In this post I’d like to share my thoughts about vintage fountain pens.
Vintage Isn’t for Everyone
Before getting into what I like about vintage pens, I do want to give some disclaimers.
As a combination of age and more primitive designs, vintage fountain pens tend to be more finicky than modern pens. They’re more prone to leaks or burping ink. Filling mechanisms were much more varied, and some can be quite difficult to clean.
There is mixed information online about the safety of modern inks in vintage pens. Some experienced restorers advocate strongly to only use certain inks (Parker Quink in particular), whereas other experiments have shown no issues. I have generally erred on the side of caution, but this does limit the ink choices when using vintage pens.
Vintage pens also tend to need specialized restoration. While there is a lot of good reference material on this (particularly from Richard Binder) it is a delicate operation. Lots of practice is needed, so you may be better off sending pens to an expert.
Why I Like Vintage Pens
My first exposure to vintage fountain pens was inheriting my grandfather’s Sheaffer Imperial III (circa 1960). I had already been into fountain pens for about a year at that point, so I had some experience with modern pens. It needed quite a bit of work to restore (bringing the Ship of Theseus to mind), but I loved the Triumph nib with the Waverly tip. I now use the pen daily.
This got me interested in doing more research on vintage pens. Fast forward and now about half of the pens I use regularly are vintage. These are the things I have liked the best:
- Vintage pens were designed to write. Modern fountain pens are mostly the “luxury goods” camp, and are often not good writers as a result. Vintage pens were made in a time when people frequently wrote by hand, and so are easy to hold and use for long periods without fatigue. They often hold larger volumes of ink as well.
- Vintage pens are made of materials uncommon today (particularly celluloid and ebonite) that have both a striking appearance and are warmer in the hand. I’m a big fan of the stacked celluloid used in Parker Vacumatics in the 1930-40s. It gives more color to a time period often thought of as staid and conservative today.
- Vintage pens are unique. Due to both smaller numbers being manufactured and a proliferation of small pen manufacturers there are a lot of different pens out there. It’s possible to find pens that are uncommon or even rare today.
- Vintage pens also align well with the environmentalist aspect of fountain pens – repairing and reusing a high-quality item for decades.
Where to Get Vintage Pens
I’ve purchased vintage pens from two places primarily. I don’t have any affiliation with them, but have been very satisfied with my purchases:
- Antique Digger: This site tends to have more pens from the big names in vintage pens
- Redeem Pens: This site tends to have more unusual and uncommon pens
It is possible to get vintage pens on eBay, but you have to be careful as fakes are common (particularly with expensive brands like Montblanc). I’ve generally avoided it.
Finally, check out local antique and thrift stores! Since fountain pens aren’t as obviously valuable like watches or jewelry, you may find some surprises. Plus the hunt is part of the fun!
Up Next…
Up next will be the last post in this series, though (hopefully) not the last time I write about fountain pens. I’ll be sharing some miscellaneous thoughts that didn’t fit well into one of the other posts.