The Matador Thread

[sansenri]

another thread in the forum confirms that the Presbìtero click Matador is in fact an italian version

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/266967-a-lucky-find-matador-120-presbitero-click-with-m-steel-nib/

one italian person found one buried in a drawer probably belonging to his grandfather.

The italian wording Presbìtero derives from greek and then latin, the word meaning ancient/old person belonging to the hierarchy of the church, so essentially: Priest (English word which clearly also originates from the greek/latin words), but in the specific case it is a surname.

The wording Brev. is the abbreviation for Brevetto which means Patent, so the full wording Presbìtero Click Brev. Matador means very likely

Presbitero, model Click, fountain pen, based on a Matador Patent.

So presumably a licence to sell a Matador in Italy under the brand Presbìtero.

Presbìtero was an italian company mostly know for the production of nibs and pencils (had no fountain pen production and probably bought a licence to sell one or more).

According to information on Fountainpen.it, the company was based in Milan and was presumably founded around 1927 by Pietro Presbitero, as one of the first steel nib makers in Italy. According to the Italian Wikipedia, and thanks to one of the Fountainpen.it Admins. (Simone Piccardi) we know that the company first registered a brand in 1931 and was active at least until 1952, date of the last brand registration.

Some Presbitero items can still be found on auction online, mostly boxes of pencils or nibs, the artworks are rather interesting, with clear military and futuristic inspiration (due to the times...).

image from Fountainpen.it

 

I own a Matador Click, but it's the German version.

[Otter1]

Thanks for the additional info on the Matador/Presbitero connection---that is a very interesting bit of research.

 

-Otter1

[sansenri]

Thanks Otter1

I find it very interesting, as the story dates back very far

here is another advert dating 1922!

the ad sounds overly patriotic (and a tad fascist... which can also be noted by the way the pencils are bound together in the upper right corner...)

"italians! do prefer the national pencil Presbitero."

The ad states the address of the Presbitero company, Via Carlo Farini 31, Milano

out of curiosity I checked it on google maps. The place is still there, but there's a Pizzeria now...

[Azuniga]

Wow !!!

Thank you sansenri for all this information, very useful to complete the still poor information about Matador...

[Don Jr]

I thoroughly enjoyed following this thread last year, and thought I'd start off 2017 by reviving it and sharing two of my Matador button fillers: a "Superior" (Nr. 962) and a "Standard" (Nr. 860). As you can see, both are faceted, which I think is rather uncommon for Matador... and both have Matador-marked "snake" clips, which as we've seen in the previous posts is common for Matador. Though both have identical faceted shapes, the Superior is labeled on the cap and the Standard is marked onthe barrel.

 

The Superior has an extra fine gold heart-hole nib, marked "Matador New-York 1st Qual. 14 Ct-585". Does anyone know if Matador's early 'New York" nibs were actually made by A. Morton, like early Kaweco nibs, or if Matador had them made by some other firm there? The Standard has a medium Degussa steel nib; I don't know if the nib is original to the pen, but that's how I obtained it.

 

I've always wondered about the approximate year of manufacture for these two pens; my guess is early-to-mid-1920's (?)

 

I really love those Turbos posted in earlier threads, and would love to find one; if any of you have an extra or duplicate that you'd consider parting with, please PM me!

 

-- Don Jr

Edited January 2, 2017 by Don Jr

[kawuska]

Hello Don,

great pens!I've got faceted 962 too and it is one of the most gracious pens I have.Don't think that Degussa nib originally came with this pen though.Who made Matador nibs, any information about this brand?It has yet to be discovered.Maybe some dark cellar in Germany hides documentation sheets used by the house owner to wrap glass jars with jam in it?Time will tell..

[markiv]

I thoroughly enjoyed following this thread last year, and thought I'd start off 2017 by reviving it and sharing two of my Matador button fillers: a "Superior" (Nr. 962) and a "Standard" (Nr. 860). As you can see, both are faceted,....

Amazing examples. Love the faceted one.

I may have a spare nib, let me take a look.

[Don Jr]

Just trying to fan the embers of this Matador thread by sharing some recent acquisitions...

- The green Marbled "Standard" is a #91 button filler - a big Thank You goes to MarkIV for that one!

- Two orange "Standard" #92 button fillers (in what I believe is orange hard rubber); one w/ Fine nib, the other Medium

- Two "Express" piston fillers, one black, one lined-blue & gray

 

To me, the two #92 button fillers are unusual; I've not seen a Matador pen in this orange/red hard rubber material before... perhaps Germany's answer to the Parker "big red" :^) and at 13.3mm, fairly large.

[Ambien]

Just trying to fan the embers of this Matador thread by sharing some recent acquisitions...

- The green Marbled "Standard" is a #91 button filler - a big Thank You goes to MarkIV for that one!

- Two orange "Standard" #92 button fillers (in what I believe is orange hard rubber); one w/ Fine nib, the other Medium

- Two "Express" piston fillers, one black, one lined-blue & gray

 

To me, the two #92 button fillers are unusual; I've not seen a Matador pen in this orange/red hard rubber material before... perhaps Germany's answer to the Parker "big red" :^) and at 13.3mm, fairly large.

 

Do you have better photos of the grey lined Matador? I'm always curious to see blue-grey colors. Thanks.

[Don Jr]

Ambien,

Here's a couple extra shots I hope will give you the additional clarity you requested. When you look at the "lines" close-up, you can see that half of each line is light-blue and the other half light-gray... pretty neat.

For comparison, I've got it next to an Express #976 which has a much deeper lined blue.

[Ambien]

thanks for the HQ photos it reminds me of the Parker duovac colors.

[kawuska]

You say duofold-like Matadors?Check these out, that's a "duofoldish" reply!

(Sorry, can't remember where I grabbed these photos and who made them)

 

http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/q732/Kawuska/redmatador_zpso9j7ufye.jpg

 

http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/q732/Kawuska/redmatador2_zpsyqwqdzqf.jpg

[Otter1]

Wow. Never seen a Matador like that---thanks for posting. It seems practically everyone made a Duofold clone at that time.

 

-Otter1

[markiv]

Just trying to fan the embers of this Matador thread by sharing some recent acquisitions...

5 Matadors-1.jpg

......

 

That is an eclectic collection of Matador pens, especially the reds. Congratulations and keep em coming.

[markiv]

You say duofold-like Matadors?Check these out, that's a "duofoldish" reply!

(Sorry, can't remember where I grabbed these photos and who made them)

 

http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/q732/Kawuska/redmatador_zpso9j7ufye.jpg

 

 

[bigben]

I just received a mixed lot of Matador fountain pens from Siebert & Löwen 1950´s. It seems as the model numbers used by Matador is somehow connected to the color. From left to right: #120, #220, #223, #224, #420, #421, #423, #424, #425, #520, #621 and #923.

[bigben]

A couple of Matador "Click" #425

Edited March 11, 2017 by bigben

[bigben]

Matador Garant #998, #996 and #994

[birchtine]

I just received a mixed lot of Matador fountain pens from Siebert & Löwen 1950´s. It seems as the model numbers used by Matador is somehow connected to the color. From left to right: #120, #220, #223, #224, #420, #421, #423, #424, #425, #520, #621 and #923.

 

 

 

These pens remind me of Waterman's piston-fillers and I've been wondering if there is any chance that Matador could source the parts or actually be responsible for making these pens? There is a theory that in the late 40s and early 50s some of the Waterman's piston-fillers were made somewhere on the continent; some say in France, others that in Germany or Benelux countries, but no one seems to know by which company.

 

http://fountainpenboard.com/forum/index.php?/topic/5624-watermans-piston-filler/

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/260506-waterman-junior-piston-filler/

Edited March 11, 2017 by birchtine

[christof]

These pens remind me of Waterman's piston-fillers and I've been wondering if there is any chance that Matador could source the parts or actually be responsible for making these pens? There is a theory that in the late 40s and early 50s some of the Waterman's piston-fillers were made somewhere on the continent; some say in France, others that in Germany or Benelux countries, but no one seems to know by which company.

 

http://fountainpenboard.com/forum/index.php?/topic/5624-watermans-piston-filler/

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/260506-waterman-junior-piston-filler/

...and some say they were made in Switzerland.

 

Are you talking about these pens? Really??

 

 

I had both, the Matadors and the Piston Waterman's but I can't see a connection between the two.

C.

Edited March 12, 2017 by christof