Looking For Hard Facts About Lamy 27

[ralfstc]

Fabulous resources! How would I go about finding out more about the Ratio models?

 

Thanks,

 

R.

[christof]

Well Ralf, same way as I went:

 

Start a request thread, collect informations and facts and fill them in a suitable grid, try to illustrate....and, of course make it available here.

Good luck!

 

C.

[Sham69]

After some time (2 months and 5 days to be precise), some work, some investigations, some help of my friends and some drawing and sketching work comes the result of our joint research about thte Lamy 27:

 

 

Because it would have been and endless and impossible task to get all the variants to the photo studio, I decided to illustrate by sketches.

 

For a full size view, click on the picture or download the image in full resolution under this link:

 

https://flic.kr/p/UZKk2Y

 

 

Hope you will like it and let's see what's next...

 

C.

this is great!, I only have a couple of 27's. 2 are the 27 e's (both with left obliques as in my display picture) and recently acquired a 27n which is beautiful but the nib is well out of alignment, will have to go to mike masuyama when he is accepting work again.

[stephanos]

Brilliant resource. Thank you!

(Goes to get own Lamy 27, to compare with the chart)

[whatanicepen]

I recently acquired a Lamy aeromatic filler, similar shape to the early 27 with semi-hooded nib . Any idea the origin of this pen?

Will post a picture lateron.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I can't help you much, my 27 was an OM nail, with no line variation. I sold it. Sorry I don't remember if it had a metal cap....semi-hooded nib.

[majorworks]

 

I will pull out my LAMY collection and start taking some photos. There are some other entries which will be hard to establish for a date. A couple of them:

• Ink window shape - most appear "capsule" oval (rectangle with rounded ends), but I have one with square ink windows.
• "M" size. This is a thicker 27 pen that uses a blind cap (with piston knob hidden inside). No parts are compatible with the standard 27. They are usually stamped "27m", but sometimes just 27.
• There were several different cap designs. "Lustralloy" (brushed steel alloy) with no accents, Lustralloy with gold band (double-L stamping), Chrome, Gold plated (with various line spacing patterns). I don't know if all were available at the same, or if released on different years.
• The "19xx".. which I presume to be "196x", you state an "L" logo on cap top. Those weren't more rounded, but instead squared off. The cap top is like a puck with rounded edges, and the bottom end is squared off. I have 2 versions - one where the piston screw end is slightly rounded and the other with an inverted cone with sharp edges. These are usually stamped "27 32".

 

 

@MYU I'm a bit surprised that you didn't post a link to your own magnum opus on the Lamy 27:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/33160-the-lamy-27/?hl=lamy

 

Unfortunately, the image links are all broken...

Edited December 22, 2017 by majorworks

[christof]

well, MYU was one of the six co-authors of the information grid

and his "opus magnum" served as one of the sources of informations...

c.

Edited December 22, 2017 by christof

[M R]

On 8/16/2017 at 2:04 PM, Dickkooty2 said:

Re: above lack of picture. Here is the picture.

 

Hello; if you're still around, and have that ad on the right, I think that black and gold 27 at the top right is the same as mine.  Can you submit a high-res pic of that full ad?

Mark

[PithyProlix]

On 6/30/2017 at 3:51 PM, christof said:

After some time (2 months and 5 days to be precise), some work, some investigations, some help of my friends and some drawing and sketching work comes the result of our joint research about thte Lamy 27:

 

 

The one I just received - my first Lamy 27 - doesn't seem to totally match any of these.

• Chrome cap with gold clip. No other gold trim.
• No blind cap.
• Cap 'ring' stamped "LAMY" only.
• Partially hooded nib.
• Clip stamped "LAMY" (stacked letters, of course), lower on the clip.
• Barrel stamped "C.Josef Lamy-German" on one side.
• "LAMY" - old style, curvy font logo - on the opposite side of the barrel.
• No other stamps on the barrel or anywhere else.
• Nib stamped "585", oriented towards the nib tip, i.e. hold the pen tip down to read the stamp.
• Silver sticker - the only thing I can make out on the sticker is "EEF" - the sticker is rather worn so I can't read the rest.
• Nib puts down a line similar to a Japanese F.

I guess it's closest to the 27n C. Is the only difference the gold clip?

 

 

 

[christof]

Thank you for your contribution. This is an interesting pen.

 

Because of the cap ring and the chrome cap (I think that the 27 was never offered with a shiny cap), I would classify it closer to a LAMY 99 than to a 27. But actually, these are technically identical models.

 

Lamy 99Ce by C.M.Z, auf Flickr

 

Inconsistency in the labeling and naming of LAMY pens from this time is unfortunately often found and I could not see any system behind it until now.

 

In creating my table, I have relied on 3 large collections of friends, and my own. Since I published the table 5 years ago, I was often made aware of models that are not shown in it. So you can assume that my listing is far from complete. Hope this helps anyway.

 

C.

 

[PithyProlix]

2 hours ago, christof said:

Thank you for your contribution. This is an interesting pen.

 

Because of the cap ring and the chrome cap (I think that the 27 was never offered with a shiny cap), I would classify it closer to a LAMY 99 than to a 27. But actually, these are technically identical models.

 

Lamy 99Ce by C.M.Z, auf Flickr

 

Inconsistency in the labeling and naming of LAMY pens from this time is unfortunately often found and I could not see any system behind it until now.

 

In creating my table, I have relied on 3 large collections of friends, and my own. Since I published the table 5 years ago, I was often made aware of models that are not shown in it. So you can assume that my listing is far from complete. Hope this helps anyway.

 

C.

 

 

Thank you very much. I had assumed (incorrectly, evidently) the "C" for the second 27n in the chart meant 'chrom'/'chrome'. Plus, never having had interest in any more modern Lamy model and this is my first vintage Lamy, I am just learning about these and wasn't even aware of the 99!

 

The sticker is damaged but it looks like there may be a "9" at the top left. Perhaps that is the first digit of the model number and the rest of it is now missing due to water damage or something else.

 

 

Given what I can see from the 99 photo you posted, besides the lack of a model number on mine and a different clip finish, there is one big difference - the ink windows are a different shape. It's hard to tell in my photo but the windows on mine are capsule shaped and less wide.

 

Unfortunately I know nothing about the provenance of this pen but I think I remember reading somewhere (though I might be misremembering) that there might have been some differences with export models. Given that this one has an EEF nib, which is pretty clearly delimited on the sticker, I could not find any reference to an EEF on a 27 (but wasn't looking at 99 information), and I purchased it in Thailand, where this seems to have been a preferred nib with (i.e. similar to a Japanese F), I wonder if this pen was specifically an export model? I've never seen a Lamy model earlier than the 2000 in Thailand but there are also a lot of pens from Japan that make their way over here - as far as I can tell Japan seemed to have been a much bigger market for European pens and the nib width also seems to have been preferred in Japan.

 

All that said, I was able to find a single reference to a 99 with an EEF nib - https://picclick.de/Vintage-LAMY-99-99b-EEF-Kolbenfüller-Füllfederhalter-14-163326879341.html.

 

Just curious: was there any overlap in dates of when Lamy produced the 27 and 99? I also see 99s with flat ends and the "L" finial, similar to the later 27 models.

[christof]

As already said, Lamy made a lot of tiny variatons on their pens, naming and numbering system at that time. It's difficult to say what your pen exactly is, when the number is absent.

 

I didn't wanted to say, that your pen is exactly as my 99. I just statet that it is closer to a 99 than a 27, which were produced during the same period. LAMY 99 came with both, smaller inkwindows like the 27 or lager ones as my pen shows.

 

The 27 was the flagship and the 99 a more economic model. Neverthelesss, from a technical point of view, 27 and 99 are very similar. I think that the main difference was a limited warranty service for the 99. But I am not sure about this.

 

Have fun with your pen!

[PithyProlix]

1 hour ago, christof said:

As already said, Lamy made a lot of tiny variatons on their pens, naming and numbering system at that time. It's difficult to say what your pen exactly is, when the number is absent.

 

I didn't wanted to say, that your pen is exactly as my 99. I just statet that it is closer to a 99 than a 27, which were produced during the same period. LAMY 99 came with both, smaller inkwindows like the 27 or lager ones as my pen shows.

 

The 27 was the flagship and the 99 a more economic model. Neverthelesss, from a technical point of view, 27 and 99 are very similar. I think that the main difference was a limited warranty service for the 99. But I am not sure about this.

 

Have fun with your pen!

 

Yep - I understand and really appreciate the information and also the work you have already done!

I already strongly suspect that I will prefer this pen to my Parker 51s and I'm quite happy to have found a German pen that writes great with a (truly) very fine point.

[Vinamis]

On 6/30/2017 at 10:51 AM, christof said:

After some time (2 months and 5 days to be precise), some work, some investigations, some help of my friends and some drawing and sketching work comes the result of our joint research about thte Lamy 27:

 

 

Because it would have been and endless and impossible task to get all the variants to the photo studio, I decided to illustrate by sketches.

 

For a full size view, click on the picture or download the image in full resolution under this link:

 

https://flic.kr/p/UZKk2Y

 

 

Hope you will like it and let's see what's next...

 

C.

 

My new Lamy 27 30n has a Garantieschein 17.12.1955.

[joss]

11 hours ago, Vinamis said:

My new Lamy 27 30n has a Garantieschein 17.12.1955.

 

 ... although that 1955 dated warranty paper must have come with the earlier (i.e. cigar shaped) version of the Lamy 27 ...

[N1003U]

On 3/28/2023 at 7:01 AM, christof said:

As already said, Lamy made a lot of tiny variatons on their pens, naming and numbering system at that time. It's difficult to say what your pen exactly is, when the number is absent.

 

I didn't wanted to say, that your pen is exactly as my 99. I just statet that it is closer to a 99 than a 27, which were produced during the same period. LAMY 99 came with both, smaller inkwindows like the 27 or lager ones as my pen shows.

 

The 27 was the flagship and the 99 a more economic model. Neverthelesss, from a technical point of view, 27 and 99 are very similar. I think that the main difference was a limited warranty service for the 99. But I am not sure about this.

 

Have fun with your pen!

Hi all,

 

I just stumbled upon this thread, and I am not sure if anyone is still interested in a further discussion of the Lamy 27 vs. Lamy 99, but here is a photo of a 27 and a 99 of the same vintage (ca. early 1960s). I inherited them early last year from the original owners, a husband/wife couple who were neighbors of mine. The 99 was in use continuously until 2012 when the wife died at the age of 85, and except for a pause in 2022, when the husband died at the age of 97 and the pen passed to me, the 27 is still in daily use.

 

The pens are very similar in construction. As nearly as I can tell, the principal differences are that the 27 has a slip cap, a ribbed trim ring below the ink window, and a gold nib, while the 99 has a screw cap, no trim ring, and what looks like it might be a plated steel nib. Both pens seem to write similarly, and seem to have the same shape, weight and construction outside of the cap attachment design, trim ring, and nib material. The pens are very light and lovely writers.

[NoGaBiker]

Just found this thread. What a great resource. I got into vintage Lamys just last year, 2023, and wound up with a 99 OB, a 27e BB, and a 27 30 OBB. I am amazed at what fantastic writers all three are, and I have a lot of other pens and have been doing this for 35 years. Where have the 99 and 27 been all my life?  

Of the three, the 99 is the best writer, mainly because it's a narrow OB that makes for a perfect daily writer, but still with loads of flair.