What Was The First Fountain Pen You Owned And What Happened To It?

[threejean]

My first fountain pen was a Silver-gray Lamy All-star. It's a bit worn, but it still writes like new (although it's not inked at the moment). Of all the pens I have, my Lamy's are still my favorites. You just can't beat 'em!

[Garageboy]

First pen: Parker Reflex bought at Rite Aid in the early 2000s (I was in middle school)

Gave it to a friend

 

Next came a Hero 330, a bunch of late German made Sheaffer No Nonsenses (I used this A LOT in HS, gave away all of them eventually), a Pelikano, and finally a Lamy Safari Blue/Red (ruined by Noodlers Bank Note Green and PIF-ed here on the forum)

 

Then, midway through college, I got myself a nice Pelikan M250 as my first "real pen", but I never really used it much (Broad nib, fear of staining the demonstrator, and it was the pen I had in my shirt pocket when my friend suckered me into going to a Primerica meeting)

[I like mango cheesecake]

My first fp I owned was some Shaeffer off the shelf pen you buy at the drug store stationery section. I remember it was red and that was about it. This was in high school and I lost it pretty much as fast as high school kids lose pens and such. It wasn't till at such time I found some old pens in our basement where I think my Dad had some old Parker fps, most likely the 51's. I knew nothing about fp's at the time and we probably sold them at our garage sale for a couple of bucks.

 

Anyways, I started to use fp's again in university, when I saw a fellow classmate of mine use one. I only started to use it because I was so enamoured her using it, but most likely with her, as she was the epitome of elegance, and most probably because I so wanted to ask her out too.

 

I didn't get back into it till my girlfriend now wife got me a Chinese fp and I started to use it a work, only to have it "lifted" from my office about a year later. I have gotten other Chinese replacements over the years and have used them on and off, mainly off.

 

I took a long hiatus between each time and only now have I seriously gotten back into it, having collected 5 MB's including a 146 and a 149 to the stable.

 

So that's it. Been familiar with fp's but never a really serious user. My first serious pen was the MB 144 which was about two years ago.

[antheald]

At primary school I'm pretty sure we used FPs. We still had the sloping desks with lid and inkwell, but the inkwells hadn't been in service for a while.

 

memory is hazy, but I think I remember 'school issue' cartridge pens. In my mind they had a short blue body, and a long orange barrel.

 

My own first FP was bought in the summer holidays before starting secondary school. I was on holiday on the Isle of Wight and went to WHSmiths to buy all my stationery for starting 'big school' and I selected a white plastic no-name fountain pen that had a twist piston filler and also took standard cartridges.

 

what happened to it? At some point quite early on in my secondary schooling (maybe the first Christmas I think?) I got a Parker 25 which replaced it.

 

Where did that first pen go? No idea. Or where the Parker 25 went. Or any of the various Stypens I had. Or where the other assorted Parkers, the Waterman, the Rotring art pens, and the Shaeffers have gone. I've been a serial loser of pens, but now I'm starting to take a bit more interest in them for their own sake, I intend to take a little more care!

[82Greg]

First Pen: an Omas Bologna in Orange with a juicy medium nib.

 

Status: Still Have it.

 

May look to off load it shortly because it rarely makes the rotation now.

[max dog]

Cross ATX in basalt black finish. Still have it and I like to ink it up now and then put it back in circulation. With it's all metal construction right to the section threads, it is the closest defintion to a work horse pen. Somtimes I forget to flush it out and it sits with ink in it for months, but soon as the nib hits the paper ink flows like I filled it up yesterday.

[mikeschu]

My first fountain pen was a Pilot 78G, black, with a fine nib. It's at the office loaded with Pelikan Brilliant Black because that's the only pen & ink combo I have that will work on the paper supplied by the company that doesn't bleed through to the next page.

[ethernautrix]

A coupla Pilot Varsities, probably. Then it's a blur of Parker Vector and Sheaffer Targas. Or maybe I got the Waterman Laureat (which I still have) before the Targas. It's a blur.

 

Since then I have had many more pens than I have now.

[The Blue Knight]

First pen: Parker Reflex bought at Rite Aid in the early 2000s (I was in middle school)

Gave it to a friend

 

Next came a Hero 330, a bunch of late German made Sheaffer No Nonsenses (I used this A LOT in HS, gave away all of them eventually), a Pelikano, and finally a Lamy Safari Blue/Red (ruined by Noodlers Bank Note Green and PIF-ed here on the forum)

 

Then, midway through college, I got myself a nice Pelikan M250 as my first "real pen", but I never really used it much (Broad nib, fear of staining the demonstrator, and it was the pen I had in my shirt pocket when my friend suckered me into going to a Primerica meeting)

 

I started off with a reflex too I recently bought a new one off amazon, it's a shame as my original opinion of the reflex was very high however now having experienced far better pens it didn't live up to my original expectations of it.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

My very first pen besides the broken Parker 45 I got was a Parker Reflex. When my cap cracked, I pulled the nib and put it in a Parker Jotter since the Reflex, Jotter, and Vector use the same nibs and feed. The Jotter was a better size for me. I sold the Jotter later. I'm not sure I'd get a modern Parker now. I like the pens I have more.

 

Dillon

[CoolFool]

Sheaffer School Pen in the 70's when I was in high school. Not sure what became of it but I found another one just like it and added it to my collection!

Same here!

[Orchidoptera]

Not counting many Sheaffer school pens - the ones on the cards - my first Real fountain pen was a Sheaffer Imperial fine point in burgundy. It was bitten by a puppy and got a hole in the body; a talented friend repaired it with clear resin and I continue to use it to this day. It has endured and forgiven much, and is doing much better now that I know how to care for pens.

[lalindsay225]

My first fountain pen was a Sheaffer cartridge filler with a translucent red body and a chrome cap. It wasn't a No Nonsense; whatever model it was, it was a fairly thin pen. I was in the fifth grade, I think. It called to me from a drugstore school supply aisle.

 

I have no idea what happened to that pen, but luckily, Pendemonium had some just like it in stock a couple of years ago, and I snagged one to give to my son.

[dogfog]

I suppose it would be the Sheaffer Viewpoint pens I got as part of the classic Sheaffer Calligraphy set as a kid. After that, it would be my Sheaffer Agio for middle school graduation. I lost it for a while but it turned up a few years ago! I still use it from time to time, in the regular rotation with my other pens.

[Toll]

My first fountain pen was a Cross Townsend -- back in the mid-90's. It was a gift, but I never really warmed up to the pen. It was followed by a Waterman Phileas and a Parker Sonnet. I must have sold the Townsend, perhaps on EBay. In any event, lots of pens since then!

[The Blue Knight]

It's quite interesting to see that sheaffer cartridge pens seem to be the most popular in this thread.

[ac12]

Mine first FP was a Sheaffer cartridge pen with a transparent plastic barrel. It was CHEAP.

I have no idea what happened to it.

I just picked up a duplicate off eBay, just to remember my first FP.

 

When I got to college, I upgraded to a Parker 45. But in reality, there was very little change. That cheap little Sheaffer was a good student pen and I could have used it through college. But I got caught up in getting what I thought was a "better" pen. As for the P45. I think I have it "someplace" in a storage box. I have the pens that replaced the P45, a P75 and P180. Those did not get lost and are on my desk, with ink in them.

 

My first desk pen was my mother's Parker 51. And I still have that. The sac is stil good. Her Sheaffer and Eversharp on the other hand has to have their sacs replaced. Although I finally figured out why I can't write with most of her pens. They were for accounting and have an XXF to F tip. The eversharp is the worse of the lot, with a XXF tip. I could write numbers, but not script/cursive.

I used it until just recently when I got a desk set of my own.

 

What I cannot find are my dip fountain pens. I used them in college along with my mother's P51. They were very cheap deskpens, with a LONG tapper/tail. That long taper made the pen quite nice to use.

Edited August 30, 2013 by ac12

[corniche]

Same here!

 

Greetings all,

 

As Pakmanpony and CoolFool, (and probably others), have mentioned --> a Sheaffer School Pen with a semi-scratchy medium nib from the mid '80s, (clear barrel with a chrome plated metal cap). I still have it around here somewhere.

 

All the best,

 

Sean

[corniche]

Mine first FP was a Sheaffer cartridge pen with a transparent plastic barrel.

 

This is a riot! So was mine- did it have a chrome plated metal cap, too?

 

- Sean

[corniche]

My first fountain pen was a Sheaffer cartridge filler with a translucent red body and a chrome cap. It wasn't a No Nonsense; whatever model it was, it was a fairly thin pen. I was in the fifth grade, I think. It called to me from a drugstore school supply aisle.

 

Hello lalindasay,

 

I think they were the "school pen" of the late '70s and '80s, (actually, I don't think they were even given a model name); I had the very same pen, but clear. Mine was a gift from my best friend.

 

All the best,

 

Sean

Edited August 30, 2013 by S. P. Colfer