Hello To All -
SNIP
It has a 26 (2nd quarter, 1936) date code. Based on the photos in the eBay listing I thought someone had just stuck an old desk pen end on it, but upon receiving it, the desk pen taper seems to be correct. I did some research and I found that Parker did sell some pens as convertible pens, including a taper with the pen, but did the Vacumatic ever come this way? The black taper screws onto the threads perfectly and lines up nicely with the barrel end.
Can anyone tell me for sure if this pen is correct with the black desk pen taper or should I try to find a blind cap? I do not think it is correct, I believe the taper may be for Duofold Senior. I am guessing that finding a 1936 oversize blind cap with tassie & striped jewel is going to be near impossible, right?
Steve
Hi Steve,
The pen might very well be "as original", with the caveat that lacking the blind cap for a pocket pen that has a main cap is... a bit of a problem indeed
Unlike the 1938+
dedicated Vacumatic desk pens, the 1933-1936 desk pens were- as with Duofold before them-
convertibles.
It has been some time since I've played with direct parts swaps and reviewed early Vac desk pen literature, as this subject tends to be unexciting (take a pen, put on a taper, have a desk pen), but my recollection is that the tapers for Vacs (save for presence of chrome-ring tapers for silver pearl pens... at least sometimes) were the same tapers used for Duofold. DF's Senior taper matched Vac's OS. DF's Junior taper matched Vac's Standard. DF's Lady taper matched Vac's Slender.
Indeed, it is not unheard of (and not unreasonable) for someone with a first generation lockdown Vac with missing parts or bad caps to buy a Duofold taper and convert his pen to what is a proper Vac early desk pen... which is one reason first gen Vac desk pens (as with Duofold desk pens) today underprice pocket pens; the $30-50 taper tends to be worth less than the missing cap and blind cap.
Your taper looks a bit plump where it meets the pen, but probably within acceptable specs.
We will never know how your pen started out. Did someone have the whole thing, complete pen and taper as a convertible kit? Did someone somewhere along the way lose the blind cap and grab/buy a taper (unlikely to be a collector today, or you would not have found the item so cheaply on ebay)?
Your parts are worth well more than cost. The taper alone retails close to or at your price for the lot. Gripping section looks a bit rough, but can be improved by a restorer. Blind caps with ring are very tough to find for OS Vac as there is no other Vac that can donate parts. I'd venture the guess that a blind cap assembly could cost couple times your price into the pen so far. But, you can keep it as a desk pen and opt to sell the cap, which has value too of course. Many options.
Upshot. There WERE Oversize Vac Desk pens and they use same taper as Duofold Senior. Your parts look ok. We might never know what became of blind cap or if main cap was added later. Nice find in any case.
regards
David
