Open Nib Wing Sung 601A with 18K gold nib?

[donnweinberg]

Maybe someone can provide some clarity here.  A seller (Eleconline) from China on eBay is selling what is referred to as "Wing Sung 601A, Brushed Resin Fountain Pen, EF/F/M, 18k Gold Nib Writing," for $159.79, but a bit less per pen if one purchases more than one.  Below are two photos from that pen's eBay page.  It is offered in 5 different colors.  Yesterday, I messaged the seller to reconfirm that the nibs really are "solid 18k gold, rather than 18k gold-plated," and I requested a close-up photo of the nib that would show that it is a solid 18k gold nib, but I have not yet received a response.  I already own the Wing Sung 601A in a variety of colors, and that model is known for having an integrated "Sheaffer-like" inlaid nib made of stainless steel.  From what I can find on a search, Eleconline is the only current eBay seller offering this particular version.

 

Is anyone else familiar with this particular model pen, whatever it may be?  My gut tells me it's not a 601A or a regular 601 (the Parker 51-like model).  I'm also skeptical that it has a solid gold nib, although the pricing, for a China-based pen, is consistent with the pen having such a nib.  Any guidance would be appreciated.  In the meantime, I'm not ordering this model.

 

 

[donnweinberg]

I should add that this same seller also sells a "2020 New Version Wing Sung 601A Vacumatic" for $20.67 each in various colors and with an ink window, but there is no claim that the pen has a solid gold nib.  This model also has an open nib and looks the same, except that it has the ink window that the "gold"-nibbed version lacks.

[Lithium466]

Following. Wing Sung has some nice gold nibs in the 629/630 for ex, but 14K.

[Dillo]

There are three versions of the 601 series, the fully hooded 601, the triumph-style nib 601A, and this open nib 601A. I've bought from that seller before. They take a little while to ship, but they do have some versions of the 601 that are less common. I know that gold nibs are available for the regular hooded 601, and I have seen open nibbed 601A with gold nibs, but I can't say whether that pen has one or not. I would not be surprised if it does.

[Dan Carmell]

It’s a real pen, Don, although that price is high for the pen. I’ll post photos of mine tomorrow with some more details. 

[donnweinberg]

Thanks for your replies.  I’ll look for Dan Carmell’s photos.  I’ll also wait to see whether the seller replies and for what the seller’s reply is.

[Dan Carmell]

Don, here are the promised photos. The seller does not say this, but the cap is sterling silver. Not just sterling, but it is an imitation of the Parker 51 ‘Empire’ cap which was sterling and gold fill in the same pattern. Subtle but lovely. 

Yes, the nib is a small 18K nib, quite nice. 
 

This is actually the same seller I bought this pen from, almost two years ago, and I paid about the same at the time. It seems a bit high to me, but perhaps the pen is hard to find now. 
 

FYI, I think there have been 3 601A or 601 pens with a sterling cap and gold nib. Yours was the first, I saw another very briefly over a year ago and can’t remember anything about it—it disappeared very quickly. The current model with a sterling cap and a gold nib is a 601 with a 14K hooded nib and a sterling ‘fishscale’ cap (a la Parker 41, I believe) with an orange barrel and hood. That is as low as $109 on AliExpress, by the way. 
 

One warning about the 601A you are looking at: I hope this problem was exclusive to my pen, but the clutch ring inside the cap is visibly different than the regular steel cap on the 601 and 601A and it scratched the barrel below the ink window so extensively I had to replace the barrel (cheap) and remove the clutch ring from the cap and replace it from a steel cap. Irritating but not fatal. 
 

I think it’s worth buying, with an 18K and lovely sterling cap, especially since people pay for than that for a steel nib and no sterling. 

[donnweinberg]

Thanks, Dan.  Very helpful to me.

[Dan Carmell]

2 hours ago, donnweinberg said:

Thanks, Dan.  Very helpful to me.

You are most welcome! I was reminded today that each of these editions are limited, one-time productions. The orange 601 has an LE number laser-engraved on the cap lip; the 601A you are looking at does not. 

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

Ridiculous price. Even one off. 

 

The grey one, silver cap Gen I, 2019. $50 on release. Your seller is selling his own collection. 

 

The orange one , Gen VI for 2024 Dragon Shell, $70 on release, under 800 pieces. 

 

In either exposed or hooked nib. Only cap is limited and numbered. 

 

Gen = different cap engraving + delicated pen colour. 

[Dan Carmell]

5 minutes ago, Shanghai Knife Dude said:

Ridiculous price. Even one off. 

 

The grey one, silver cap Gen I, 2019. $50 on release. Your seller is selling his own collection. 

 

The orange one , Gen VI for 2024 Dragon Shell, $70 on release, under 800 pieces. 

 

In either exposed or hooked nib. Only cap is limited and numbered. 

 

Gen = different cap engraving + delicated pen colour. 

Is ‘dragon scale’ the Wing Sung name for what I called ‘fishscale,’ SKD? 
 

We talk about two of these in this thread, but I think there was at least one more? Do you know how many Gens there have been?

 

Thanks!

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

9 minutes ago, Dan Carmell said:

Is ‘dragon scale’ the Wing Sung name for what I called ‘fishscale,’ SKD? 
 

We talk about two of these in this thread, but I think there was at least one more? Do you know how many Gens there have been?

 

Thanks!

2024 is year of dragon, everything is dragon related. We are Dragon Comrade for 2024. 

 

Totally Gen VI as of 2024. Your orange is the latest. 

[donnweinberg]

The two Wing Sung 601A with 18K gold medium nibs arrived, and I have inked up one of them.  It is a beautiful pen, easy to fill with the vacumatic system (plunger behind blind cap), and a wonderful writer.  The two body colors I obtained are a medium grey and a teal blue.  Other than the colors I chose, this pen looks exactly like Dan Carmell’s first 3 photos above (of his black-bodied version).  For less than $120 per pen, these 18K-nib pens are a terrific value.

[donnweinberg]

On 11/25/2024 at 12:35 PM, Dan Carmell said:

One warning about the 601A you are looking at: I hope this problem was exclusive to my pen, but the clutch ring inside the cap is visibly different than the regular steel cap on the 601 and 601A and it scratched the barrel below the ink window so extensively I had to replace the barrel (cheap) and remove the clutch ring from the cap and replace it from a steel cap. Irritating but not fatal. 

 

Hi, Dan.  When got the pens from my front porch after they had been in the cold for a few hours, I couldn’t remove the caps, so I let them reach room temperature overnight.  This morning, the first attempt at removal required a bit of force, but since that first try, the caps slip off with a minimal, appropriate amount of effort, as they should.  The model I received doesn’t have an ink window, and so far there is no abrasion of the plastic.

[Dan Carmell]

43 minutes ago, donnweinberg said:

…and so far there is no abrasion of the plastic.

Don, I hope this means they updated the clutch ring inside the cap to prevent the scratching, but maybe mine was a one-off bad clutch ring. 
 

I do agree it’s a great pen and a super value, with a lovely sterling cap and 18K nib. Glad you are happy with it!

[donnweinberg]

Here are some photos of the pens, each one coming in a nice box with some tools and a silicone grease “converter":

 

 

 

[Dan Carmell]

Nice photos! The cap design is taken directly from a Parker 51 cap. On the original 51, it was gold-filled and sterling silver, as it was on one of the two 51 SEs in the early 2000s. But the other 51 SE was all sterling and as you can see, it’s very similar. Don, 51s with those caps go for big money, the SEs for $450 and up, the originals who knows, because they are quite rarely. So this is another confirmation that the pen was more than worth the price. 
 

The ‘fishscale’ sterling cap on my orange 601 is neat but a little busy, the Empire cap is subtle elegance. 

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

13 hours ago, donnweinberg said:

Here are some photos of the pens, each one coming in a nice box with some tools and a silicone grease “converter":

 

 

 

congrats. That 18K nib with "Wing" logo for "wingsung" is definitely a NOS back in no later than 2022. I guess the seller is selling his own collection. 

[donnweinberg]

13 hours ago, Dan Carmell said:

The ‘fishscale’ sterling cap on my orange 601 is neat but a little busy, the Empire cap is subtle elegance. 

 

Agreed.  Is the orange 601 still available at AliExpress?  I can’t seem to find it and can’t seem to find more of the 601A, 18k that I just got.

[Dan Carmell]

Here you go, Don:

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mKFkvCT

 

I think SKD was correct in saying your 18K 601A has essentially disappeared from the market. There is one seller on eBay: search for Wing Sung 601A and then sort by High to Low price to see it. 
 

There was a second 601 with a sterling cap and 14K nib introduced between your 601A and the orange 601. It disappeared very quickly and I’ve never seen it again—unfortunately I didn’t keep a photo and can’t remember the cap styling.