Five Vintage European Pens

[TheDutchGuy]

This week my wonderful wife surprised me with five vintage pens that she’d stumbled across in an antiques shop in Utrecht, NL (yes, I am a very lucky guy ).

 

 

 

 

The 1st pen from the left is a Nobel, ca. 1950. Nobel is one of many small Dutch brands. I love the distinctive design of this pen, it really appeals to me. The nib suffers from a broken tine and the sac has distintegrated, so in January it will get some professional care.

 

The 2nd pen from the left is probably a Boston, ca. 1950. I have two other restored Bostons and they are wonderful little pens. It’s a button filler and the nib resembles a semi-flex, smooth needlepoint. Its sac has disintegrated and I am currently considering if I’ll get it repaired or convert it to an eyedropper.

 

The 3rd pen from the left is probably also a Boston, ca. 1950, but somewhat larger than my other Bostons. It has a spectacularly pleasant nib that really improves my handwriting. It’s a button filler. I opened it up, removed the leaky sac and converted the pen to an eyedropper with the help of a small o-ring and some silicon grease (I can always have it restored with a new sac later on, the eye dropper conversion is completely reversible) . Writes like a dream, with perfect flow, wonderful shading and a nice, thin line. And what a pretty pen...

 

The black pen (4th from the left) is discussed in another topic (https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/350838-what-do-we-have-here-vintage-pen-id-request) and seems to be a ca. 1930 German pen. It’s a lever filler and needs a complete overhaul, but the nib (a semi-flex NICHROMA needlepoint) is wonderful.

 

The pen on the right (5th from the left) is an ERO piston filler, ca. 1950. Awesome nib! Again, a needlepoint semi-flex but this one is so sensitive that even with light pressure, when doing normal writing, there is interesting line variation. The pen leaks ink through the piston, so it will need some attention.

 

Dutch pens from this era are relatively easy to find (in Europe at least), affordable, easy to restore (or convert), look great and write well. I’m happy to own a few of them.

Edited December 15, 2019 by TheDutchGuy

[como]

And she's got good taste! Looks like restoration won't be too difficult, mostly button-fillers and lever-filler. Congrats!

[inkstainedruth]

@TheDutchGuy -- Lucky you for having such excellent taste in spouses! (I'm married to "Mr. BIC Fine Point" who has *categorically* stated he will never buy me a pen for fear of getting the wrong thing, although he grudgingly lets me buy what I want for Christmas/birthdays/anniversaries: last Christmas it was the replacement grey Decimo, and this year it was an interesting looking book -- a facsimile reprint of a book from 1610, and a NOS US made Parker Vector Geometric, still in the blister pack). Yeah, I could hand him a wish list, but he'll lose it or forget to read it....

Anyway, these look quite interesting. Is the Nobel also a button filler? Thanks for posting pix and we can't wait to see the "after" pictures as well.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[TheDutchGuy]

Is the Nobel also a button filler?

 

 

Yes, it is. Three button fillers, one piston filler, one lever filler.

[TheDutchGuy]

I’ve converted two of them to eyedroppers, which is very easy to do with this type of button filler and also completely reversible. Wonderful little pens, great writers.

 

 

[TheDutchGuy]

It took over three months, but today the pens came back after repair! I’m very happy with the results.

 

^—Quick writing samples of (from top to bottom) the ‘50s Nobel XF (rigid 14k) button filler, ‘50s Torca (soft 14k) button filler, ‘30s F German pen with NICHROMA nib lever filler (see this page) and ‘50s Ero (soft M).

 

That little Nobel has a broken nib tine, so it needed a new nib and I got a marvelous XF.

 

 

Such a pretty little pen!

 

That old, black German pen with the NICHROMA nib is great! The nib feels rather rigid, but can actually produce quite a bit of line variation. It has a great, tactile kind of feedback and is a joy to use.

 

Costs? My wife spent about €80 to buy these 5 pens and I spent another €80 on the repairs. So 5 nostalgic, vintage pens, in perfect working order, that write wonderfully, for €160.

[OMASsimo]

Congrats, great finds! Sometimes the lesser known or even totally obscure vintage brands offer way more for the bang than most of us expect. How do you like the Degussa replacement nib in your Nobel? Is it rigid as you wrote in your writing sample? Most of my Degussa nibs are either semi-flex or flexy. But all of them are great (no wonder coming from the former Osmia nib factory).

[TheDutchGuy]

How do you like the Degussa replacement nib in your Nobel? Is it rigid as you wrote in your writing sample?

 

It’s wonderful! Line width isn’t far removed from Japanese F, yet smooth and tactile and laying down extremely crisp lines. It has a little bit of softness, but that’s just a bit of cushioning and it is certainly not meant to create line variation.

 

The Torca also has a Degussa, by the way. Wonderful nibs!

 

The NICHROMA nib in that old black pen, that’s a really great nib as well. That pen is a real badass workhorse. You want rigid? It will do rigid, just don’t press. You want some line variation? It will do line variation, not a huge amount of it, but reliably and with very good snap-back. It is also the largest lever filler that I have, it holds a good amount of ink. Wonderful stuff.

[OMASsimo]

Funny enough, I received a no-name pen with a Degussa nib just day before yesterday and when I tested it this morning it showed pretty much the same characteristics you describe. Though it's an LF nib, it shows practically no line variation and is rather rigid but not a nail. This is very different to all the other Degussa nibs I've experienced so far. What isn't different is that it's a great writer. I think these old German nibs are much underrated, just as Bo Bo wrote in the other thread you pointed to. (By the way, where is Bo Bo, not chiming in here?)

 

But there is another interesting thing. It seems your nib shows a "Merlin" imprint above the Degussa logo, right? First of all, I haven't seen something like that before on a Degussa nib. And second, all my Merlins have Bock nibs. I learn something new every day.

[como]

Congratulations, TheDutchGuy! A really fun project and five more pens to play with, super! My favourite is the red striated .

It took over three months, but today the pens came back after repair! I’m very happy with the results.

[TheDutchGuy]

... Though it's an LF nib...

...It seems your nib shows a "Merlin" imprint above the Degussa logo, right?...

...I learn something new every day....

 

What does LF stand for? I’ve checked mine for a size indication but it isn’t there.

Yes, there’s a Merlin imprint. Never heard of Merlin before, I’ll check the brand out.

Yes, I learn new stuff all the time as well. This is a nice hobby!

 

My favourite is the red striated

 

 

 

Mine as well! Here are two more photos of that old Nobel. The striation actually continues from cap to barrel. Awesome.

 

 

[WLSpec]

Very nice pens there.

[OMASsimo]

 

What does LF stand for? I’ve checked mine for a size indication but it isn’t there.

Yes, there’s a Merlin imprint. Never heard of Merlin before, I’ll check the brand out.

Yes, I learn new stuff all the time as well. This is a nice hobby!

 

 

Mine as well! Here are two more photos of that old Nobel. The striation actually continues from cap to barrel. Awesome.

 

 

 

Nice pictures of that handsome little guy.

 

To answer your questions: LF stands for left oblique fine and was only imprinted on the barrel of the pen, not the nib itself. Oblique nibs usually give line variation as you probably know. This one is too fine and not ground for that. I don't mind because it's a great nib anyway.

 

Merlin was one of those mystery brands that popped up after the war for which it's really hard to find reliable information. Some people claim that it was a sub brand of Osmia meant for export, mainly to the Netherlands. I don't believe they have much to do with Osmia, though there is a model called Merlin Osmi. I think they were made by a tiny company near Darmstadt/ Germany (iirc) who made barrels, caps, and sections (mostly of pretty celluloid) and bought the rest from other manufacturers. Apparently, lots of them were exported to the Netherlands and may have been distributed by Akkerman. It's possible that they also produced pens branded as Akkerman pens. Anyway, they are nice little pens off the beaten tracks of the usual suspects (reading big brand names).

[TheDutchGuy]

 

LF stands for left oblique fine and was only imprinted on the barrel of the pen, not the nib itself.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Merlin was one of those mystery brands that popped up after the war for which it's really hard to find reliable information. ... I think they were made by a tiny company near Darmstadt/ Germany (iirc) who made barrels, caps, and sections (mostly of pretty celluloid) and bought the rest from other manufacturers. Apparently, lots of them were exported to the Netherlands ...

 

This is a common theme with many of the small Dutch brands of that era, such as Boston, Ero, Nobel, Haro and many, many others. Parts sourced elsewhere, pens assembled in Germany or Holland and many brands being the property of anonymous companies in the background. I used to look down a bit on these pens because they seemed to be just a way to cater to demand. There didn’t seem to be much craft or pride involved. But after finding a few, I’ve totally revised my opinion. Most are really good pens! The small 14k nibs come in all sorts but they’re usually soft and capable of semi-flex. I’ve got soft needlepoints, XF, F and M. That little Nobel easily ranks among the best pens that I own.

 

By the way, the Ero has a nib that I’d classify as M-verging-towards-B and that pen has a double-slit ebonite feed. Wonderful stuff.

 

I checked Lambrou’s book but it doesn’t offer any info on Merlin as a brand. There is one Merlin pen seen on a photo in the chapter about Dutch brands, though.

[OMASsimo]

Absolutely, I couldn't agree more. Competition in the heyday of fountain pens was fierce, so even the no-name producers had to offer good quality. It isn't the same anymore.

 

I believe that there is a Merlin thread here in the Europe sub-forum somewhere. Just look and you'll find it.

[TheDutchGuy]

I believe that there is a Merlin thread here in the Europe sub-forum somewhere. Just look and you'll find it.

 

Good tip! There are a lot of discussion about Merlin, such as this one (including images of some really beautiful pens) and this one.

[TheDutchGuy]

 

18 months down the road, the Ero and the Torca have become my favourite vintage pens, in the sense that somehow I reach for these two the most. It’s nothing objective, my other vintage pens are fantastic in their own right, it’s just that these see the most use by far.

 

^—The Torca has a soft, cushiony 14k Degussa nib (<—link) with an exquisite pencil-like feedback. Think Sailor, but much, much more refined and subtle. It excels at printing and cursive in equal measure and elevates my handwriting. And look at that material... photos don’t do it justice, it’s much more vibrant and sparkling than the photos show.

 

^—The Ero is somewhere between full-flex and semi-flex, which is accommodated by a double-slit, ebonite feed. It’s very soft, so even with a light touch there will be some subtle line variation. I adore this pen. It’s size and shape are just right for me. A great, great pen. Its green marble aesthetics are slightly less enticing than the stripes of the Torca, but also here the photos don’t really do it justice. This is one I’d save if the house burned down.

 

 

 

 

 

[txomsy]

Great, thanks for the long term revisiting.

[OMASsimo]

Congratulations! I think I know quite well what you’re talking about. There are just some of those magic vintage writers among the many other excellent vintage pens. And they’re not always made by the few top tier companies either. One has to be lucky to get hold of one of them and apparently you were. So, keep enjoying those beautiful pens.

[weekend]

Hi, @TheDutchGuy, I know the topic is old but thanks to you I learned about Boston and I found one on Marktplaats (actually two, but second one hasn’t arrived yet).

 

I want to thank you, my first Boston is comparable in smoothness with my Pelikan 140 and I might like it even a bit more. And it costed me 3 times less. A bit confused by the way the piston should work, but I’ll figure it out.

 

I also wanted to ask if you can share where you prefer to send your pens for repair, as I also bought one curious tiny lever filler Le Tigre and I am afraid to damage it. It has stunning nib, but the lever doesn’t work at all.

Edited September 24 by weekend
Added question about repair