9 replies to this topic

[Billy]

I found this pen at a local antique mall. It appears to be a 1st generation vacumatic standard with longitudinal transparency and a date code of 1936. It is in mint conditioning and still has the original price tag attached. I have a couple of questions which I hope someone can answer. 1) How common are the longitudinal transparency? Did all vacumatic standards have this configuration? 2) Since this is the most expensive pen I have bought, I am curious about its value. 3) The seller attached the price tag with tape which left behind a sticky residue. What is the best way to remove the tape residue? Cheers Billy  image-2.jpg   183.42KB   146 downloads  Vac pen-1.jpg   164.2KB   137 downloads

[david i]

I found this pen at a local antique mall. It appears to be a 1st generation vacumatic standard with longitudinal transparency and a date code of 1936. It is in mint conditioning and still has the original price tag attached. I have a couple of questions which I hope someone can answer. 1) How common are the longitudinal transparency? Did all vacumatic standards have this configuration? 2) Since this is the most expensive pen I have bought, I am curious about its value. 3) The seller attached the price tag with tape which left behind a sticky residue. What is the best way to remove the tape residue? Cheers Billy

Hi Billy,

A great find. The pen is a Vacumatic Junior or more likely Juniorette (Slender Junior) though we can clarify that based on measurements.

The long-windows barrel transparency (a butcher-blocked plastic, as the clarity is seen only in two of the 90 degree portions of the 360 degree circumference of the pen) was catalogued by Parker for economy line Vacs just in 1935 (earlier for high line Vacs).. Your pen is something of a late production piece. Finding it with sticker and with that degree of clarity is a major score.

Pens with this clarity are not rare, though they are relatively uncommon vs the typical banded pens as they were made in limited lines for limited years. Often they are so ambered that they appear just to be opaque black. For pens such as this, the degree of clarity contributes to cachet and to value.

I'll turf to our restorers how tor remove tape residue best. You don't want to hurt the pen or sticker.

I'd be interested to buy if you wanted to sell. That's saying something, given the extent of my Vac collection already

Value as always can be tricky. Venue matters a great deal. Retail price restored with warranty on website content to let the pen wait a couple years to find the right buyer of course is different from "I really need to sell it this week on the pen boards"

regards

David

[david i]

BTW, do explore our GALLERY tab at top of page (instructions in extra detail offered in our Greetings/News Forum).

Nearly unlimited storage there for pen pics that can be pasted life size into posts.

regards

d

[BrianMcQueen]

Wow, now that is a fantastic Vacumatic find! Congratulations. I am very envious of you at the moment.

[AeRoberto]

It's a great find. I'm trying to find one since a couple of months (well, maybe more), and I'm a bit envious of you .

[rpk1204]

Great find indeed! I've been lucky enough to find a few stickered NOS un-inked pens, but non of this quality or lineage!

[Rick Krantz]

I picked one of these up a few weeks ago, and did not think that much of it.

Of course mine did not have the sticker.

I did not know they were really that uncommon.

Nice find, mine had a 35 date coded nib, with the tips sorta knocked off.

[BrianMcQueen]

Rick, they're not THAT uncommon, but they are less common than the standard striped or opaque patterns. What's really impressive here is the clarity and sticker. It's very nice.

[Rick Krantz]

well, there will be one at the Ohio pen show, I know that.

with decent clarity even

no price sticker tho

the OP's is real nice.

[BrianMcQueen]

I really need to get one of these with good clarity. And I hope to be at the Ohio show...