Omas Fountain Pen - Which One Is It?

[anaglyphos]

Hello everyone,

 

just recently I somehow discovered the fact that I own a few nice pens. I am not an expert of any kind when it comes to pens, but I have a general love of handwriting and of beautifully crafted things, amongst those also fountain pens, especially piston fillers. In the age of computers not much work is left to accomplish by handwriting. Some cards, some signatures... Nevertheless I rediscovered some of my old pens and gave them a good simple cleaning (no disassembling).

 

The little black OMAS belongs to the ones I used to write with a lot, simply because writing with this pen is a really pleasant experience, as it is soft and rich in writing and moreover a real lightweight. (A nice counterpart to the much heavier Waterman MAN 100 Opera with broad nib that I mainly use for signatures, cards or short letters )

 

The OMAS. I think I bought it new sometime in the 80s or early 90s. The way I remember it I was told that it is made of celluloid. But now I think I might be mistaken there. Or maybe not. I think I just gather what can be said about the pen, maybe this will ring a bell with somebody:

 

- I think it is clear that the pen belongs to the "Arte Italiana" series.

 

- It is a piston filler of black colour with gold trimming and 12 facetted barrel and cap.

 

- It has only one Greek decor band, the cap band, no second one on the barrel like the "Paragon".

 

- "OMAS Extra" is engraved on the barrel.

 

- The length is 120 mm capped, 110 mm uncapped.

 

- The nib is made of 18 Kt. gold, without twotone inlay. It displays the arrow design. One tine has engraved the letter "M" for the nib grade, the other tine bears an oval stamp. Inside the oval stamp is something that looks like a fir tree (or maybe arrows) accompanied by two letters. Left of the "tree" is a "T" engraved (or sth. looking similar). The right side of the "tree" has engraved "F".

 

Does someone recognize the pen by the totality of this description? I very much hope so!

 

I have done quite some search on OMAS, but it seems difficult. I do not even know if Milford e.g. is the name for a model or for a size... It seems it is never mentioned as anyone knows it anyway...

 

Looking at the catalogues posted here (great, thanks!) I can add the following to the above description:

 

The pen does look very similar to the "Gentlemen" pen in the 80s catalogue (see here) - only one Greek decor band, no twotone nib. But on the other hand mine has engraved "OMAS Extra" instead of "Gentlemen". And moreover the "Gentlemen" pen does not appear to be smaller than the "Paragon", while mine is certainly not a big pen.

 

Second possibility: The pen looks also exactly like the 8201 - 556/F (medium) and the 8211 - 555/F (small) pens in the 1991 catalogue (if you care to open the pdf-file in this thread). But as far as I can see, nothing is said about the actual sizes. So I would guess mine might be the medium pen or even more probably the small one? (If my understanding is correct, the old pre 1950 "OMAS Extra" also came in three sizes, the smallest one being "Dama". Has there been a change of models and/or sizes between the two catalogues of the 80es and of 1991?

 

Apart from identifiying the model I wish I knew what the engraving "OMAS Extra" does signify. Is it a separate model or does it stand for something else? Maybe someone knows?

 

I would also be happy to find out if the pen is made from "resin" or celluloid.

 

Right now I have no photographs of the pen, but believe me, it is looking exactly like the mentioned models in the catalogues. I still might add photos later, although the pen is not looking as impressive as many of the coloured resin and celluloid varieties. Nonetheless it is an elegant non-spectacular beauty with impressive writing characteristics.

 

Thank you for your help!

 

Amelie

Edited August 16, 2014 by anaglyphos

[Keyless Works]

Welcome to the FPN! The pen being black and from the 80s or 90s is most likely resin and not celluloid. My guess is the pen is a Dama. They had only one fret band like the Gentleman but are much smaller.

[jar]

The Milord was the mid-size pen, the 556 size.

 

Milord on bottom:

 

http://www.fototime.com/0B9AA68C819D14B/large.jpg

[anaglyphos]

Welcome to the FPN!

 

Thank you! I am delighted to have come across this great network.

 

The pen being black and from the 80s or 90s is most likely resin and not celluloid. My guess is the pen is a Dama. They had only one fret band like the Gentleman but are much smaller.

 

Yes, that is what I thought, too. The catalogue showes three sizes without naming the small one "Dama". But that is obviously what it is. The modern "Dama" has the same dimensions.

 

The Milord was the mid-size pen, the 556 size.

 

Milord on bottom:

 

http://www.fototime.com/0B9AA68C819D14B/large.jpg

 

Thanks for posting this picture! Just to be clear, the Milord is then the medium size (556) of any 12-facetted Arte Italiana series, just like the Gentlemen was in the catalogue of 1991? What is engraved on these two, if I may ask?

 

Still open questions for me:

 

OMAS Extra:

Does someone know what the "OMAS Extra" engraving refers to? I have come across some descriptions or advertisements, where a pen was called an "OMAS Extra" pen. That initially confused me, as I thought there might be a specific model with that name. But maybe people just called a pen "OMAS Extra" because these words were what they found engraved on the barrel. Is there any specific meaning to it? Or does it help to identify the production area?

 

The Rolling Disk:

When did the rolling disk in the clip have its appearance on some of the OMAS series?

[jar]

 

Thank you! I am delighted to have come across this great network.

 

 

Yes, that is what I thought, too. The catalogue showes three sizes without naming the small one "Dama". But that is obviously what it is. The modern "Dama" has the same dimensions.

 

 

Thanks for posting this picture! Just to be clear, the Milord is then the medium size (556) of any 12-facetted Arte Italiana series, just like the Gentlemen was in the catalogue of 1991? What is engraved on these two, if I may ask?

 

Still open questions for me:

 

OMAS Extra:

Does someone know what the "OMAS Extra" engraving refers to? I have come across some descriptions or advertisements, where a pen was called an "OMAS Extra" pen. That initially confused me, as I thought there might be a specific model with that name. But maybe people just called a pen "OMAS Extra" because these words were what they found engraved on the barrel. Is there any specific meaning to it? Or does it help to identify the production area?

 

The Rolling Disk:

When did the rolling disk in the clip have its appearance on some of the OMAS series?

 

Rolling disk clips came and went over time. The "bow tie" clips also came and went, I have examples of both 557 and 556 size pens with both.

 

OMAS Extra doesn't seem to mean much; kinda like MB's Meisterstück. It appears on their top line pens but also on the 620 and 630 that were steel nib student pens.

[anaglyphos]

 

Rolling disk clips came and went over time. The "bow tie" clips also came and went, I have examples of both 557 and 556 size pens with both.

 

OMAS Extra doesn't seem to mean much; kinda like MB's Meisterstück. It appears on their top line pens but also on the 620 and 630 that were steel nib student pens.

 

Oh, I am sorry, I did not get notified about your post and discovered it just know. Thanks for the information. OMAS Extra seems to run not only across series but also across time. Very funny.

[MarcShiman]

That's an Omas 555/F, and it was made with "vegetable resin" or something like that. The 556 was about 13cm, and the 557 about 14cm. They didn't use "Milord" or "Dama" with this series that I know of.

 

The "F" refers to it being faceted. "Extra" was the term applied to facetted pens - the Omas Lucens was a round pen, the Omas Extra Lucens a facetted pen. I think the "Extra" lost its usage after a while, and might have been applied to higher end pens - I would think that maybe that was the brand name as 555/F isn't terribly catchy.

[anaglyphos]

"Extra" was the term applied to facetted pens - the Omas Lucens was a round pen, the Omas Extra Lucens a facetted pen. I think the "Extra" lost its usage after a while, and might have been applied to higher end pens - I would think that maybe that was the brand name as 555/F isn't terribly catchy.

 

There are many round pens named "Omas Extra", so I guess this cannot possibly be the meaning of Extra.

 

In the beginning of OMAS the "Extra" was a definite model, the one that got OMAS famous in the first place, 12 facetted with the golden Greek ornament. It already had the three size versions you mention. That was in 1932 according to this Italian source. The same source provides an interesting hint regarding the later use of "Extra". It is mentioned there that in post-war times "Extra" specified piston fillers, as opposed to the traditional pre-war lever-filler models which had been abandoned by OMAS in 1946. So a piston filler pen was special, "extra" at the period. I have no idea if this naming strategy still holds true for today. If you find an "Extra" that is not a piston filler, it does no longer

[eric47]

 

There are many round pens named "Omas Extra", so I guess this cannot possibly be the meaning of Extra.

 

In the context, "Extra" in Italian is used to mean "high quality", "top quality". You see it on other Italian pens and nibs, be the modern or vintage.

 

 

Yes, that is what I thought, too. The catalogue showes three sizes without naming the small one "Dama". But that is obviously what it is. The modern "Dama" has the same dimensions.

 

Thanks for posting this picture! Just to be clear, the Milord is then the medium size (556) of any 12-facetted Arte Italiana series, just like the Gentlemen was in the catalogue of 1991? What is engraved on these two, if I may ask?

 

Just to nitpick, with the 1980+ resin pens, "Dama" was never used. With the facetted resin pens:

- 120mm long pen (closed length) was called the 1930 or 555/F.

- Middle size pen was called the Milord or 556/F

- Big size pen came in two forms: Paragon and Gentleman - both also indicated with 557/F

 

With the modern celluloid pens, Dama was used on the equivalent to the 1930. There was also a smaller pen with a tassel called the Princess. And of course the large pen which was the Paragon. By the wall all the celluloid pens are slightly smaller (length and diameter) than the resin equivalents.

 

Also a bit of a by the way, Dama, Milord, and Gentlemen were used on the vintage celluloid pens that had Greek keys.

[Rafael Macia]

Excellent thread !

[igor61]

The pen being black and from the 80s or 90s is most likely resin and not celluloid. My guess is the pen is a Milord.

[eric47]

The pen being black and from the 80s or 90s is most likely resin and not celluloid. My guess is the pen is a Milord.

 

Amelie said 120 mm capped in the first post.

 

Too small to be a Milord, which around 135 mm capped.

[anaglyphos]

Just to nitpick, with the 1980+ resin pens, "Dama" was never used.

 

Yes, that is what I said. "Dama" was no longer used in the modern catalogues, but the dimensions of the three sizes were (probably) still the same.

 

With the facetted resin pens:

- 120mm long pen (closed length) was called the 1930 or 555/F.

- Middle size pen was called the Milord or 556/F

- Big size pen came in two forms: Paragon and Gentleman - both also indicated with 557/F

 

With the modern celluloid pens, Dama was used on the equivalent to the 1930. There was also a smaller pen with a tassel called the Princess. And of course the large pen which was the Paragon. By the wall all the celluloid pens are slightly smaller (length and diameter) than the resin equivalents.

 

Also a bit of a by the way, Dama, Milord, and Gentlemen were used on the vintage celluloid pens that had Greek keys.

 

You are completely right with everything you say here, at least according to the information that I have been able to find.

 

The pen I own is for sure the small model "per signora", 555/F (F for facetted, S for round). In the two above linked catalogues of the 80s and 90s it has the product number 8211. What is however not clearly visible to me is if there are any differences in the models of the 80s and 90s catalogue. The 80s show an engraving of the respective model number plus "Gentleman" on the medium sized pen. In the 90s catalogue the image does not allow to see the engraving. Mine has engraved "Omas Extra". So maybe this was the engraving used on the pens of the early 90s.

 

Amelie said 120 mm capped in the first post.

 

Too small to be a Milord, which around 135 mm capped.

 

Thank you! This would have been my next question.

 

By the way, does anyone happen to know when celluloid for the plain-colored Paragon et al was switched to resin?

 

[eric47]

Yes, that is what I said. "Dama" was no longer used in the modern catalogues, but the dimensions of the three sizes were (probably) still the same.

 

The pen I own is for sure the small model "per signora", 555/F (F for facetted, S for round). In the two above linked catalogues of the 80s and 90s it has the product number 8211. What is however not clearly visible to me is if there are any differences in the models of the 80s and 90s catalogue. The 80s show an engraving of the respective model number plus "Gentleman" on the medium sized pen. In the 90s catalogue the image does not allow to see the engraving. Mine has engraved "Omas Extra". So maybe this was the engraving used on the pens of the early 90s.

 

You'll find "Dama" from 1991 onward, for the celluloid 555/F.

 

The 1980 catalogs that were posted here include the introduction of the modern "Arte Italiana" resin pen series (introduced 1984 according to Dolicin's book). Those early pens are notable for the following features. The facetted pens have the common names of 1930 (555/F), Milord (556/F), Gentleman (557/F), Paragon (557/F) engraved on the barrels. By the way, that's a throwback to the 1960s celluloid 555/F, 556/F and 555/F pens that also had: 2 thin bands + Greek keys on the cap, as well as "Dama", "Milord", and "Gentlemen" engraved on the barrels. (I've never seen a "Paragon" from that period.)

 

Some of the early Arte Italiana pens also have a rolling serial number; not in the sense of a limited edition, but just a progressive code on each pen. Certainly the big Ogiva (557/S) and the Paragon have them.

 

At a certain point Omas stopped putting the serial numbers, and they also stopped putting the common names (1930, Milord, etc.) on the pens. Often you'll find just "Omas Extra", much like you see on the celluloid pens. I do not know the exact year they stopped doing both of these. But pretty much when you hit the mid-1990s both features are gone.

 

Also I'm pretty sure it was by the late 1990s that Omas tweaked the design of the *resin* pens. The "diamond" clip that replaced the roller clip on the facetted pens in the 1950s was replaced by...the roller clip. The celluloid pens in 1991 were the first modern pens to go retro with the roller clip. And the facetted *resin* pens all received a "Paragon" treatment with a set of bands (two thin + Greek keys) on the barrel. At that point I'm pretty sure, that meant the Gentleman (which differed from the Paragon precisely by the lack of those bands on the barrel) ceased to be.

 

Leaving aside the bands on the caps and barrel, the different clips, and engravings, basically from 1984 until the LVMH "restyling" the *resin* 555, 556, and 557 are pretty much the same pen in terms of dimensions. There is some difference in the vegetal resin used on the early 1980s pens and later pens. The early resin pens tend to shrink noticeably; loose cap bands, ill-fitting caps, and cracked cap lips (not from posting) are fairly common those pens. Edit: Oh there's one other difference, early pens can have an issue with the friction fit of the nib and feed in the section; as in, there's not enough. To solve this, Omas came up with the ebonite nib/feed collar that screws in the section; with the nib and feed friction fit into that. You can see this later setup here. And the early Arte Italiana pens had 14K nibs, some of which are quite flexy and closer to vintage Omas nibs.

 

Also bear in mind that companies/people could commission pens, which might have some variation. I have a 556/F (Milord size) FP and RB with just a single cap band with simple Greek keys. The box and and/or (???) insert had an Italian Bank's name: BNL (Banca Nazionale del Lavoro).

 

 

 

By the way, does anyone happen to know when celluloid for the plain-colored Paragon et al was switched to resin?

 

 

Dolcini's book shows two celluloid pens (Milord and Modello 71 super) dated as 1968. (I also own Damas and Gentlemens from that period.) So late 1960s, early 1970s is most like when the Omas phases out celluloid, which is actually quite "late" when you consider many pen manufacturers had switced to other plastics and resins decades earlier. The 1970s Omas pens in the book are pretty fugly plastic pens. Dolcini again says 1984 is the year the Arte Italiana collection starts, so resin is clearly used from that point onward. Never been clear to me what happened during those dark years in the 1970s, whether the classic 555-7 pens were still being made in resin.

Edited August 28, 2014 by eric47

[eric47]

Here you go:

 

Here are some 555/F and 555/S over the years; so you see how your pen fits in.

 

The vintage 1950s-1960s celluloid Dama (n. 5) has "Dama" engraved on the barrel and you can smell the celluloid. It is shorter than both the modern resin 1930 (n. 8) and modern celluloid Damas (n. 9, 10, 11). It's barrel length is closer to the modern cellulioid Princess (n. 12).

 

My modern resin 1930 only has "Omas Extra" on the barrel and an 18K Nib; so it's not an early Arte Italian pen.

 

 

[anaglyphos]

Ah, luckily I got you somehow to reveal part of your really extensive knowledge on OMAS (and God knows what else...)! Your post provides so many helpful details. However, it is hard not to be just a tiny little bit envious of this amazing collection of gorgeous pens I am not a collector (and hope not to be on my way to become one, being already involved in a different field...) but I certainly do have a very special liking for OMAS (and unfortunately also for celluloid). So I do hope that the little pen I love so much, mainly for the wonderful writing experience it gives, will not stay my only OMAS.

 

At a certain point Omas stopped putting the serial numbers, and they also stopped putting the common names (1930, Milord, etc.) on the pens. Often you'll find just "Omas Extra", much like you see on the celluloid pens. I do not know the exact year they stopped doing both of these. But pretty much when you hit the mid-1990s both features are gone.

 

Also I'm pretty sure it was by the late 1990s that Omas tweaked the design of the *resin* pens. The "diamond" clip that replaced the roller clip on the facetted pens in the 1950s was replaced by...the roller clip. The celluloid pens in 1991 were the first modern pens to go retro with the roller clip. And the facetted *resin* pens all received a "Paragon" treatment with a set of bands (two thin + Greek keys) on the barrel. At that point I'm pretty sure, that meant the Gentleman (which differed from the Paragon precisely by the lack of those bands on the barrel) ceased to be.

 

Those two informations combined pretty much place my pen with its engraving "OMAS Extra" and its diamond clip in the second half of the 90s. That is consistent with what my memory vaguely tells me.

 

It is really funny. I found the original OMAS box and its outer box. Guess what, the outer box carrying the label should be good enough to identify the pen, but - the shop must have put my pen into the wrong box, obviously that of another OMAS pen, as it says 557/S, which is of course completely wrong.

 

Here you go:

 

Here are some 555/F and 555/S over the years; so you see how your pen fits in.

 

The vintage 1950s-1960s celluloid Dama (n. 5) has "Dama" engraved on the barrel and you can smell the celluloid. It is shorter than both the modern resin 1930 (n. 8) and modern celluloid Damas (n. 9, 10, 11). It's barrel length is closer to the modern cellulioid Princess (n. 12).

 

Should be no. 8 by all we know now.

 

 

My modern resin 1930 only has "Omas Extra" on the barrel and an 18K Nib; so it's not an early Arte Italian pen.

 

Just like mine, in both respects.

 

By the way, I would go for the blue Princess (if someone let me choose...) Or maybe Number 10?

 

From when is Number 7, the grey marbled round one? Very beautiful, too.

[Keyless Works]

You'll find "Dama" from 1991 onward, for the celluloid 555/F.

 

Good to know. The only pen I have had is this size was a 1997 grey pearl Dama.

 

OMAS has an incredibly confusing line up. I have found that the pens changed sizes over the years too. The late 40s early 50s pens were larger than the late 50s pens. A 557 from the early 50s (in the late 40s I don't think they didn't have the numbers yet) was over 14cm but by the late 50s it was more like 13.8cm which would have been the length of the senior 556 size in the early 50s.

[fcarbon]

The 1980 catalogs that were posted here include the introduction of the modern "Arte Italiana" resin pen series (introduced 1984 according to Dolicin's book). Those early pens are notable for the following features. The facetted pens have the common names of 1930 (555/F), Milord (556/F), Gentleman (557/F), Paragon (557/F) engraved on the barrels.

 

This doesn't seem to be the case with this Paragon, which I think is an early resin pen and has nothing engraved on the barrel. I think it is early since the cap shrank a little (with loose cap-band) and the nib/feed is friction fit. Another oddity is that the 14k nib carries no k-stamp or grade-stamp.

 

Edited September 4, 2014 by fcarbon

[jar]

 

This doesn't seem to be the case with this Paragon, which I think is an early resin pen and has nothing engraved on the barrel. I think it is early since the cap shrank a little (with loose cap-band) and the nib/feed is friction fit. Another oddity is that the 14k nib carries no k-stamp or grade-stamp.

 

 

 

Do you see the 585 on the nib?

[fcarbon]

 

 

Do you see the 585 on the nib?

Yes I do. But nothing else and nothing on the barrel. Only "Omas" on the cap.