Boxes Of Vintage Dip Pen Nibs

[crescentfiller]

Hello Folks,

 

I am a regular fountain pen user and very occasional dip pen user.

 

Recently I acquired a box of pens and pens parts, and in the lot I discovered several boxes of steel dip pen nibs or points.

Can anyone here tell me if these are much sought after or even usd? I've looked for this company online and found only one brief mention.

 

Thanks in advance,

Daniel

 

 

 

 

[Bibliophage]

Well, people _do_ still use dip pens. Heck, there's entire booths dedicated to that sort of thing at the various Renaissance festivals.

 

I have a stack of dip nibs myself, for cards.

 

Those look to be in very nice shape. No idea about the manufacturer, or its successor.

[corgicoupe]

Waiting for AAAndrew...

[Studio97]

In my collection of 80 or so vintage dip pens I dont have these. Unless it's a really rare dip pen I have seen few of more than a few dollars a piece. I have bought boxes full of NOS for as little as .50/bx. But from my use I think the vintage is far better than newly manufactured dip nibs.

The boxes you acquired are very interesting. It was such a different era. Imagine writing a 300+ page novel by dip pen .

[crescentfiller]

Yes, I was hoping AAAndrew might weigh in!

 

 

They are all in like-new condition, so I should think that someone might want to get them to use them. As for how desirable this brand/model might me, I have not idea.

 

Thanks!

[AAAndrew]

Sorry to be late!

 

These are common-style dip pens, Made by one of the big manufacturers probably in the late 20s, or early 30s, and imprinted with the name of a local stationer who sold them out of their store.

 

What you have are two different Falcons, and a Spoon Pen with a round or oval tip. (Where its indented to make a smoother surface against the paper). The falcon and spoon pens are two of the biggest selling styles and were made by just about everyone. Just from the pics, if I had to place a guess, Id say they were probably made by Turner & Harrison, but its not clear.

 

The pens (nibs) themselves will be very nice writers for everyday kind of writing. They arent really worth a lot as there are still plenty of these styles around. Ive not seen these particular stationers before, so theres that, but I dont know anyone who actually is trying to collect them all as that would be impossible. At the time there were probably thousands of different brands of dip pens in the US, and almost all of them were made by one of a half-dozen manufacturers.

 

On eBay these might go for $20 a box. They are unused, so if youre going to use them youll have to prep them and use the right ink and paper. I do have hints on how to do this as well as some other info about steel dip pens on my site. (See my signature below).

 

Overall, theyre good pens and would be a great way to get introduced to the wonderful world of dip pens. Get yourself an inexpensive holder, some ink and see if you like writing with dip pens. Some of us crazies like to, so it cant be all bad.

 

If youre curious about what its like to write with these kinds of pens, I have a few short videos on YouTube of me playing around with various models.

 

Heres one.

Edited March 3, 2020 by AAAndrew

[crescentfiller]

Thanks Andrew! I appreciate your detailed reply and the many insights you offered.

I do, actually, use dip pens (steel and gold) and have tried these pens. They do work very nicely.

I was surprised to find only one online reference to the company, but as you say, there were so very many companies at this time.

I shall be passing these along so others can enjoy them, as there are several lifetimes worth here!

 

Thanks again,

Daniel

[crescentfiller]

PS Andrew, please send me a PM

[85AKbN]

Heres one.

 

 

Great video. What kind of handle are you using? I'd like to get one.

[Estycollector]

Andrew has educated me in getting started using Esterbrook nibs. This is a beneficial site in which the author lists many Esterbrook nibs.

https://theesterbrookproject.com/INDEX.html

[AAAndrew]

 

 

Great video. What kind of handle are you using? I'd like to get one.

 

It's actually a very basic vintage holder. Probably made for school use. If you get a modern holder, make sure you get one with the internal metal springs in the tip, not the Manga ones with the circular hole. The ones with the springs fit many more types. You can see a picture on my page about holders.

 

https://thesteelpen.com/2017/10/18/using-steel-pens-part-3-holding-your-pen/

 

I like the E+M Nib Pen Holders, they're well-made and come in some funky colors and finishes. The Manuscript color holders are also very good, basic tools. You can buy them from Amazon, or Pen and Ink Arts or John Neal Booksellers. I'm sure they're probably even available from most good art supply stores. You don't need anything fancy, but you also don't need a holder that's too large in diameter. Some turned "fancy" holders coming from China are too thick for comfortable writing, or unbalanced. Try some basic ones first and once you know what you like, you can branch out.

 

If you're looking at vintage holders, then make sure the steel inserts which hold the nib are not rusted.

 

That and what's on my holding your pen page are about all you need to know to get started.

[85AKbN]

Great info - thanks!

[crescentfiller]

These boxes (nearly all full) of points/nibs were in with the boxes of Bogue/Henry nibs.

There are some interesting ones in here!

 

 

 

 

 

[Andrew, I've not forgotten; things are just a bit crazy in NY at the moment.]

[Stompie]

These boxes (nearly all full) of points/nibs were in with the boxes of Bogue/Henry nibs.

There are some interesting ones in here!

 

 

 

 

Wow, what a good find.

 

I just purchased 7 boxes of French nibs off Ebay.

[Ink Stained Wretch]

These boxes (nearly all full) of points/nibs were in with the boxes of Bogue/Henry nibs.

There are some interesting ones in here!

 

 

 

 

 

[Andrew, I've not forgotten; things are just a bit crazy in NY at the moment.]

Oh, those Esterbrook pen boxes are familiar looking. I used to use some of those, and others, for some years, long ago. *Nostalgia*

[Estycollector]

My favorite to date in the huge Esterbrook 788 and Falcon 048. The 788 performs best non the mixed media thich paper and hold a lot of ink. The 048 works nicely on 20# copy paper. My other nibs are the Bank and Jackson, but they don't get much use, My grand daughters love getting letters where I used the dip pens. I use only Waterman black and blue ink. I use a tooth brush after use and dry them well before allowing them to air dry.

[AAAndrew]

They are great pens. There's a reason they sold so many of the 788, 048, 14 and 448. These were probably the four biggest sellers.

 

The 14 Bank pen is the one Charles Schultz used to draw his Peanuts comics. He used the Radio version (had a silver coating) and these 914's now go for stupid prices because of it, but it's the same pen as the 14, just with a coating.

 

The stubs, including the 448 Jackson are good for writing letters because they're easy to write with and hold a lot of ink. They also work better on the thick, 100% cotton paper as they aren't likely to pick up fibers or catch on textured paper.

 

I've been sending out light notes of positivity to strangers on Twitter. A lot of people are stuck inside by themselves, and to get something on paper just chatting about spring, or the birds in my backyard is a nice change for them. It also gives me a chance to play around with my pens. Unfortunately, I've run out of envelopes and I'm having to order more.

 

Enjoy your pens!