What's Up At Christof's

[whitedot]

A Year has gone and lots of pens have crossed my way. The most of the have been resold here but some stayed in my collection too. Time for review. Here are my humble additions in 2014.

 

 

From left to right:

 

Early celluloid/HR Pelikan IBIS from pre war production. Nice little pen and much harder to find in good condition than the after war pens.

 

Pelikan 112 with solid gold overlay from ca. 1935. Mint/boxed condition. A pen which usually would be out of my price range but lucky circumstances allowed me to buy this beauty.

 

Soennecken 110 from 1950's. These pens are rather uncommon and are mostly found in Switzerland.

 

Soennecken 510. Fantastic large pen (largest in series) in great condition with a uncommon KEF nib which means extra fine with ball point tip. I don't really collect Soenneckens but this is a keeper.

 

Matador 915. This is my favourite of all of them.The pen is relatively long and in great condition. It's fitted with a huge #6 Matador nib, made in New York ( the early Matadors have imported nibs...). But the most special thing about this pen is that the whole pen, inclusive cap top and mechanics is made of the same celluloid. I can't remember to have seen this on a similar pen.

 

The Matador 814 is also a great pen with a reliable piston mechanics. It's my first Matador which I decided to keep and build a small Matador collection.

 

The Turbo Matador is a present from a good pen friend. It's a prewar pen probably made in the twenties. It looks a bit like a Montblanc but the Turbo mechanism (which actually activates the pusknob by turning) is way more elegant.

 

Sheaffer Snorkel Triumph. This is my first and probably last Snorkel. I have a couple of PFM and Imperials and like the design and Snorkel mechanism. I always wanted a Snorkel too but it don't feel well in my hands.

 

Danish Parker Duofold Senior, streamlined. I bought this one from another board member because most of the Duofolds made for Denmark have flexible nibs. This one is no exception and a great adition to my small Duofold collection.

 

French Waterman's vest pocket size. I bought this just because I had the opportunity to. The pen is unmarked but exactly 52V size and fits surprisingly well in to my collection of 52V's.

 

Parker Duofold Lady in RHR. This is an early RHR pen from1923, probably a Lady pen with Junior cap. But the imprint is crips as new. I really love the feel of RHR.

 

The Parker Duofold Lady Lapis was a catch from FPN. A true Lady pen and my first Duofold in Lapis Celluloid. Nice.

 

but let's see what 2015 will bring!

 

C.

 

Those Soenneckens......

[BMG]

The mustard 51 is lovely, esp. with the Empire cap!

 

I've not yet been bitten by the 51 bug, but am beginning to warm to them. One question though: how is it that the lighter colored pens’ sections have not been ink stained over the years? Is the material resistant to it, are they easy to clean, or…?

[christof]

It's the material. It's acrylic, not celluloid.

c.

[BMG]

Interesting. I didn't realize that that was the case.

 

I must say that I find the lighter colors (cocoa, buckskin, dove gray, etc.) most attractive, and that mustard is a beauty.

 

Congrats on the complete micro-collection.

[christof]

As some of you may know, am I currently interested in the pen brand Matador. I already showed two of them here and I was able to catch another one recently.

 

It's a Matador Standard 90, a prewar pen in a pretty strange color/material combination. Here's the pen:

 

 

The pens barrel and cap are made of different material as it is known from later Express models. The cap seems discolored but still is reddish. The cap and barrel threads fits perfectly and the imprint is on the barrel (not on the cap as it can be seen on later pens), what makes me thinking that this combination could be original. But no proof for that so far.

 

But here is what's really special:

 

 

The pen is a push knob filler but the barrel is transparent! As far as I know, transparent ink sacs didn't exist in the 1930's...? So for what should a transparent barrel be good on this pen!?!

 

 

Honestly, I have no idea. Someone else?

 

c.

Edited January 28, 2015 by christof

[dcpritch]

I dunno, maybe to show off the beauty of the material? The difference in the barrel vs the cap material is quite distinct and out of place, it seems, and combined with the semi-transparent barrel material makes me wonder - in my own order of perceived likelihood - whether this (a) is a frankenpen, cobbled together because the original owner lost or broke the cap; ( was perhaps a prototype or experimental design from the factory; or © was actually intended to be that way. There may be other explanations but these seem to be the most likely.

 

Another very cool find by Christof The Pen Sleuth.

[amk]

Wow, that Matador is lovely. It reminds me of the Luxor Grandvisible with the two types of candystripe, opaque and translucent. Edacoto did a similar thing with the Super 200 series. But in those pens, you have a solid colour stripe at both ends, in the cap and on the piston / reservetank end of the barrel, which is not the case here.

 

My guess is Frankenpen. But it's still gorgeous.

 

By the way, has anyone else seen other Matador button fillers? I have only seen piston pens.

Edited January 28, 2015 by amk

[christof]

My guess is Frankenpen. But it's still gorgeous.

Yes, may be, but what should the right cap material look like? Transparen too? I doubt this.

 

Here's a picture of a later Matador Express with similar combination, just less discolored.

 

 

...and another one. Same difference, less discoloration.

 

 

Only thing is that a transparent barrel on a piston filler makes sence, but on a push knob filler....?

Edited January 28, 2015 by christof

[pmn]

Hi Christof,

 

 

I personaly hate these “it makes no sense” discoveries.

 

Nevertheless they tend to produce interesting hobby hours and, assuming that push knob is really a later modification, I find quite amazing how well things like this were made.

 

I do recall seeing a Vacumatic “nicely” converted to a piston filler…

 

 

But going back to the beautiful Matador, here are my humble ideas…

 

How is the push knob fitted to the barrel? Is the thread for the blind cap solidary with the body, or does it come out like in the vacumatics?

 

That could hint the replacement of a piston filling mechanism.

 

How is barrel length compared to your other specimens?

 

Maybe it had some sort of plunger/vac system…

 

Maybe, at a later point in time, they were prototyping a push knob variant with the available parts.

 

 

Regards,

 

Pedro

 

[christof]

Thanks for your comments Pedro:

 

How is the push knob fitted to the barrel? Is the thread for the blind cap solidary with the body, or does it come out like in the vacumatics?

 

-> The Barrel is made in one Piece, so it can't be converted later.

 

That could hint the replacement of a piston filling mechanism.

 

-> "Matador Standard" or "Standard Matador" are commonly push knob fillers.

 

How is barrel length compared to your other specimens?

 

-> can't compare in lack of other pens.

 

Maybe it had some sort of plunger/vac system…

 

-> I doubt this but one can never know...

 

Maybe, at a later point in time, they were prototyping a push knob variant with the available parts.

 

-> I doubt this too. To be honest, I have come to the sureness that the cap must be wrong. Probably, it should be the made of the same material as the Barrel. I hate to say this and I hate this word but probably: Frankenpen as others already suggested.

 

c.

Edited January 30, 2015 by christof

[christof]

So let's Forget about Frankenpens (horrible word) and have a look at my new pen tray. Common cheap plastic tray but funny Color. It's almost the same as Savanna Green. that's why I think that this tray is one of the first trays made to present the new Safai in 1980. When I saw it, I had to have it. Gives my humble collection a nice Frame.

 

 

From left to the right:

 

FP, Alpin White, glossy

FP, Alpin White, matte

FP, Griso

Twin Pen, Umbra/Charcoal

FP, Umbra/Charcoal

Pencil, Umbra/Charcoal

FP, Savanna Green (Savannagrün)

BP, Savanna Green (Savannagrün)

FP, Yellow

FP, Terra Red (Terrarot)

FP, Red

Converter

 

C.

Edited January 30, 2015 by christof

[pmn]

Hi Christof,

I have no knowledge on Matadors (as you may have noticed ), but I was intrigued by the push knob on a transparent barrel.

Moving on, Love your Lamys!

 

Regards,

[Azuniga]

Thanks for your comments Pedro:

 

How is the push knob fitted to the barrel? Is the thread for the blind cap solidary with the body, or does it come out like in the vacumatics?

 

-> The Barrel is made in one Piece, so it can't be converted later.

 

That could hint the replacement of a piston filling mechanism.

 

-> "Matador Standard" or "Standard Matador" are commonly push knob fillers.

 

How is barrel length compared to your other specimens?

 

-> can't compare in lack of other pens.

 

Maybe it had some sort of plunger/vac system…

 

-> I doubt this but one can never know...

 

Maybe, at a later point in time, they were prototyping a push knob variant with the available parts.

 

-> I doubt this too. To be honest, I have come to the sureness that the cap must be wrong. Probably, it should be the made of the same material as the Barrel. I hate to say this and I hate this word but probably: Frankenpen as others already suggested.

 

c.

 

Christof

 

Just to complete, there is also a Matador Superior which is push knob filler but the barrel is not transparent...

[christof]

Thank you Ariel.

Currently I am trying to get an overview on all different models and when they have been made.

Your help is appreciated.

c.

[da vinci]

So let's Forget about Frankenpens (horrible word) and have a look at my new pen tray. Common cheap plastic tray but funny Color. It's almost the same as Savanna Green. that's why I think that this tray is one of the first trays made to present the new Safai in 1980. When I saw it, I had to have it. Gives my humble collection a nice Frame.

 

 

From left to the right:

 

FP, Alpin White, glossy

FP, Alpin White, matte

FP, Griso

Twin Pen, Umbra/Charcoal

FP, Umbra/Charcoal

Pencil, Umbra/Charcoal

FP, Savanna Green (Savannagrün)

BP, Savanna Green (Savannagrün)

FP, Yellow

FP, Terra Red (Terrarot)

FP, Red

Converter

 

C.

Great tray Christof, i agree it is very similar to the Savannah. I have the Savannah too, and the Terracotta is a grail for me. I just need to find one at a remotely sensible price!!

[christof]

There is currently one on ebay for $999, haha!

c

[da vinci]

There is currently one on ebay for $999, haha!

c

Not even I am that mad/desperate/addicted!

[pen2paper]

So let's Forget about Frankenpens (horrible word) and have a look at my new pen tray. Common cheap plastic tray but funny Color. It's almost the same as Savanna Green. that's why I think that this tray is one of the first trays made to present the new Safai in 1980. When I saw it, I had to have it. Gives my humble collection a nice Frame.

 

 

From left to the right:

 

FP, Alpin White, glossy

FP, Alpin White, matte

FP, Griso

Twin Pen, Umbra/Charcoal

FP, Umbra/Charcoal

Pencil, Umbra/Charcoal

FP, Savanna Green (Savannagrün)

BP, Savanna Green (Savannagrün)

FP, Yellow

FP, Terra Red (Terrarot)

FP, Red

Converter

 

C.

!!! Christof, is this photo in the Lamy Forum? (yes FPN has one now). Photo partially answers a question, there are both shiny And matte Alpin, which confused earlier discussions. Do you know the release dates for shiny versus matte? (now have to look at mine again to see which I have). So I'm missing one white, and terra/vanna in fountain pen versions.

[christof]

I posted a link there.

 

On Flickr, I added the dates of introduction of every color:

 

Alpin white, glossy, 1983

Alpin white, matte, unknown date, export only

Griso, 2001

Twin Pen Umbra, 1984

FP Umbra, 1984

BP Umbra, 1984

FP Savanna Green, 1980

BP Savanna Green, 1980

Yellow, 1994

Terra Red, 1980

Red (Hot), 1989

 

C.

[pen2paper]

one more question, isn't blue, black clip/nib same date as red, black/black?