I had several pens inked but none was a Swan so I thought I would amend that. I had a very pretty green marbled pre-war no-number Swan that I hadn’t used in a long time – if ever. I filled it and it was a disaster. The semi-flex nib would only write with pressure and not very well even then. It seemed very likely I would have to strip it down and find out what the trouble was but I thought I would try the soapy water trick first. One drop of Fairy Liquid in a small glass is enough, then a good flush followed by a rinse. It gave me a good line for a paragraph then reverted to hard start and ski ..read more

Just skimming through eBay’s new vintage listings this morning and I am overpowered by all the Parkers! Good pens, of course, but so many of them, almost to the exclusion of other old brands. The pens I’m really looking for, the Swans, Mentmores, Summits and Wyverns seem very thin on the ground compared with a few years ago. This isn’t a scientific study, just my impression. We always knew the profusion of old pens couldn’t last forever. Are they tapering off now? Amusingly, I see Jinhao pens sneaked into the listing simply by adding ‘vintage’ to brand new pens ..read more

I could have sworn I wrote about this pen before. I’ve owned a couple of them and I’ve known the story forever but, no, I didn’t write about it! If you think of Platignums as cheap and shabby pens this one will come as a surprise. It’s soundly made throughout and it has a good hooded nib, common at the time and perhaps helpful in preventing drying out. The chromed cap was fashionable in the fifties. Altogether a great pen from the house of Mentmore, one would say. Except that, like the Parker 61 and the Waterman X Pen, it’s a capillary filler. These pens aren’t entirely disasters though their ..read more

I’ve been presented with a free review copy of this book. Though I am extremely grateful to receive it – I would have had to buy it anyway – those of you who have read my previous book reviews will know that I will not be influenced by that and in any case it wasn’t the authors’ intentions that I should be influenced in any way. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about the book. Anyone with an interest in British pens will know of, and probably own, Stephen Hull’s previous works and Andy Russell’s volume on the Conway Stewart Dinkie. Those glorious works should make us expect that this ..read more

Once in a while an exceptional pen appears in eBay. Just such a pen is this beautiful – and very uncommon – Conway Stewart Dinkie Major. The Major is larger than the ordinary Dinkie. That makes it a little more practical and easier to write with. The pen was made around 1931 and is the 640 model. The glorious pattern is green, black and bronze on a red ground. Thanks to Paul (acetateblue). The auction is here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/305459193192 Thanks also to Andy Russell: 50 Years of the Dinkie, 1922 to 1972 ..read more

Yet another pen that I know very little about but it’s a beauty and well worth including here. From the general appearance and the ‘k’ for carat I take it that the Presto is American. It shows quite a resemblance to a 1930s Waterman with its rivetted clip, flat top and complex feed. In all, a very handsome pen. We are left to wonder how a pen that wasn’t well-known even in its country of origin made it here. The larger pen companies like Parker, Sheaffer and Eversharp had agents or outlets here. Not Presto, though, so far as I am aware. Thanks to Nigel Simpson-Stern (treasurer of The Writing ..read more

Often on a Saturday or Sunday I’ll have a look at the eBay listings and I’ll find a rarity or oddity to share and write about. Not today. There was nothing I hadn’t written about before. All the usual things: relatively modern Parkers, boxes of dip nibs and uninteresting collections of cheap pens. There was one I considered writing about, an attractive and less common pen, but what put me off was that the seller photographed the pen in his hand. Why not just lay the pen down on a suitable background? I find the inclusion of a hand in the photograph distracting and annoying and it doesn’t show ..read more

My friend Michael Dunn believed he had won this pen until it was snatched away in the last second of the auction. He saved the pictures for me. They’re not perfect, being oddly cropped and with an unfortunate background but they’re enough to show the glowing colours. The Popular Prince is a Mentmore sub-brand and was made in 1926. The prince referred to was to become, briefly, Edward VIII. He was, indeed, very popular. Though I was aware of its existence I haven’t seen this pen before. It must be quite rare. Thanks to Michael Dunn and Stephen Hull: The English Fountain Pen Industry 1875 – 1 ..read more

With a single exception I have had poor luck with John Bull pens. This was partly the luck of the draw and partly that their quality was variable. My one really good John Bull was an eyedropper filler which I wrote about here some years ago. This is a later pen, 1925 – 30 at a guess, and in nice order. There’s a bump on one of the cap bands and if that’s the worst that’s happened to a pen in almost a century that’s pretty good. I’m assuming that this is celluloid with a chasing pattern in memory of its hard rubber predecessors. There has been much discussion about the manufacture of John Bu ..read more

I believe that Melbi was a Merz & Krell brand. I’m writing about this one because the celluloid is so beautiful and the pen itself is a harmonious (if derivative) design. There can be no doubt about its debt to the Duofold. Indeed, as it’s a button filler the resemblance is complete. I would place it around 1938-40. We don’t hear a lot about Melbi over here but like most German pens they’re very well made. Melbi also made The Transparent – the title gives away the most obvious attribute – a better-known piston filler of the thirties. Where would you find such a pattern, and in such good ..read more