is an odd-ball, though I tossed it in with this bunch. A Canadian Balance with a cap-band unique to this actual pen (not to a pen era, etc)  in my experience, with la ook that to me evokes some 1940's Sheaffers.    Over the years I've passed on purchasing some of the fish-scale pens due to price, but the selection above represents more than half of my total exposure to this style cap-band. They are not common.

A Nice Ending to a Grand Collecting Career... though not of Pens.

This post is a bit of a tangent to the collecting of pens, per se, but it touches on a core subject to collecting in general; when, how,  and why will we cease to collect. There must be an endpoint or... endgame?  How to stop?  What if the kids don't want the toys (pens in our case, but toys literally in this case).   Can we say "enough", "good-bye", "i'm done"?  I just spotted this article and believe the three pages make for a worthwhile read.

A Toy Collector Winds Down His Collection


The weird thing... I believe I've been in this fellow's home, no joke.  Friends with a local Chabad, shul services have been hosted at their home. My parents' vacation cottage (See the Vacblog's  4 Pen Friends at the Lake ) is not far away, and I believe Dad and I met there once on Saturday morning for services.  Small world... at least if my recollection is correct.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Hunting Sheaffer Balance with Anomalous Cap-Band: Part 1

1930's Sheaffer Balance pens can be found with relatively (or absolutely) scarce cap-band patterns which appear in no known catalogue.  These include a wide milled cap-band,  the well more  scarce   double and triple cap-band,   and the single "fish scale" band.   Amongst these, the milled cap-band by far is easiest to find. The others are... tough.
Unlike Parker Vacumatic,  I do not collect Balance in a completist fashion, though I grab Balance with these cap-band styles when I can.  For the double, triple and fish-scale bands, I try not to pass on any, only occasionally having skipped one when cost was relatively prohibitive.

Shown in this image is my entire collection of double and triple band Balances, representing probably 7-8 years hunting (I believe I was a couple years into the hobby before encountering my first).

Friday, September 18, 2009

Parker Vacumatic "Purina"


A recent happy find was this Parker Vacumatic "Purina".  One of the most bold of the "logo" Vacs to feature a well-known company, the Purina Vac is a charming find  for Parker collectors. I've seen these crop up occasionally during the last ten years. Finally grabbed one, quite clean.


Thursday, September 17, 2009

An Email Crossed My Desk: Questions about Collecting...

The following email arrived a day or so back.  I will post the note in red, with my intercalated answers in black.

Hello David
I live in Western Australia. Congratulations on your website.
Thanks.  The website truly is the result of simple hobby run amok. But... I enjoy it :)
I decided to email you to seek some advice from you, but first I should tell you about my own pen experience. I am fanatical about fountain pens and have used them for about 40 years, and over those years I have been attempting to find the perfect pen;  a pursuit I must say that has cost me a lot of money and to date and I have not found that elusive pen. As such, I have acquired many nice  ( and valuable) pens, including Parkers, Montblancs, Conway Stewarts, LE Watermans and Pelicans, only to find that on a particular pen I have the perfect nib, or conversely, I have the most beautiful pen but the nib is a nail. What I have found fascinating is that no nib is the same, and as I became more interested in nibs, the part that in my opinion is the most important because it does the writing, I have enjoyed experimenting with various nib styles. Thus I use now mostly stubs and obliques. (By the way I do a lot of hand writing, mostly note taking)
This is a common- indeed charming-  conflict of sorts within collectable pendom and within- to one degree or another- each pen collector; is the hunt for old pens driven essentially by the desire for  objets d'art or is it a drive to find nice old writers with perhaps pretty wrapping? 
I posted an article on the VACUMANIA website on just this subject a few years back. That webpage desperately is in need of format freshening but the content does, i believe, hold up.
http://www.vacumania.com/website/peneducationuser.htm
Most of us of course have mixed drive. We hoard a bit, but we like to write with the darn things too.  And, obviously, this is one of the appeals of collecting old pens. Unlike many collectables, for the most part we can use the items we hoard without grossly devaluing them in the process. Try that with a rare coin ;)
I haven’t set out to be a pen collector, but in reality if I think about it seriously, that is precisely what I am. 
 You, me and many others.
Therefore I have decided to become more active as a collector, but in doing so, every future pen that I acquire  must be a usable pen for me. So I have some very nice pens to sell, and I will be looking for nice pens to buy. I have also decided that I will look for good quality vintage Parkers, i.e. Duofolds and Vacumatics only, because all things considered from my personal experience, Parkers seem to come up trumps, and perhaps pelicans a close second. 
Clearly, given my collecting focus, I'm not going to disagree about the grand appeal of Parkers. Pelikans certainly are great pens too, and I am happy to be quite friendly with a major seller of those old birds.  Parker pens from 1920's- 1950's are of solid construction and today maintain a large collector base. The nibs tend (especially for pens from the USA) to be a bit mundane regarding point, though of course well made. Most pens have fine or medium firm points. Pelikan more often features flex and more exotic cuts. Indeed, to find a Parker with a "special" point is to have  a pen with added value.  Sheaffer very well parallels Parker during the involved period, making pens of extremely fine quality.  Parker's Duofold was met by Sheaffer's flat-top pens, Vacumatic by Balance, "51" by Snorkel.
Having gone around the long way of leading up to my question for you, could you tell me your opinion in terms of brassing on the hardware as to the value or collectability of a Parker. 
There really are two levels to this and subsequent related questions.  
On the one hand collecting is a personal choice. There is nothing  wrong, per se, with enjoying and appreciating the most cosmetically flawed pen, if one happens to like it (for any reason) or in particular if one likes it as a writer.

On the other hand, there are generally accepted aspects of cachet, rarity and condition that contribute to generally recognized valuations within the overall collector population.
One need not subscribe to those generalities, but they will matter when it comes time to buy or to sell within the community. And, of course, this note cannot quite be a primer on all the challenges to buying well. 

All that said, brassing impacts value. The more brassing, the more value is impacted. Pens still are collectable (even trashers have value for parts), but clearly a clean pen with original and unbrassed trim will be valued more highly- all else equal- than a brassed pen. Minor edge brassing usually is not so much an issue.

Grading is complicated. Many variables: trim, plastic, imprint, color, etc.
 I  personally like my pens to be pristine in every way, but the difficulty as I see it is obtaining an absolute pristine pen that is say 50 / 60 years old. 
Yes.  It is a good thing I listed some mint and near mint Vacumatics on the website just yesterday, September 16, 2009 in the "newly listed pens" section.  :)
Seriously, while I am happy to find essentially pristine pens, what sets our hobby apart from, say, numismatics is that hobbyist focus  on our old collectables does not obsess over "mint/pristine", but generally addresses pens that are  clean (or can be made clean) and are usable.  Mint pens carry added value, but generally nowhere near the percentages added to coins for clean mint vs clean used.
If all in all, the pen is nice,  the nib has plenty of iridium and suites me and the hardware has some minor brassing, it is a good pen.
I quite agree.  A pen can be good, or better than good, even wonderful, using of course general descriptors and not the formalisms of pen grading.   Minor brassing is common to most vintage pens, even those most of us agree are "quite nice".  Major brassing is another matter, but even then, we deal not with an absolute cutoff between "ok" and "not OK". Rather, value drifts gently downward as flaws accrue.
But as I like my pens pristine, would  professionally gilded or gold electro plated hardware, be acceptable for a vintage pen and would in your opinion such restoration devalue / ad value to the pen?
TOUGH issue. Generally, I consider original to be best. I'd rather have original trim with minor brassing than a plated pen. I'd rather have moderate brassing (at appropriate price) than plated pen heavily priced up as result.  Those with good eye for pen grading usually can recognize plating, and some platers plate far better than others.  Color might not be right. Poor prep work can show the step between brassed and unbrassed portions, now all plated. Pens with... complex... trim can be particularly problematic. Indeed, for a pen of great rarity, I believe even more strongly that original is best.

However... for a nice basic pen or a pen that is in great shape save for (it happens) disproportionate brassing (eg. a pen with spectacular color and sharp imprint but with weak trim)... I am amenable to plating work.  The best case in my view is that of Sheaffer. Having a smooth cap-band on most pens and with many Balances having smooth clip or one with simple letters, Sheaffer's plate nicely. And, with chrome trim on some colors, Sheaffers do turn up with disproportionate trim flaws, such as a  gem gray/black pen can have trashed pitted trim. I would have such a pen plated.

Generally, though, I stay away from plating.

If you are to have a pen plated, I highly recommend Daniel Kirchheimer; justdon't tell him I said that. He doesn't need more ego.
http://home.comcast.net/~kirchh/Pen_Restoration/
I look forward to hearing back from you.
With kind regards

My pleasure

-david


 

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Website Update Sept 2009. 40 Fresh Old Pens for Sale

Well, this is the first major sales update to the website since I started this blog for announcements and such, so I guess it's time to announce...
The September 2009 Vacumania Vintage Fountain Pen Sales Update
40 freshly listed old pens can be found- no shock- on the "Newly Listed" page
http://www.vacumania.com/websitesales/newpens.htm
This time  I have some high cachet Sheaffer Snorkels,  a few quite high grade Parker Vacumatics, fancy Sheaffer Imperials meant for the Japanese market, an oversized Wahl Doric.... and more.
Do peek in. Feel free to ask questions, here or backchannel.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

No More Bloody British Burgundies...


Lacking awareness of a formal name for the color, i tend to call the  burgundy-ish aerometric Parker "51" from England by name "British Bloody Burgundy".  I'm not sure offhand that pens from England ever were made in the typical-to-USA "Burgundy".  These BBB Pens have more red in 'em than do the USA-made pens and are well less commonly seen, at least on this side of the pond.

So, with the "Parker '51' Insanity" offering I did last December (230 Parker "51" pens at Vacumania.com), I was happy to have five of these Bloody Burgundy pens.

Four sold fairly quickly. The last one was claimed this weekend.  I'm plum out (though that might be a poor choice of words. After all, I still do have some Plums).  Even if I manage another "51" offering this winter, so far I've no more of the British Burgundy.

The "51" Page.

http://www.vacumania.com/websitesales/forsaleparker51.htm

The Weird World of Ebay Ads... A Striped Duofold

One only can wonder what is meant in the following quote...

THIS IS AN EARLY PARKER DUOFOLD BLUE DIAMOND. THE ONLY THING THAT SHOWS WEAR ON THIS PEN IS THE CLIP WITH A SMALL AMOUNT OF WEAR THRUGH ON THE TOP OF THE CLIP. THE BLUE DIAMOND IS STILL 95% BLUE. BEAUTIFUL BITE AND SCRATCH FREE CASE THAT IS SHADES OF BLACK, AMBER, GOLD, GREEN, AND MAYBE SOME OTHERS. THREE GOLD BANDS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CLIP. HAS THE PARKER "ARROW" #6 14kt GOLD NIB. I HAVE SEEN MANY OF THESE PENS ADVERTISED "RESTORED", BUT WHY BUY ONE THAT IS RESTORED WHEN YOU CAN HAVE ONE THAT DOESN'T NEED IT.
Indeed, I s'pose, why buy a pen that has been professionally restored when you can have one that doesn't need it. Doesn't need it?  A magic pen no doubt ;)

Be careful on ebay, folks

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Special Parker Find. 1930's "Toothbrush" Duofold with a Twist.

I was happy to acquire this set at the DC Pen Show this year-- a nice Parker "Toothbrush" Duofold set. Often called this by collectors as the geometric shape of the black pattern on pearlescent background evokes... well.. toothbrushes, this one-year model has a healthy collector following.

This set is scarce. It packs the uncatalogued so-called "Jeweler's" cap-band, a lined wide cap-band found amongst: this model, "Striped" Duofold and Vacumatic. This cap-band is by far most infrequently found amongst the "Toothbrush" pens.

While it is in decent condition, this slender set has a bit more ambering to the pale gray celluloid than is shown in the image. But, the trim is very clean, not easy to find on pens with chrome trim, and of added benefit when found on an uncommon variant such as this.

I doubt I've seen or handled more than ten total wide-band Toothbrush Duofolds amongst all four colors, both sizes, and both modes. And, I hunt with great intensity. This one will stay with me for a bit :)

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Sheaffer Snorkel: The High Cachet Colors


Strange how I "fell into" Snorkeldom.

During my first seven years pen collecting I had purchased with intent perhaps only three or four of this venerable vintage pen from the 1950's, one which went head to head with the vaunted Parker "51", and which perhaps outsold that great pen, according to some.

Aside from the occasional basic pen mixed into some pen collections I'd purchased, I had not sought out the Snork. Then, in fairly short order I was presented with a couple terrific Snork-focused collections. What could I do... I bought them. I found particularly charming a bunch of the "tough" colors mixed into the collections. Six Snorkel colors are far harder to come by than the others, and while the six in turn can be stratified, all carry far more cachet than the five common colors and than the two intermediate colors.

During the subsequent three years I have more aggressively hunted Snorks. I've come to appreciate the series. I do not hunt them with completist goals, but do have ten or so gems in my personal collection, and dozens on the website.

The photo above probably is the only shot out there to show all six of the "tough" colors together, especially with all having matching plastic caps, which are a bit more desirable in this color range than are metal caps, even if the metal capped pens did cost more when originally sold. A scarce Demonstrator makes for seven pens in the image.

Another Topic from Bits/Buckets: Anomalous Vacumatics


Jose Dalisay said...

and can we have a full list of all the uncommon, offbeat, "anomalous" and "uncatalogued" vacs to keep an eye out for--eg, the senior, the overmax and reverse overmax, the three-banded single-jewel, the long canadian major, etc. etc.? thanks!

Well... maybe... I s'pose it is possible. ;)

On other hand, the material covers major chapters and each anomaly asks for exploration. This could get... wordy. And, as you suggest, even some catalogued models are not so common and are of high cachet.

Where would we start? Listing regular models of interest? ID'ing anomalies relative to their closest documented sibs?

I s'pose I could just toss up a pic of a pen that probably meets your criteria. Like the one at top of this post :)

Friday, September 11, 2009

A fresh 1930's Sheaffer Balance set for my collection

As many know, the second most prevalent series in my pen collection- following Parker Vacumatic- is Sheaffer Balance. I have particular fondness for scarce, anomalous and uncatalogued models.

The double cap-band pens are quite uncommon and tend to be found in relatively early colors, though exceptions exist.

I've had oversized pens with this cap for some time in black and in early Marine Green (mottled). Finally completed the early color range in this size by adding the double-band Black/Pearl. The pen is a bit rough, though the pencil is quite nice.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

From the BITS/Buckets: Collectability of big Vacs

(another) David said...

Re collecting Vacs: What is the generally accepted order of collectability of the big vacs (OS, maxima, major) ie what's the cachet order? And then the same question re colors?
I don't know that I can (or wish to) in this small space attempt a comprehensive answer. One could write a long chapter/section on this topic. Still- I will toss out a few ideas. If anyone cares to comment, we can expand on in the comments section.

First, I am impressed and pleased to see people citing cachet, not just price or rarity. This indicates awareness that desirability or allure of any given pen variant perhaps overlaps but also transcends simple prevalence or dollar value.

Second, keeping in mind the usual bromide that one can like/collect whatever he darn well wishes, still there are general tenets of pendom that give some overall structure to views of cachet and value. Rarity adds some cachet. Generally, large model pens carry more demand than medium or small (hmmm...). Scarce and/or appealing colors rate more "oomph" than does basic black. Excellent condition brings more value than does poor. Still, caveats abound. Some scarce pens are appreciated by those who know, but are not widely sought by the hobby. Those can well underprice far more common pens. They probably have more cachet to the cognoscenti, but not to the average collector (oh, the horror to be just an average collector LOL).

Third, if I read your question right, you largely self-answered. Bigger Vacs tend to outvalue Medium or Small. There are some uncatalogued extra-short Vacs though that have added value due to their charm, rarity... cachet (aggh, it's all mixing together!).

Fourth, for Vacs, there are different generations of pens, so we have models of a few sizes for different eras. Oversize has more value than Standard (1st Generation). Senior Maxima has more value than Major (2nd and 3rd Gen).

Crossing generations? It does get fuzzy. I find clean OS harder to find than later Sr Maxima, but Sr. Maxima appeals to many collectors for its fancier cap-band. All else equal (and often all else is not equal) I figure the OS should sell for bit more than Sr. Maxima, Standard a bit more than Major, Slender a bit more than Debutante. There are many caveats.

Fifth... colors?

Generally value ascends from Black to Silver Pearl to Golden Pearl to Emerald Pearl to Azure to Burgundy Pearl, for those years that all the colors existed (really just two years). Blue Sr. Maxima is so scarce that it tops Burgundy in value. Probably should do so as well for Major but in practice does not.

Oddly, while Burgundy today is not that prevalent (why? Another discussion there and maybe no good answers) it saw a long production run and in some models was produced for more years than were other colors.

Thoughts?...

Monday, September 7, 2009

BITS AND BUCKETS: Week of Sept 7, 2009

OPEN THREAD TO POST QUESTIONS/OBSERVATIONS/SUGGESTIONS, etc:

This thread invites direct posting of... well... whatever ya want. Pen questions in particular would be appropriate, indeed saving readers from having to email questions my way, as has been the usual way I receive info/questions/etc. I will try to turn then each post into its own thread. Each week I'll renew the Bits/Buckets, unless of course the concept proves not to be of any interest ;)

So... if you have a question about pens or the website, if you have comments or suggestions about pens or the website, if you have criticisms about the pens or the website... drop the note here.

Reviewing the Goals of this ol' VacBlog...

Well, I started this thing about 9 weeks ago to host http://www.vacumania.com announcements, latest news, etc. It's easier to use this blogware than to have to generate a new webpage on my website, proper, just to post announcements. I figured, too, that I'd toss some info tidbits out by answering some of the daily stream of back channel questions via this front channel.

Most websites have a "latest news" page. This just seemed an easy way to approach it.

The "back channel questions" thing seems to be playing a bigger role, perhaps because I've been way too swamped with "real life" to post as many announcements as I'd like, or even to finish the next major sales updates for the website. I do have some nice stock in the pipeline, no worries. Might even do another "51 Insanity" this winter.

Believe it or not, it generally is easier to answer specific pen questions than to come up with original ideas.

I'm amazed that people have signed up to follow the blog, beyond just peeking in here and there. I do appreciate it.

I suspect the next step is to offer a weekly "open thread" realizing of course that "open" is bit of a limited concept as the site is moderated. It won't be real time. But, a weekly note to invite questions can provide fodder for subsequent posts... if anyone bothers to post anything that is ;)

Perhaps I'll try that for couple weeks, just on a lark.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

VACUMANIA returns to EBAY


Well, it's been more than a year since I bothered with Ebay. I've sold pens there going back to about 2000, but really, it's more fun and easier to deal with my own website, which of course is http://www.vacumania.com

However, I figured it was time to see if good ol' ebay still has some activity left in it. Too, as I've been playing with some new website layouts- aiming for elegance with simplicity (yah, right), it seemed Ebay would be a good place to try out the layout.

So... I put up a few nice pens Sept 6. Mint Esties, Mint Snorks in rare color or with great nib, and a Mint Vacumatic

Do take a look


regards

David

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Vacumatic Slender Maxima Question arrives...


This email crossed my desk. I added the photo to illustrate what is discussed.


Dear David,
It was very nice to see you in DC. I have a quick question: I re-read your article about the slender maxima debate, and have recently examined some slener-max-like pens. The ones I saw all have the "correct" wide cap band as explained in your article, but all have the smaller nib as in the major. Is it necessary to have the larger nib? Is the correct nib for slender maxima the same size as that for the senior maxima? Must the correct slender maxima have a slightly wider section (compared to major) in order to host a larger nib? If the cap band + nib size are the definition of the sldender maxima, why do you need to write so much about "confusions"? All other confused modeles seem not to have the large nib -- so isn't that a simple criterion? Am I missing something?

--------------------

A good range of questions. This model still then generates at least .... hmmm let us say... challenges... if not confusion for you, though given the number of non Slender Maxima pens I see offered on line AS Slender Maxima I would assert that for many it does generate confusion, which is, i guess, better than disingenuousness.

Let's go sequentially. I'll give you my best views, recognizing that pen companies tended to make things... challenging... for collectors-in-retrospect.

The ones I saw all have the "correct" wide cap band as explained in your article, but all have the smaller nib as in the major.

Yes, that no doubt raises concerns. One generally expects to find the 9-feather Max-ish nib (often with more steep cross sectional arc to accommodate the narrower gripping section of the non Senior Max section). Too, I note that by 1939 the Major had identical barrel length (and cap length) to Slender Max which was not so during earlier years. It is possible that Major barrel assemblies or even just gripping section/nib assemblies were swapped at later date for Slender Max assemblies. Can one rule out that as (or before) the Slender Maxima ceased production during 1941 that Parker "blew out" some caps with Major nibs? Well, one cannot prove the negative, but as I believe I've seen even late date Slender Max with proper nib, I have doubts. Upshot is that if the pen has the proper proportions and the key cap-band, it is- at least- "mostly there". The nib difference impacts value, but the key defining trait is the cap-band.

Is the correct nib for slender maxima the same size as that for the senior maxima?

The predecessor to Slender Max, the "Senior", had an OS nib. To my eye and at first glance, the Slender Max nib appears to be same as the OS/Senior-Max nib but wrapped more tightly (steeper arc) to fit the tighter gripping section. It has the 9 feathers on each side of arrow shaft as does Senior Max. I concede I have not weighed both types of nib or measured peak length/width to confirm nibs are identical save for the steeper arc imposed on cross section of the nibs meant for Slender Max. But, they clearly differ from Major nib (7-8 feathers, generally shorter arrow shaft promixal to breather hole).

Must the correct slender maxima have a slightly wider section (compared to major) in order to host a larger nib?

No. Indeed, the Slender Max has identical outer diameter section to that of Major and to Junior and to Streamlined Standard, etc. The inner diameter is larger, giving thinner wall, to accomodate larger feed and nib. All the sections (with some subtle style caveats related more to year of production than to model per se) can be swapped from pen to pen as the threads for the section to barrel are identical in all the pens that some confuse for Slender Maxima.

If the cap band + nib size are the definition of the sldender maxima, why do you need to write so much about "confusions"?

Yet, here we are, many sentences into discussion about what constitutes proper findings for Slender Maxima :)

All other confused models seem not to have the large nib -- so isn't that a simple criterion?

Pens grow confused, collectors grow confused, the literature is limited...

But, yes, barring the possibility of late pens lacking the "proper" nib, even from factory (which I doubt, but I like to keep open mind), one would expect that the two defining criteria- even if some of that definition is done in retrospect- would be enough. The... challenge... comes from the fact that when Slender Max was released, it was the only pen of its size, but over the years a number of other pens were released of the same cap/barrel size: Streamlined Standard, 2nd (and early 3rd) Generation Major- for awhile-, Canadian Juniors, Jeweler's Band pens, etc. Many collectors took to labelling any pen of this size with the Slender Maxima name. The confusion perhaps then is less about the pens than about the way many collectors have treated the name. This is not uncommon in pendom.

Am I missing something?

You seem to have sound handle on it. I leave it as follows. To call a pen a proper Slender Max, it should have Slender Maxima proportions, double jewel status, proper nib, proper cap-band (four criteria). Again, a Slender Max cap will fit several other models' barrels, some of which have and some of which lack proper barrel proportion and all of which will lack Slender Max nib. Major- far more common than Slender Max- changed size over the years, sometimes as long as Slender Max, other times not. Barrel swaps with Major would be a concern. It is possible to see how confusion arises.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Mini Update Online Sept 2, 2009 Sheaffer Connaisseur.


Hi,

While I am of course hard at work on the next 50-pen (or so) sales update for vintage pens (have some NICE stuff this time), i will take advantage of the delay in listing that bunch to offer a tray of mint out-of-production Sheaffer (and Levenger-branded) Connaisseur. Big fountain pens mostly in transparent plastic, most from this bunch are fitted with "special" nibs: broad, oblique, stub, etc.

You can find these by hitting the sales link in this blog's sidebar.

As always, email is isaacson@frontiernet.net

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

A Question Regarding Duofold Date Code, Country of Manufacture, etc...

The following question arrived in my emailbox today...

----

I was going thru your website http://www.vacumania.com' which I found were interesting. I am a collector of pens & have a small collection. The purpose of my writing to is particularly regarding a pen listed under 'Ref No. 1438



'PARKER STREAMLINED DUOFOLD JUNIOR 1934 CANADA'. As per the image the barrel shows number 44 after "Made In Canada" if I am not wrong. I have a similar Parker Duofold Orange colour, Made In USA which also mentions the same number 44 on the barrel as well as the nib. This pen belongs to my grandfather but cannot date the actual year.


The query was did Parker manufactured Duofold pens with similar model numbers in different countries and particularly why a particular number on the barrel where none of the other models are without any model numbers? Kindly advice. Awaiting your reply
----

This question range probes a couple core issues of 1930's-40's Parkers, including Duofold, Vacumatic, "51", Challenger Family, Parkette Family and more.

Parker of course did manufacture pens in the USA and in Canada, with great similarity but still with some differences, and did manufacture pens abroad, in England. In many cases, England was served by Canadian production.

The "44" is not a model number, so whether or not Parker made similar pen models/variants in different countries (which it did), that number is not the key reference.

The "44" is a date code. It is believed to indicate the time of production (or perhaps of issuance in the case of parts stock) of barrel and of nib. From appearance in third quarter of 1934 through mid 1938, the two digits of the date code represented, respectively, "quarter" and "year". Thus a "44" indicates fourth quarter production 1934. Your pen was produced then. Often there is some variation on date code between barrel and nib, often a couple quarters. The date code system was modified in 1938 to a one-digit code with adjacent dots and was modified again to a different 2-digit system in 1950.

You asked why none of your other models (you mean actual pens you've seen?) are without "model" numbers. Noting again that these codes are not model numbers, it is likely that your other pens lack them because they were manufactured before the date codes were instituted in-- again-- mid-late 1934.

Streamlined Duofold ceased regular production (we believe) in 1935 and is last shown in USA catalogues in 1934. A 1934-dated Duofold is very late production. Most Duofolds were produced before late 1934 and thus have no date codes whatsoever.