13 replies to this topic

[vintage penman]

I have a suspicion that I have seen one of the above in pink somewhere......am I hallucinating or did such a thing exist ?
If so, my wife would actually like one, therefore I assume that it will be either rare or expensive or both. Please correct me and verify that I am actually dreaming this.....

[david i]

I have a suspicion that I have seen one of the above in pink somewhere......am I hallucinating or did such a thing exist ?
If so, my wife would actually like one, therefore I assume that it will be either rare or expensive or both. Please correct me and verify that I am actually dreaming this.....

Hi Vintage Penman.

Pink Snorks go by the name Buckskin Tan.

Here is a Buckskin from my website, recognizing that lighting affects color. These are not bright pink, but a subdued pinkish-tan

While I hardly give away my Snorks, I do have good quality and warranty. This page will give some sense of retail on these.

The Snork Page:

the vacumania snork page

I have been dabbling at an online guide to Snorks, embracing the unenviable task of integrating value, cachet and rarity into what otherwise would be a relatively simple model guide. In particular the guide addresses the often key value impact of color. This is still rough draft, with great redundancy to be eliminated with photos yet to add and to tweak, but it has a good amount of info in it.

THE SNORKEL GUIDE

regards

David

[Roger W.]

Hi Vintage Penman.

Pink Snorks go by the name Buckskin Tan.

Here is a Buckskin from my website, recognizing that lighting affects color. These are not bright pink, but a subdued pinkish-tan

While I hardly give away my Snorks, I do have good quality and warranty. This page will give some sense of retail on these.

The Snork Page:

the vacumania snork page

I have been dabbling at an online guide to Snorks, embracing the unenviable task of integrating value, cachet and rarity into what otherwise would be a relatively simple model guide. In particular the guide addresses the often key value impact of color. This is still rough draft, with great redundancy to be eliminated with photos yet to add and to tweak, but it has a good amount of info in it.

THE SNORKEL GUIDE

regards

David

David;

Gave it a quick perusal (gosh is it long) but I didn'tnotice the English 9 and 18K pens mentioned nor the black in reverse trim. Those are the big variants which you can find examples. Then there are the rumours of flighters, sterling (heard this is real), canary yellow (supposidly a snork pencil known) and others. We know the valiant fiesta red exists but, is uber rare so I don't know about other variants with no documentation.

Roger W.

[david i]

David;

Gave it a quick perusal (gosh is it long) but I didn'tnotice the English 9 and 18K pens mentioned nor the black in reverse trim. Those are the big variants which you can find examples. Then there are the rumours of flighters, sterling (heard this is real), canary yellow (supposidly a snork pencil known) and others. We know the valiant fiesta red exists but, is uber rare so I don't know about other variants with no documentation.

Roger W.

Hey, there is a reason it is called a rough draft

Or, perhaps my knowledge isn't comprehensive. Or maybe both.

The core of that essay was whipped up a year or three back. Since I only really started aggressively with Snorks about three years ago...

I have in possession (and photographed ... somewhere) a mint tagged reverse-trim set. Recently bought a Masterpiece. Will integrate those. But, I don't have either of the British Masterpieces (which are after all *asterisk* pens for a collecting guide), so will have to just describe those until have images.

On other hand, if I can whip up an essay on something in your obsessive arena, and all you can point to are three missing pens, then verily I have succeeded beyond my wildest dreams.

And, yeah, the essay is long. Perhaps even... interminable... as some might lament

But what is showing was merely the effort to get the facts and opinions on paper. Tweaks will happen. I just figured offering it up would provide some guidance for folks even newer than me to Snorks, if such a thing is possible.

That's some bold claim you make btw, an all-Fiesta Snorkel. I assume you can provide some evidence for that claim?

I've never seen mythic Canary or "Flighter", though a fellow on Zoss list was doing some lovely modern Maki work. Had i not been swamped the last few months, might even have ordered one.

regards

David

[Rick Krantz]

wow, I never really cared too much for snorkels, mainly because I did not understand the models or trim levels, but that essay piece really makes it quite clear. thanks for sharing that, I did find it quite interesting and informative. I don't know how you find the time to put stuff like that together...

[Roger W.]

David;

Do bring out the Valiant Fiesta.

I've a story on that, that I will tell on Sam Marshall and myself. I was corresponding with Sam when he was writing his landmark article on snorkels (eight years ago - has it been that long?) and he and I were hot after the colors - I wanted to know what they all were as nobody knew exactly (Hell, I was worried I'd have to send sellers paint chips so that we'd find the right shades to these things!). Well, the fiesta came up on EBay back then and went for more than Sam or I wanted to pay but, it was early in the race so we figured another would come along. OK, it's been eight years and we're both still waiting!

Roger W.

[Jason]

David- What do you mean by "reverse-trim?" I am having a hard time picturing such a pen

Thanks, Jason

[david i]

David- What do you mean by "reverse-trim?" I am having a hard time picturing such a pen

Thanks, Jason

Well, you know.. where the whole pen is gold filled but the clip and cap-band are made from black plastic...

just kidding

It's a good question. Too it shows the power of the internet as source of rapid education about relatively advanced findings in pen collecting. Pens that once had to be sought for years, with debate about very existence, now can be ID's in fairly short order in many cases.

The Reverse Trim Tale:

Most vintage pens of quality have gold-filled trim. Some colors/pens feature chrome trim. For those major makes and models, the colors and trim are pretty-well mapped by catalogues and by overwhelming observation. Parker Vacumatics see GF trim in all colors save gray/silver which have chrome tone trim. Sheaffer Balance mostly has GF trim save for "Junior" model with chrome trim in all colors and for couple gray colors in all lines, couple catalogued exceptions, etc.

Reverse trim is the term applied by collectors for pens that violate the norm, showing chrome trim on pens that overwhelmingly are found gold-filled, and having gold-filled trim on pens overwhelmingly found with chrome trim.

It is not- I assert- a matter of violating catalogue findings (the pens need not truly be anomalous), but is an issue of violating the overwhelmingly dominant finding. In some cases, the low-prevalence "reverse" trim indeed is catalogued, but rarely seen. In other cases the reverse trim represents an anomalous, uncatalogued finding. In some cases, the anomaly is defined by our lack of catalogue info, subject to change as data come to light subsequently that "turns" an uncatalogued variant into... a catalogued variant, but still the the pen is "reverse".

Here is what might be the world's biggest agglomeration (and probably I have couple more by now) of reverse trim Silver Pearl Parker Vacumatics, pens catalogued only with chrome trim. All these have gold-filled trim.

Another shot of Silver Pearl Vacumatic Debutante set, revese trim.

Here is the only late Vacumatic I've seen in reverse trim. Found in a bag of Vacs bought at the Raleigh pen show three years ago or so. Black Vacs typically have gold-filled trim. Not this one.

There is a reverse trim Sheaffer Snorkel. Black Snorks... usually... have gold-filled trim. The following pen does not. While one might argue about price/value, there is no doubt that this is well more rare than any of the "better" colors, barring the "all" (vs "half") Fiesta Red. This set happens to be mint tagged. I found it on ebay and thank my lucky stars. I've seen one other ever, though of course others might have seen others out there

A true gem from my limited-to-15-pens Snorkel personal collection

That's a huge amount of info about a rather esoteric element of pen collecting. Enjoy.

regards

David

[Jason]

David-
Thanks for the info. I did not know that Snorkels ever came in chrome trim at all. I had assumed that if the trim was chrome, it would be a later, cheaper pen like the late touchdown fillers. Clearly, though, the cap that you picture has all the signs of a Snorkel cap, like the smooth clip and the incised lines on the cap band.

Thanks,
Jason

[djohannsen]

I have been dabbling at an online guide to Snorks, embracing the unenviable task of integrating value, cachet and rarity into what otherwise would be a relatively simple model guide. In particular the guide addresses the often key value impact of color. This is still rough draft, with great redundancy to be eliminated with photos yet to add and to tweak, but it has a good amount of info in it.

THE SNORKEL GUIDE

A nice repository of information. I periodically try to reacquaint myself with basic Snork taxonomy, and this is quite a nice guide. Thank you for posting the link.


Dave

[Hugh]

There is a reverse trim Sheaffer Snorkel. Black Snorks... usually... have gold-filled trim. The following pen does not. While one might argue about price/value, there is no doubt that this is well more rare than any of the "better" colors, barring the "all" (vs "half") Fiesta Red. This set happens to be mint tagged. I found it on ebay and thank my lucky stars. I've seen one other ever, though of course others might have seen others out there

A true gem from my limited-to-15-pens Snorkel personal collection

Well David that's an amazing find!!
Would I be correct in assuming it's a Valiant... it just wouldn't look right with a gold nib , unless it was white gold!! Rare is an understatement.....

Regards
Hugh

[Roger W.]

Well David that's an amazing find!!
Would I be correct in assuming it's a Valiant... it just wouldn't look right with a gold nib , unless it was white gold!! Rare is an understatement.....

Regards
Hugh

Hugh;

I think you mean Statesman and I believe that all of the reverse trim snorkels are Statesmen which does make sense with the silver colored nib. My picture is not as nice and it is hard to capture chrome...




Roger W.

[Hugh]

Hugh;

I think you mean Statesman and I believe that all of the reverse trim snorkels are Statesmen which does make sense with the silver colored nib. My picture is not as nice and it is hard to capture chrome...




Roger W.

Thanks Roger, my error... it's even worse since I just did up a Statesman......

Regards
Hugh

[blopplop]

David,

Excellent info on that Snorkel page. I love snorkels, and hope to some day acquire a periwinkle.

Dave