My pen searches wax and wane, and my one mini-collection I've focused on, Moore pens of the 30s-40s, is fairly full. (I pause to note Will's nice example posted today). So I just casually scroll through new listings online, looking for things that catch my eye. And one night recently, my eye got hooked by this:
Oh, my, what an interesting thing! It was a pen that I knew little about: a Parker "Victory". I decided it was worth a shot, so I settled on an amount I was comfortable with, set a snipe, and let it go. Happy to find that the next day I had won. In a while I received a package - all the way from England, with this diminutive beauty:
The Parker Victory pens were made at the Valentine Pen Co. facility in Newhaven, England, mostly during WWII. There were, over a few years, four iterations of the pen, from Mark (MK) I to MK IV. I particularly like the first models, which came in two sizes, because they kept a similar shape to the Duofold line and also retained the Parker ball clip. The other nice thing is that there weren't a lot of colorways produced, I think fewer than 10, so if I wanted to do a mini-collection of MKI pens, it was likely do-able in my lifetime. This pen is cataloged as "lined/striated rose/silver/burgundy", I believe.
It was then that I decided I'd look around, figuring it would be a while before I came upon other likely candidates. Nope. In no time I had my sights set on not just another of these, but a pretty special example:
Sure enough, I managed to capture this stickered pen, about as pristine an item as I could want. Naturally, one then has to consider "Do I ink it up?" and since these aren't massive cache items and I'll likely hold it for the duration... how could I deny that nifty flexible nib? (I haven't done anything with it yet, so my "collector" cred is still good)
It "comes in threes", they say. This time it did, as continued casual browsing for these models lent me another target, which was subsequently acquired. I was very curious about this pen, as I've recently gotten a couple of examples of the Parker burgundy/black materials, which I really admire. However, this one was allegedly a "pink" and black material, and sure enough, when seen next to each other, it is a much lighter, brighter hue. I often forget to take photos before restoration (this pen will need a new sac and a tiny cleanup) so I shot a quick photo:
I'm going to keep looking for these, not obsessively but just as a pastime. They appear to be a mid-range interest pen, not a billion bidders and not completely ignored. They are also more common on the UK/Euro market.
The most recent round of "INCOMING!!" stuff was a bit of a surprise: I had mentioned to someone something once, a while ago. Sure enough, after I already felt sufficed in my pen rewards, I get a message saying "weren't you looking for... ?" and I was and they were selling it to me. For a really nice, dependable everyday writer, I've grown very fond of the Franklin-Christoph Model 20, a modern slip-cap pen that is as simple as it gets. Just big enough to be comfortable, cart/convertor or eyedroppered, and takes a #6 nib, which ends up looking a bit recessed. The machine work on the cap is *very* well done, both snug and yet easy to remove, as well as post. They also did a bit of additional design/manufacture work on the shape of the section so that air gets released as you pull the cap so you don't get ink pulled out by vacuum. The reason this pen came my way is that I was looking for the one that was a limited edition in an acrylic call Earthtone. Darkbrown with chunks/facets of other earthy colors. I like.
Ok, there. That is enough typing and pics to hold off for a long while. I hope it is of interest and I urge all of you quiet people on the other side of the glass to start threads and share some of your own favored writing instruments. it's funny: I really did feel like I was slowing down, reaching a good stasis point. Lo and behold, I stumbled into another rabbit hole!
Cheers,
Jon
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