What Is The Oldest Pen In Your Collection?

[punchy71]

What is the oldest pen in your collection, what year was it made and what material is it made out of?

[trump321]

I have an antique dip pen with goldstone handle and a gold Mabie Todd flex nib. I have no real idea when it was made, but I'm assuming near the end of the 19th century. It's a neat pen and writes well from what I can tell. Too bad I don't know how to use a flex nib well!

 

My second oldest is an old Waterman vest pen with sterling silver overlay from the 1910's. I sometimes forget I have it since it is in dire need of restoration and I don't get to enjoy it much. Still a very neat pen.

Edited October 16, 2011 by trump321

[rhosygell]

1917 BCHR Waterman 15PSF. Used daily.

[jar]

Not really sure but likely a Conklin Crescent from right around WWI or earlier. Have a few handguns I use regularly from about the same period.

[Roger W.]

Circa 1899 Sterling (company name not the metal alloy) BHR and about the same time Colonial Pen Company BHR Which becomes Boston Fountain Pen Company which is purchased by Wahl in 1917.

 

Roger W.

[ANM]

I would guess that the oldest one I have is a mottled hard rubber eye dropper with a slip cap. The imprint says it is a Chas W. Guy Fountain Pen and the patent date is July 28,'96. That would be 1896. I have had it since before 1986.

 

PS edit: It has a flexible gold nib that says All American 14K

Edited October 16, 2011 by ANM

[jbb]

Do dip pens count? This Eagle Arrow has a groovy button release mechanism for the nib and was patented in 1887.

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4044/4652932067_d38dc7094b_b.jpg

Edited October 16, 2011 by jbb

[Paddler]

I have an old blow-filler from the 19th century. It has advertizing on it for a sheet iron factory in Cleveland, Ohio. The pen uses a dip pen nib and the feed has a twisted silk string in it for capillarity. There is no manufacturer's name on it.

[ANM]

NO dip pens don't count. BUT FWIW I also have an Eagle Arrow pat.Feb 1, 1887

Edited October 16, 2011 by ANM

[alexander_k]

There's a medieval contraption I've inherited from a colleague that could be an early piston filler or a surgical instrument. Does it count if it doesn't have a nib?

[BrandonA]

I don't have any vintage pens in my collection. My oldest pen though is a MB Agatha Christie which was originally released in 1993.

[Gobblecup]

Probably one of these Watermans for my collection, I also have a little Eagle ringtop, but no pictures of it.

 

http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af135/jtm117/e73a9f28.jpg

 

http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af135/jtm117/fab67fab.jpg

[ticoun]

my black and pearl Eclipse flat top. the patent date on the clip says 1923, but it was more probably made after 1924 since it's made of celluloid.

 

 

restored the filler myself, but i still need to get a crack in the waterman's super flex nib welded before i can use it.

Edited October 16, 2011 by ticoun

[Florida Blue]

As of today, it is a Waterman 52v lever fill in black hard rubber chased made in 1918. I also have a Waterman #12 eyedropper in red ripple made from hard rubber that dates from about 1920.

 

I paid $1 at a flea market for the 52v and $10 at an antique store for the #12 red ripple. Both have super flex (maybe even wet noodle) nibs.

Edited October 16, 2011 by Florida Blue

[Moondrop]

Waterman BHR 12 1/2, but I'm not sure when it was made. It's got the same patent dates as some pens on David Nishimura's site, but I don't know how he determines date of manufacture. Just found a post from someone looking for info on a vintage Waterman (including when te pen was made), on the Waterman forum but nobody replied, so that's no help either.

 

So all I know is that my pen is old.

Edited October 16, 2011 by Moondrop

[ANM]

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii101/matthewsno/DSCF3642.jpg

 

Here is a picture of the two pens I mentioned. My Arrow is not nearly in as nice a condition as is jbb's.

[olivier78860]

A 1908 De La Rue, in hard rubber.

Edited October 16, 2011 by olivier78860

[Gobblecup]

my black and pearl Eclipse flat top. the patent date on the clip says 1923, but it was more probably made after 1924 since it's made of celluloid.

 

 

restored the filler myself, but i still need to get a crack in the waterman's super flex nib welded before i can use it.

 

That pen looks like the same celluloid (and similar style) of this Mabie Todd Swallow. I just looked at the imprint and it says:"PAT.MAY 21-18". But that's just the patent date, and I don't know enough about this pen to guess its actual age.

 

http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af135/jtm117/IMG_1218.jpg

 

http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af135/jtm117/IMG_1224.jpg

 

http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af135/jtm117/IMG_1230.jpg

Edited October 16, 2011 by Gobblecup

[McFortner]

My oldest (and only vintage) pen is my sumgai Plum Parker "51". All of my other pens are of recent manufacture.

[DanDeM]

This John Holland Jewel follows after the Eclipse and the MT Swallow. Dated early '20s in one of his catalogs.

 

 

 

 

But one of my older pens is this Moore Safety, Pat. Sept.8, 1898

 

 

Also have a couple of Edison's that pre-date the Moore, but no pics right now