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Recently I received a Bayard Souverain cartridge fountain pen, made in France probably in the 1970s. It has a nice 18-carat nib with a good amount of flex. I wanted to get it back in service. After exhausting my supply of various makes of cartridges an internet search and French pen blogs indicated pens made by Bayard, Unic and Stylomine use a ‘BUS 5’ cartridge (BUS = Bayard, Unic, Stylomine). The BUS 5 is no longer manufactured. Fortunately my local pen store (Bromfield Pen Shop) came up with a solution. After a number of tries the answer is to use S. T. Dupont propriety ink cartridges. It stands to reason as Dupont is based in France. The fit is initially a bit tight but the Dupont cartridge works well and stays in place. The ink flow is what one would expect and want. I’d be interested in hearing if anyone knows of other cartridges that might fit -- one similar in dimensions to the S. T. Dupont but only slightly larger around the interior neck opening pierced by the section. Here are some photos of the Dupont cartridge and the Bayard Souverain.

latest catch , Bayard Superstyl LE demi ( or in its original French naming , Superstyl Modèle Dames ) in moss green pattern celluloid, in decently good , restored condition , with nice flex ( semi flex ) 18K nib , research say this is likely late production circa 48 or 49 , pen weight in at 14.8g or 8.9g without cap ( un-inked ) , with a girth of 12mm thickest around the barrel tapering to 11mm at the capping thread and 8.8mm at the section lip next to the nib ( before the stepping ) , with the cap at 14mm thickest ; its 124.6mm in length capped, 105mm uncapped. It does not post, I had no idea if it will post or not originally but now the cap lip catch on the filler lever and I am not about to force it. Engraving on the barrel stated "Superstyle" with "LE", and "DE" in small block text above and below the Superstyl in script text , then with the Bayard logo below, with 750 engraved in block on the barrel end side. It should sell for 2200 Franc at the time and likely cataloged well into the early to mid 50's though production is said to cease 1949 Bayard Superstyl LE Demi ( Post War Version ), on Flickr

Well, I have attend my first pen show, the one in Cologne on April 1st. I was planing to buy one or two pens and at the end decided on Mabie Todd Swan Leverless 205/60 with flex gold nib. Nicely restored, very smooth and wet writer, I love it. Bought it from kind and helpful Sarj Minhas (one man pen show!) on whose table(s) I spent half of my time at the show The other two I bought on eBay: 1940s Bayard Excelsior 560 Standard in excellent condition. Leningrad Soyuz - never saw one of those before - nice wet writer.

I was fortunate enough to have been thought of during a friend's trip to France. She brought back a French pen for me. I have zero knowledge of French pens until this evening. The plastic on this is stunning brown, gold, cream with a pear finish on some of the colors. It seems to have an interchangeable nib. The clip motif is repeated on the lever. I just had to share!

This circa 1941 Bayard 560 has never been used and arrived in its original box with original brochure and two nibs. Thank you to Peter Farrell at Distinctive Fountain Pens (distinctivewritinginstruments on ebay) for a beautiful pen and wonderful customer service. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/Pens-016_zps1eb7b9a6.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/Pens-021_zps0d6be67e.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/Pens-019_zpsb9295d17.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/Pens-023_zpsd8fbfcd9.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/Pens-024_zps6ff245cc.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/Pens-026_zps21be98d7.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/Pens-028_zps2017bd82.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/Pens-030_zps99a39eb2.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/Pens-031_zpse37087d4.jpg

Bayard Excelsior 497, circa 1930 http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/Pens-011_zpsc0907b6a.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/Pens-006_zpsfed24e40.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/Pens-008_zps83a4499e.jpg Thank you again to amateur25 on ebay for another beautiful pen.

Another Bayard from the awesome ebay seller, amateur25--André Rocca. I thought the pen would be more mauve as my laptop screen (on my dying Mac) depicted the pen this way, but instead, the pen is a lovely golden brown and I am just in love with it. The nib is super flex and I inked it with Iroshizuku yama-budo and used Tomoe River paper for the sample. The imprint on the barrel reads Excelsior 551 and at the end of the pen, there is the number 62 in a box. The nib reads Warranted, 18 ct, 1st Quality. The books used in the shoot are Nijinsky: An Illustrated Monograph edited by Paul Magriel and published by Henry Holt and Company, New York (1947) and the 1920 version of A Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales for Girls and Boys by Nathaniel Hawthorne with pictures by Maxfield Parrish (Duffield and Company, New York). Thanks for looking! http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_4045_zpsccd83ed2.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_4011_zpsd0637fa7.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_4013_zps437593dd.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_4033_zpsa25f2ed7.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_4037_zpsd0014062.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_4050_zps5a878d51.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_4041_zps8c01055e.jpg

One of my latest Bayards from the seller amateur25 on ebay. André is a reputable, communicative seller. Nib reads Excelsior, Monobloc, Pointe Blinde EF. Translated, this latter stipulation means advanced armored. The pen is inked with a combination of J. Herbin's Poussière de Lune and their Rouge Hematite The background is India's Love Lyrics, arranged in verse by Laurence Hope and Illustrated by Byam Shaw, published in 1920. I found the book at a local library sale and it still has the pressed flowers placed there perhaps decades ago. Books in background are The Alchemical Tradition in the Late Twentieth Century (ed. Richard Grossinger), On Love: a Philosophy for the Twenty-first Century by Luc Ferry, An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols by J.C. Cooper, The Architect of Desire by Suzannah Lessard, and Anatomy of the Psyche by Dr. Edward Edinger. Thank you for looking! http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3962_zps3fee681d.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3959_zpsb812335e.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3965_zps6ae18db1.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3969_zpsa9d90cfb.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3978_zps4dacd359.jpg

I just received this Bayard Superstyl 650 from ebay seller Ringsmith999, whom I recommend. The pen is circa 1940s and the photographs just don't do it justice. The nib is marked 18 ct, size 50 with the crossed nibs and the P and F on either side. Bayard, Fabrication Francaise and stylo sans reproche appear on the pen barrel with 650 at the end. I've used a Henri Cartier-Bresson photograph of the great French painter Pierre Bonnard for the background and the writing sample is a quote of Cartier-Bresson's in Akkerman Passage Blauw on Tomoe River paper. Thanks for looking! http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3825_zps40de4507.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3842_zpsd762eb11.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3846_zps854f0d5e.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3849_zpsd92e2bf7.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3818_zps51e06d5c.jpg

This is my new Bayard. It's interesting as the cap's clip is marked unique and depose. The nib is unmarked. The lever has the Bayard logo of crossed nibs but an E and F on either side, different from the P and F on either side of my dragonfly clip Red Ripple Bayard's lever logo imprint. The body of the pen has the worn imprint: Marque Dep. 13 Fevr. 1912 Bayard (with the crossed nibs logo but with a P and F on either side), P S F Fabrication Francaise No. 430 The ebay seller bernotte sold me the pen and I highly recommend him. Great pen at a great price, great communications, pen expertly packed and shipped quickly. Thanks for looking! http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3474_zps2079f538.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3471_zps96c95496.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3465_zps4334a900.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3450_zps5236315b.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3453_zps75326e48.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3458_zps19f37192.jpg http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_3484_zps047b007b.jpg

I received my 1920s Bayard Safety a couple of days ago and after inking it last night, I realized it will need a new seal as it's leaking from the end. Still, it's a gorgeous pen and in pretty much pristine condition otherwise. It came with the original box and information sheet, too. I used old newspaper, from Sept. 1920, discovered under carpeting the other day at the Vanderbilt mansion here in Hyde Park. I was photographing furnishings in the dining room and the curators called me into the "reception room" to have a look at the papers, which were found as the staff were rolling back the carpet to clean the flooring. Thanks for looking! **Please excuse the debris, evident on the pen's black surface. The newspapers are disintegrating rapidly into dust and I'll be throwing them out after I photograph a few noteworthy pieces. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_95902_zpsd0f647a7.jpg The pen with nib exposed. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_9592_zps7cf4d2ba.jpg The box and pen with nib withdrawn. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_9593_zps77ac7069.jpg Information sheet accompanying pen. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_9620_zps8f47e532.jpg "Bayard Safety" http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_9623_zpsfb5105e0.jpg Beautiful pattern http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_9634_zps9f476ebf.jpg 18ct nib with the crossed nibs design and the E and F on either side The E and F denote the earliest of Bayards after Parisian bookseller Etienne Forbin, founder of the Bayard line. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_9636_zpsc90651ed.jpg Feed http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_9642_zps1c2d406d.jpg The emerging nib reminds me of the Stipula Samurai's retractable nib. http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_9655_zpse60eec29.jpg The beautiful cap