Vintage Pilot Pen needs identification and I need advice

[The Elevator]

Recently acquired a vintage Pilot fountain pen with a cursive *L* on the cap. It was sold to me as a “Laureate,” but the body style and *L* inscription makes me think that this is actually a vintage version of the Pilot Lady. I was not able to find any documentation on the pilot Laureate, which causes me to suspect that there was some confusion involving a Waterman in the sale documents. The pen is a gorgeous but lightweight metal construction with red and gold paint. 14K 585 nib.

Pictures here:

 

Can somebody explain to me what this pen actually is? Will it take the Con70?

[Floydly]

I have a couple vintage pilots, (okay I have multiple customs from the 1970s)

 

they all behave really well with the Moonman A1 converter/standard pilot cartridge. No experience with that pen/the con-70. But I would guess the con-70 might be too large? It’s the big converter right?

[mke]

That is certainly a Pilot Lady. I have the same: 

http://www.mkengel.de/pensales/japanese.html

#437

#428 #429 are also Pilot Ladies.

 

 

[The Elevator]

@mke Thank you; that helps much, especially when I can't read Japanese or place the pen in a particular production era. Hence why the pilot catalogues and vintage adverts that people usually use for this type of thing were not useful to me.

 

As for the question of the Con70, that is also now resolved as a solid NO. I took my dial calipers to the inside of the pen barrel and measured the pen's length, and determined that the Con70 is both too wide and too long, and it's not even close. Probably should have measured before asking about that. Now the question is... Con40, refill cartridges, or ConB/Con20 😐 

If anybody has any tips in that regard, I'd be happy to hear them, but I'm also doing my own research. 🤷‍♀️

[AmandaW]

The Pilot Laureate gets a mention on this page: http://www.richardspens.com/ref/profiles/pocket_pens.htm

[The Elevator]

@AmandaW thank you for the info. Sir Binder to the rescue once again. 

 

Now, that prompts another question, which is: What is the discernible difference between the Pilot Lady and Pilot Laureate?

 

If I am reading correctly, the article indicates that the Laureate used the same clip as the Lady, and was available in a full-length version, also like the Lady. 

[Number99]

I will withhold my opinion and post only phenomena and facts.

The title pen is very similar to the fountain pen listed in the 1984 Pilot product catalog as Pilot Lady Moire.

This catalog proves that the logo with a deformed capital "L" was used for "Pilot Lady".

https://ameblo.jp/kamisama-samasama/image-12483186494-14472618603.html

 

https://ameblo.jp/kamisama-samasama/entry-12483186494.html?frm=theme

 

I searched for Pilot Laureate fountain pens in the Japan area and did not see any at all.

No fountain pens are shown in the Pilot Laureate ads that we were able to find.

 

There is also an ad in the gallery on the Pilot Centennial site, but it is described as "Laureate. ball liner and felt-tip pen."

(1970s ad with baseball batter character at bottom left. Laureate is third from the left in the top row)

https://www.pilot.co.jp/100th/gallery/

 

The next ad is for Laureate.

【Water-based ballpoint pen Laureate.】

"Smooth writing and vivid handwriting. The elegance of a fountain pen and the functionality beyond a ballpoint pen inspire its owner... What flows from the tip of the pen flows, now, as it flows, into the future," it explains.

*Link to aucfree.

https://img.aucfree.com/v794948220.1.jpg

(This advertising image can be long-tapped to activate Google Lens to read the text in the image in translation. The same applies to the catalog of the Fountain Pen Graph blog.)（The Pilot Centennial site and gallery images do not allow this. If you must read it, take a screenshot and try Google Lens.)

 

Japanese second-hand goods dealers market fountain pens with a deformed capital "L" logo as "Pilot Lady" or "Pilot L".

Most fountain pens that are considered Pilot Lady do not have the "L" logo.

However, fountain pens with the "L" logo are treated as such by Japanese second-hand dealers, enthusiasts and specialists.

 

 

Edited February 15, 2023 by Number99
Correction of translations.