Info on this Waterman 52

October 21

I am very new to the vintage pens but knew I wanted a waterman. Browsing eBay I came upon this pen that looked to be a good condition 52 with “2 18k gold bands” and the price was pretty decent at $180. The time remaining was short so I didn’t have much time to research so I took a gamble and won the pen. Since then I really haven’t found much or even similar waterman’s (hopefully I wasn’t overly hasty) so I was wondering if anyone can tell me more about this pen, was it a good buy or did I get duped? Seller said pen does fill and write properly. Thanks!

October 21

As long as the tipping on the nib is good, it should write well with reasonable flexibility. It looks like the original clip is missing and it has an accommodation clip though. I wouldn't trust the sac unless it has been replaced recently, are you up to doing that repair yourself? You might not want to practice on an antique hard black rubber pen that cost you $180. Just sayin'😉

October 21

Thanks! I was kinda wondering about the clip, looked like the right shape but no text so that was a little concerning, but not the end of the world if everything else is good (pretty much just use clips as a roll-stop anyway 😂). I always heard to assume a pen hasn’t been restored even if they say it has, so I was planning on looking at the sac right away to see its condition.

do you have a good recommendation for someone who can work on the nib and sac if either are needed?

October 21

Ron Zorn would be my first choice, but ask about his turn around time. He's a busy man and not just with pens. If the nib is toast, it's a #2 and there are plenty around, cheaper to replace than re-tip. Though looking closely at your photos, it doesn't look bad. Good luck.

October 21

That's a pretty hefty price for a 52. You'll more than likely need a new sac. Check some of the weak points when you receive the pen: lever rust; section cracks; feed clogs; and nib tipping. I would second Ron for repairs.

October 21

43 minutes ago, davisgt said:

That's a pretty hefty price for a 52.

Oh no! 😥

October 21

57 minutes ago, pen lady said:

Good luck.

We’ll see how it looks, thanks!

October 21

This looks like a cool pen to me, this type of accommodation clip was from Waterman, although you wouldn’t expect a pen this late, 1925 or thereabouts, to be without a clip cap? The rings are custom and probably solid gold, maybe even the lever ( think I see some plating though) but can’t check until the old sac is gone. These are easy to restore but the old hard rubber is brittle so have to be a bit careful.

The nib looks ok for tipping as long as not cracked you should be good the box looks good.

October 22

This is my Waterman 0652, restored by Ron Zorn. My original cap was incorrect, the lever box was shot. Ron replaced both and brought this 100 year old pen back to life. I have inked it and it writes a bit scratchy for me but it is a joy to look at in my display case. Ron's work is outstanding...

October 22

Very nice!

October 23

On 10/21/2024 at 3:26 PM, GlenV said:

This looks like a cool pen to me

I thought it looked like a nice pen too, grabbed my attention pretty quick, thanks!

Edited October 23 by Kbbond172

November 1

On 10/21/2024 at 7:02 AM, pen lady said:

are you up to doing that repair yourself?

Finally got the pen in today! Funny thing though is it didn’t have a sac in it at all so it made the cleaning and replacement pretty easy! Just waiting for shellac to set….

November 1

Ohhhh here it is!! Even prettier in person (I think anyway)! Nib cleaned up pretty nice, no sac in it so I’m glad I had already ordered a new sac, shellac, and talc before it got here. Writes nicely, maybe a little scratchy but it puts down a really nice and consistent line with good flex. I will probably only put Waterman ink in it and I really like this mysterious blue 👍🏼

November 2

That pen cleaned up nicely. It almost looks like a completely different pen from the original pictures. Great bit of flex too. Waterman blue is perfect for that pen. Well done.