11 replies to this topic

[david i]

As per my thread on this year's DC Pen Show, this year's event appears to have been an all around success. Lots of activity, pen trade, hobby culture shared.

DC Pen Show Report Link



I found a few more than a few nice pens at the show. 100 or so for the Vacumania website, and "unfortunately" as many as ten or so for my own collection... I've been trying not to grow personal collection so much, but some pens just cannot be denied.

I made a bulk offer for a nice case full of Parker 51s, common models, but all clean. Not a bad start.

I will provide more details a bit later, but here are some images and couple notes on the individual pen finds...

Above (and Below, noting not all pens detailed) find:

Page 1

• Clean Burgundy OS Parker Vacumatic (needs clip and jewel, which I have)
• Couple high-cachet Emerald Moire Sheaffer Targa BPs
• Mint Stickered Sheaffer Snorked Demonstrator
• OS Sheaffer WASP Clipper "circuit board" pattern Deluxe trim OS model.
• Basketweave pattern Italian Torino (? Aurora sub-brand), flex nib
• Clean Parker 51 sterling caps.
• Lovely Waterman 92 set in red/bronze celluloid
• Waterman 0554 gf overlay Sheraton pattern with broad flex stub nib
• Sheaffer flat-top port-hole demonstrator, best color I've seen
• Parker Duofold Senior streamlined, truly mint with "perfect" green color
• Wahl OS Equi-Poised, black/pearl, one of the best two I've ever seen and best I've handled
• Lapis Blue Mabie Todd Swan Eternal 44. Mint condition
• Parker DF Senior streamlined, red. Not so common in streamlined form
• Odd Mabie Todd gold-filled metal pen, full length ring-top. Usually ring top pens are short

Page 2

• Pair of Sheaffer WASP (sub-brand) in "screaming souls of purgatory" plastic. Off-catalogue as twist fillers
• Off catalogue Sheaffer military-clip Balance with Jeweler's style wide-lined band (that band not catalogued)
• Bizarro military clip sized Sheaffer Balance with normal clip and white dot on other side of pen (a "mistake" pen?)
• Off catalogue Sheaffer Balance gray-pearl striated plastic with "reverse" gold=filled trim and wide-lined cap-band
• The cleanest OS Sheaffer Balance Ebonized Pearl I've seen
• Off catalogue Sheaffer Balance (military clip) done on a full length, not military-length, pen
• Off catalogue (tweaked) waterman 12852 (52 with gold-filled end bands) from mid 1920's but in this case upgraded to solid 9k gold bands
• Pair of standard size gray/red Sheaffer Balance pens, one with off-catalogue wide-lined jeweler's style cap-band
• Parker 51 Heritage (window pane) gold-filled cap with solid gold trim.
• Rare Parker Vacumatic set. Imperial Signet Debutante, with solid gold trim. Only set this size/color I've ever seen
• Couple tough color Sheaffer Snorkels.

The Parker 51 Presidential (solid gold) did not last with me, though i shot it before I gave it away. Will add those images later.

More in coming days/weeks regarding close-in shots and possibly discussion of interesting pens.

Any guesses which pens I'll keep, or use as upgrades?

Regards

David

[Hugh]

Okay David.....lets see how I go!!
1. Snork. demo
2.OS Clipper
3.Watermans pair
4.Sheaffer demo
5.Mint green doufold
6.Large Wahl blk/pearl
7.Blue Swan
8. Eb. Balance
9.Bizarro Balance
10.Parker Vac set
11.the snork in the middle

Regards
Hugh

[david i]

Okay David.....lets see how I go!!
1. Snork. demo
2.OS Clipper
3.Watermans pair
4.Sheaffer demo
5.Mint green doufold
6.Large Wahl blk/pearl
7.Blue Swan
8. Eb. Balance
9.Bizarro Balance
10.Parker Vac set
11.the snork in the middle

Regards
Hugh

Impressive, all told, as I have yet to even fully make my own conclusions

The Duofold Sr. Jade will stay with me, and I will let go perhaps just a hair less superb... upgrade.

I will keep the OS Equi-Poised, one I have sought at length.

Not sure yet on blue Swan, though I should

Snork Demo... maybe. I have a quite ok example already in my 12 pen Snork collection, and I don't obsess on Snork collecting. Thus, I might let this one go. It will command a premium, and I probably am OK with my current pen.

Ebonized Pearl OS Balance will stay as an upgrade only if it proves better than current pen in collection.

Vac Imperial Signet stays.

Demonstrator green Sheaffer flat-top will stay as an upgrade. Current pen in collection will go bye-bye.

The twist-fill "Screamer" Sheaffer WASPS will stay only as possible upgrades, but suspect my current examples are at least as nice.

4 of the off-catalogue Balances-- 1. military brown with wide-lined band; 2. extra-long red military Balance; 3. black never-became-military Balance; 4 striped silver pearl Balance with reverse trim and wide lined band-- will stay with me.

Wide-band OS "circuit board" WASP stays.

Nice additions to collection, couple that might upgrade, and many pens that will pollinate the hobby in time.

regards

d

[Rick Krantz]

nice haul, kinda sad tho, I like so much to read these posts with eagerness, and excitement. I handled most of these pens, so there was no surprise. You did great. I don't think you have to look at it as a bad thing to grow the collection, if you are growing it with such high quality pens. You will never regret that. You were able to buy pens for the purpose of the website, and others for a greater purpose. All in all, not bad, but I still have to say, it is tough to compare to the gem I got, lol. I would offer that this DC show was terrific. The tables were full, the room was crowded, Saturday and Sunday could have been better, but for sure thursday and friday are the best sales days.

[Jiffypens]

I'd keep the blue eternal, I once sold a mint/stickered one, and I regret it dearly!

[david i]

I've started to shoot a few of the nice finds from the pen show. This one I am forced to keep. I've been fond for long time of Wahl's Equi-Poised line. The oversized model is found both soldier clip and side clip, the side clip pen being rather monstrous. I have black, jade and green/bronze. I've long wanted a superb black-and-pearl. Very tough to find. I find Black/Pearl more difficult to find clean (in general) than even Jade. This one pops. With 13+ years in hobby, having handled thousands of pens (particularly for photography), having attended, idunno, 80+ pen shows, this is the nicest I've handled. I have vague recollection that David Nishimura might once have had a pen of at least this quality on his website a few years ago.

This is one that stays in the collection.

regards

David

[david i]

I'd keep the blue eternal, I once sold a mint/stickered one, and I regret it dearly!

I hear you

-david

[Pedro]

At the show I only got a few OS Balance pens: a Grey Striated Vac-Fill with matching pencil from a ship, a Carmine Striated lever-fill, a Carmine Striated Vac-Fill, a boring Black lever-fill with an equally boring platinum-masked stub nib, and one of those little Blue/Black thin pens with matching color between the cap and the barrel.


Even though Friday pen purchasing was brisk, there were more vendors and better buys on Saturday. Go figure.

[Rick Krantz]

I hear you

-david

Here you go folks.....

if you ever wondered when someone said the color simply "popped" well, this is the textbook definition, right here!

[david i]

This one is outside my usual territory, an Italian pen with nice flexible steel(?) nib.

Torino is the brand. i was told it is a sub-brand of another Italian maker, Aurora (or Ancora?). Sharp basket weave plastic. Big pen. Nice writer.

Anyone know anything about this one?

regards

david

[Teej47]

Here you go folks.....

if you ever wondered when someone said the color simply "popped" well, this is the textbook definition, right here!

This is killer alright. That might just be the perfect pen right there... particularly if it has a medium stubby semi-flex nib like my little coral Swan does. My oh my....

Tim

[Rocco P]

Torino is also the city near which is the Aurora factory.

This one is outside my usual territory, an Italian pen with nice flexible steel(?) nib.

Torino is the brand. i was told it is a sub-brand of another Italian maker, Aurora (or Ancora?). Sharp basket weave plastic. Big pen. Nice writer.

Anyone know anything about this one?

regards

david