Another batch of vintage pens, mostly Dutch

[TheDutchGuy]

Since I got my first Boston pen as a gift (it’s still in my avatar, though the nib has been repaired since then) I’ve been fortunate enough to find several similar Dutch pens from the ‘40s and ‘50s. Nice celluloid and small, soft nibs are characteristic of these pens. Flex or semi-flex nibs are frequently found. Usually these pens are fantastic writers. There’s something about those nibs, small as they may be, that I just can’t find on modern pens.

 

Today I found six more of these pens in an antiques store, all with 14k nibs, at €10 each.

 

 

The Kaweco Sport on the left was added as a size indicator. From left to right:

-a ca. 1955 Marvelette (obscure Dutch brand) in brown marble, with bent 14k F nib. Button filler. Sac disintegrated. Despite the bent nib it writes great!

-a Boston in spectacular green marble, from late ‘40s or ‘50s, perhaps a copy of a pre-war Parker Lady pen. Lever filler. Sac disintegrated. 14k F nib.

-a green pen labeled ‘Big Ben’ on the barrel as well as the 14k XXF nib. This is the narrowest Western nib I’ve ever used - it rocks. Piston filler. Mechanism broken.

-a Nobel, my second one in this nice red trim with stripes. Button filler, sac intact! 14k EF nib.

-a grey marble Boston piston filler with soft 14k F nib. The piston works as intended, no leaks.

-an unknown black piston filler with a glorious 14k EF nib. The pen appears to have been dipped in toothpaste or something, there’s white stuff everywhere. The piston works as intended.

 

I’ll post a quick writing sample and some pics of each of these in the following posts.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 10, 2021 by TheDutchGuy
Typos

[TheDutchGuy]

The ca. 1955 Marvelette. Obscure Dutch brand from back in the day. A very similar pen is pictured in Lambrou’s book.

 

[TheDutchGuy]

The Boston “Lady copy”. Such a beautiful pen, the colours are very 3D and popping.

 

[TheDutchGuy]

Pen and nib labeled ‘Big Ben.’ Appears to be a piston filler, there’s an ink window and a curled knob underneath the blind cap. Incredibly fine 14k nib, very close to my Sailor PGS F (comparison seen in writing sample). Wonderful little pen. Piston mechanism broken.

 

[TheDutchGuy]

Nib and feed of the Nobel. Writes a very narrow line, think XF. Lovely pen. A grey version of this pen is shown in Lambrou’s book.

 

[ralfstc]

Now that's a good day!

 

Lovely finds, congratulations.

 

Ralf

[como]

@TheDutchGuy Very nice pens in overall great conditions, congratulations! One of the nibs looks like needing to go on nib block but the batch appears great. Have fun servicing them and keep us posted please!

[mizgeorge]

What a fantastic find I have a Boston piston filled pen from around the same era and absolutely love it. I'd always thought the Big Bens (and that one's a beauty) were Danish though?

[TheDutchGuy]

1 hour ago, mizgeorge said:

I'd always thought the Big Bens (and that one's a beauty) were Danish though?

 

I’ve no idea. Never saw one before and never heard of the brand either. No mention of it in Lambrou’s book.

[OMASsimo]

On 7/10/2021 at 9:45 PM, TheDutchGuy said:

The ca. 1955 Marvelette. Obscure Dutch brand from back in the day. A very similar pen is pictured in Lambrou’s book.

 

 

Interesting pen! The nib apparently is a Degussa nib and as como said, it might be worth straightening it on a nib block. Any known connection to the German pen industry of the day that is known to have had strong connections to the Dutch market?

[OMASsimo]

On 7/10/2021 at 9:50 PM, TheDutchGuy said:

Pen and nib labeled ‘Big Ben.’ Appears to be a piston filler, there’s an ink window and a curled knob underneath the blind cap. Incredibly fine 14k nib, very close to my Sailor PGS F (comparison seen in writing sample). Wonderful little pen. Piston mechanism broken.

 

 

Looks nice. What‘s wrong with the piston? It looks like a simple standard mechanism popular from the 1930s throughout the 1960s (at least for cheap, simple pens).

[TheDutchGuy]

5 hours ago, OMASsimo said:

 

Interesting pen! The nib apparently is a Degussa nib and as como said, it might be worth straightening it on a nib block. Any known connection to the German pen industry of the day that is known to have had strong connections to the Dutch market?

 

Yes, it’s a Degussa. Not uncommon on pens like this, I’ve got several of them. If the pens were sold with these nibs back in the day or if they were replacements later on, I do not know. They’re nice nibs, but the non-Degussa nibs are better. Some of my Boston and Ero nibs are untouchable by anything else, vintage or new. I will fix this nib at some point, but am not in any hurry to do so because it writes very nice! It’s actually the best writer in this lot.

[TheDutchGuy]

5 hours ago, OMASsimo said:

 

Looks nice. What‘s wrong with the piston? It looks like a simple standard mechanism popular from the 1930s throughout the 1960s (at least for cheap, simple pens).

 

The piston knob somehow became disconnected. I need to remove the mechanism to fix it and that’s not easy on a pen like this. Too bad, because it’s a lovely writer. 

[TheDutchGuy]

 

Another nice find on an antique market. €17. No inscriptions whatsoever on the pen itself, but appears to be another nice example of ca. 1950s Dutch pens. The 14k “Osmipoint” nib is very interesting: a super-soft semi-flex mini-stub. When I bought it the tines were pointing in every direction but the right one. I managed to unscrew the section from the barrel, removed the disintegrated sac, pressure bar and button, knocked out the feed and nib, straightened, aligned and smoothened the nib, removed 30-odd years of dried ink and assorted bits of gunk, silicon-greased the threads, filled the barrel with ink and put the pen back together. The result is a very inspiring little pen. The nib is so soft that it’s impossible to use without some flex on the downstrokes. If desired, the vertical stroke can be doubled in width. All this adds up to a playful, spontaneously variating script with a lovely mix of feedback and comfort.

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Beautiful pens.

[TheDutchGuy]

On 7/10/2021 at 9:47 PM, TheDutchGuy said:

The Boston “Lady copy”. Such a beautiful pen, the colours are very 3D and popping.

 

 

Only now took a closer look at the emblem on the lever…

 

 

Anyone recognize this emblem? I think I’ve seen it before but can’t quite put my finger on it.

[ralfstc]

Looks like it could be "B" in a germanic font (Fraktur?)? I wondered about Boehler, but I can't find an example of them using this version of their logo. Here's a similar B.

 

Cheers,

 

Ralf

[Bo Bo Olson]

8 hours ago, ralfstc said:

Boehler

I have some Boehler pens and it don't remind me of them.

Herman Boehler if not mistaken...or for sure H. Boehler. They split Osmia in 1938, into Boehler and Osmia and Boehler kept much of the same model numbers as Osmia.

[TheDutchGuy]

Thanks for chiming in, Ralph and BoBo!