Sheaffer Student Cartridge Pen

Introduction

Sheaffer Student Cartridge Pens c.1955 - 1970

The Sheaffer Student Cartridge pen was an innovative pen that introduced features that have found their way into the design of modern pens[1]. The pen was produced from the mid 1950s to around 1970 1980[2]. The basic design was still being used for calligraphy pens into the current century, albeit without the transparent barrels and slim profile.

I chose to write about this pen because I used it during almost the entire time it was made. I stumbled upon the Student Cartridge pen when I started high school in 1957. This was a time of transition from the ubiquitous use of fountain pens to the adoption of “modern” ballpoint pens. Like most of my fellow students I used a ballpoint[3] for a while and couldn’t afford a “fancy” fountain pen. The Sheaffer Student Cartridge pen was priced cheaply enough that if you could afford a ballpoint pen you could afford one of these too. They cost about a dollar and a pack of five ink cartridges cost 49 cents[4].

I usually kept two of these pens in my shirt pocket, one containing washable blue ink and the other containing red. Sometimes I switched to a permanent black ink cartridge instead of the red one. I kept one or two spare cartridges[5] in my pocket in case the pen ran out of ink during an exam.

Because it took so little pressure to write with a fountain pen and my penmanship looked better when I wrote with one, I used a Student Cartridge pen all the time. Ballpoints of that era had a nasty habit of clogging and either refusing to write or producing thick, ugly blobs of ink. Nowadays we think of ballpoints as always writing without a problem and the refills lasting for ages, but that was not the case in the 1950s.

Converting to an Eyedropper

A Sheaffer Student pen converted to an eyedropper

The section of a Sheaffer cartridge pen screws into the barrel using a very fine thread that takes many turns to close. I imagine this is because the end of the section that goes into the barrel has a blunt syringe-like point that has to penetrate the thick plastic ink cartridge to start the ink flowing. The fine threads and slow progress with each turn gives excellent leverage to pierce the cartridge end with a neat, small hole that lets the ink flow into the section to the feed without spilling any ink into the barrel[6].

It occurred to me that this design is also optimal for an eye-dropper conversion[7]. All I had to do was coat the threads with silicone grease, fill the barrel with Noodler’s Dragon’s Napalm ink, and screw the section into the barrel. I’ve been writing with the pen for several months and it’s still half full. It has never leaked. As usual with this model, the ink flows consistently and the pen is entirely free of problems.

Sheaffer Student Cartridge Pen History

Sheaffer Student fountain pen

The history of the Sheaffer Pen Company goes back to 1912 when W. A. Sheaffer patented the first lever filling pen. I’ll save the detailed history for a separate post just as I did with the equally important Parker Pen Company. I want to talk specifically about the history of the Student Cartridge pen because there seems to be so little written about it. I suppose that’s because it was at the bottom of the Sheaffer pricing hierarchy. Nevertheless, this is an important pen historically because it contained many of the characteristics that we find in modern intermediately priced pens[1].

Before the Student Cartridge pen, demonstrators were, in fact, demonstrators meant for salesmen to show the inner workings of a pen. They were not meant to be used by the customers. The Student Cartridge pen changed that perspective: the concept was that customers like to see the inner workings of their pen. When combined with an ink cartridge using a translucent shell to show the ink remaining, these pens became the first pen to solve the historic problem of how to keep the pen owner informed of how much ink is left in his pen. Previous attempts used a tiny clear area just above the section or, as in the case of the Vacumatic, a barrel that was difficult to see through—and then only when the ink hadn’t coated the inside of the barrel.

I don’t know if the Student Cartridge pen was the first pen to use disposable ink cartridges, but it was among the pioneers[5]. Early models had a cigar shape with both ends rounded in a way similar to the fountain pen style of the 1930s. Later models had the ends squared-off so that they were more cylindrical, reminding one of 1920s fountain pens, such as the original Parker Duofold.

Description

Sheaffer Student Cartridge and a Parker Duofold Centennial

As in previous posts, I’ve used a modern Parker Duofold Centennial for comparison. The Sheaffer Student Cartridge pen is noticeably shorter and thinner, although still much larger than a Kaweco Sport.

The weight and size of the pen are given in the table below

Sheaffer Student Cartridge pen compared to a Parker Duofold Centennial

Measurement	Units	Sheaffer Student Pen	Duofold Centennial
Weight	g	10	29
Length capped	mm	134	138
Length uncapped	mm	120	127
Length posted	mm	147	172
Max Barrel Diameter	mm	10	13
Section Diameter (middle)	mm	9	11

Details

Student pen nib

The has a firm medium steel nib. The grip is rounded and tappers slightly towards the nib. It is comfortable to write with although I usually prefer a slightly wider grip.

Student pen clip

The clip carries the Sheaffer name and is strong and firm. There is very little chance that a student will spring[8] this clip. Because the process of gold-plating used today creates a very thin coating of gold over base metal, it is not as durable as the older gold-filling process used on the 1920s Conklin Crescent. The clip may be polished repeatedly without fear of exposing the base metal beneath. The clip is attached to the cap by a stiff metal rod that provides the spring action when you press on the back.

Writing Sample

I usually don’t include a writing sample because they tend to show as much about the ink and paper as the pen. However, since this pen is already inked, and with Dragon’s Napalm at that, I’ve provided a brief sample.

Writing sample using a Sheaffer Student Cartridge pen filled with Noodler’s Dragon’s Napalm ink

Summary

Light shining through the barrel of a Sheaffer Student Cartridge pen filled with Noodler’s Dragon’s Napalm ink

The Sheaffer Student Cartridge pen was a tough, sturdy, inexpensive fountain pen that could stand up to almost anything a student might inflict on it. I’ve dropped them from a height of five feet without ever causing any permanent damage.

There are tons of these pens still around more than 40 years after they stopped being made, which is a tribute to both their toughness and the inexpensive price at which they sold. You can find them at flea markets, pen shows, and on eBay. As an experiment, I bid on a few of these pens as they came up for sale on eBay. I wound up with three of them at an average price of about $13 including shipping. All worked perfectly. In fact, there are no delicate parts to break on this pen. Perhaps you could damage the nib if you dropped it point down on a hard surface. These pens compare quite favorably with modern pens. They are cheaper than almost every well made modern pen and if grease the threads with silicone you can use them as eyedroppers with an ink supply that writes for three or four times longer than an ink cartridge.

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1. Specifically, the Student Cartridge pen had a transparent or translucent body, a metallic cap, filled with an ink cartridge, and had a solid, reliable, well-made nib that was good enough to bear the Sheaffer name.  ↩

2. Thanks to Penemuel for providing the information that the Sheaffer Student Cartridge pen was still being produced into the early 1980s. I couldn’t find any information online about the dates of production.  ↩

3. Strange as it might seem, in the mid 1950s it was by no means clear that these cheap, throwaway ballpoint pens were anything more than a fad and that the fountain pen would be superseded by these inelegant pens. There was a lot of concern that the ink used in ballpoints would fade after a few years and documents written with them would fade away to blank paper. People were counseled to make out and sign checks with a fountain pen because ballpoint ink might not last.  ↩

4. I wound up with a lot of these pens because there was frequently a special where a pen and two five packs of cartridges were sold for little more than the cost of the cartridges.  ↩

5. During the mid 1950s to early 1960s other companies, in addition to Sheaffer, used ink cartridges in their lower priced models. Parker used a disposable cartridge in the Parker 45. Esterbrook created a cartridge pen during this time in a desperate, but unsuccessful attempt to fend off bankruptcy.  ↩

6. This design works so well that you can refill a cartridge many times with a syringe without enlarging the hole in the cartridge each time the section is screwed into place.  ↩

7. Modern pens, such as the Kaweco Sport, copy this design and also make ideal pens for an eyedropper conversion. If fact, if you gave the Kaweco Sport transparent model a medal cap with a clip, it would look and function a lot like a mini Sheaffer Student Cartridge pen.  ↩

8. A clip is said to be sprung if it is bent away from the cap so that it doesn’t grip the shirt pocket tightly. It usually took very little force to spring the clip of a cheap pen. However, a pen meant for students, such as the Student Cartridge pen, had to be tougher than the average pen. In this case the clip was made of heavy-duty steel and firmly attached to the cap. It would be very difficult to spring the clip of a Student Cartridge pen.  ↩

Post 004 Conklin Crescent Model 20

Introduction

After reading Ed Jelley’s excellent review of the new Conklin Mark Twain Crescent Filler pen, I thought it would be interesting to do a review of the original Conklin Crescent pen. It is obvious that the current Conklin Pen Company wanted to pay tribute to the iconic crescent filler made during the early part of the Twentieth Century[1].

The new Conklin Mark Twain Crescent Filler—from Ed Jelley’s review

Conklin Crescent Filler c.1920

As usual, Richard Binder’s website has an excellent summary of the history of crescent fillers from the original Conklin to several modern crescent fillers.

Conklin Pen Company History

The Conklin Pen Company was founded in 1898 by Roy Conklin in Toledo Ohio. Their best know pen was the crescent filler, which was so popular that, for a brief time in the 1920s, the company was one of the Big Four[2].

The early Conklin pens had a slip cap. The screw on cap was introduced in 1910. Crescent filler pens were made of hard rubber, sometimes with gold or silver filagree overlays like the Peter Pan pen discussed in the previous post. Other models had solid gold or silver coverings with elaborate embellishments. The last crescent fillers were made in 1928.

By the middle 1920s it became clear to most pen manufacturers that plastic pens would supplant hard rubber. Conklin introduced its Endura[3] model in 1926. These lever filling plastic pens were made until 1932. They came in several colors and patterns similar to the Parker Duofolds of that era.

One of the most beautiful pens Conklin ever made was the Nozac[4], which was made from 1932–1938. The pens were either round or 10 sided in the early years, but later models had 12 or 14 sides. A nice innovation was the word gauge. A measuring scale was engraved on a transparent section of the barrel. The scale was calibrated in thousands of words remaining so that you could tell how much longer the pen would write before running out of ink. I have a few of these later model Nozacs in my collection. One of these will be the subject of a future post.

The depression of the 1930s took a severe toll on the Conklin Pen Company and they were virtually bankrupt by 1939. The company was sold to a syndicate in Chicago that made cheap pens and wanted to capitalize on the prestigious Conklin name. However the Conklin pens made in Chicago were so bad that most vintage pen collectors avoid them. The Conklin Pen Company limped along until it went out of business in 1948.

Description

Conklin Crescent Filler and a Parker Duofold Centennial

As in previous posts, I’ve used a modern Parker Duofold Centennial for comparison. The pictures shows that the two pens are about the same length when posted. The Duofold is noticeably wider and the massive 18K nib outshines the smaller Conklin 14k nib. However, the Conklin nib is a very flexible nib, which is just about perfect for writing with significant line width variation.

The weight and size of the pen are given in the table below along with the corresponding measurements for the new Conklin Mark Twain and the Parker Duofold Centennial. For the Mark Twain, I used the measurements provided by Ed Jelley in his review[5]. Note that Ed Jelley’s measurement of the Mark Twain’s weight was made with the pen filled whereas my measurements are made when the pens are empty. I would guess that the ink in the Mark Twain weighted about two grams, which would make the weight of the Mark Twain and the Duofold about the same. The Conklin Crescent is a little smaller than the Mark Twain when capped, but a little bigger when posted.

1920s Conklin Crescent compared to a Conklin Mark Twain, and Duofold Centennial

Measurement	Units	Conklin Crescent	Conklin Mark Twain	Duofold Centennial
Weight	g	15	31	29
Length capped	mm	138	142	138
Length uncapped	mm	124	…	127
Length posted	mm	172	165	172

Details

The nib is extremely flexible; it takes very little pressure to spread the tines.

Conklin nib

The clip on the Conklin Crescent is gold-filled and shines brightly. Because the process of gold-plating used today creates a very thin coating of gold over base metal, it is not as durable as the older gold-filling process used on the 1920s Conklin Crescent. The clip may be polished repeatedly without fear of exposing the base metal beneath. The clip is attached to the cap by a stiff metal rod that provides the spring action when you press on the back.

Conklin Crescent clip shines!

Conklin Crescent clip attachment

Since the crescent is the defining part of this pen here is a picture of each side of the crescent. Notice the important slip ring that grips the barrel and slides between the crescent and the barrel. In the position shown, the slip ring keeps the crescent from squirting ink inadvertently because the crescent can’t be depressed. However, if you turn the slip ring so that its slit is directly under the crescent, then the crescent can be depressed to fill the pen with ink.

Conklin name on the crescent

Conklin Trade Mark on the crescent

The engraved crescent encompassing the word CRESCENT helps to date the pen. These markings were used on the crescent from 1918–1928. There was no design change during these years so it is impossible to refine the manufacture date any closer than this interval. Another constant was the engraving on the barrel.

Conklin engraving in the barrel

Conklin engraving of the model number “20”

Summary

The vintage Conklin Crescent Pen was a great pen in its day and remains a pen that is worth using today. The super flex nib would be fun to use. If you find an old Conklin Crescent with a dried out ink sac, it is generally fairly easy to replace the sac. Replacement sacs are available online and at most large pen shows. It takes a bit of skill to disassemble any pen that uses an ink sac, so practice on a junker before attempting to open a valuable pen like the Conklin Crescent, or find someone who is experienced to do the repairs.

It seems as if the crescent would get in your way when writing, but if the nib and crescent are aligned there usually isn’t a problem. One advantage the crescent fillers have over the more common lever fillers is that they won’t roll off a table!

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1. The original Conklin Crescent filler was made of hard rubber and was decorated with a pattern of wavy lines etched into the surface. This is called chasing. I assume the modern Mark Twain Crescent is made from plastic.  ↩

2. The Big Four pen companies during the early 1920s included Waterman, Sheaffer, Parker, and Conklin. Sometime in the late 1920s Wahl displaced Conklin from the number four spot.  ↩

3. Plastic was believed to be more durable than hard rubber. Undoubtedly the name Endura was chosen to indicate that these pens would endure for a long time.  ↩

4. The Nozac was designed by Louis Vavrik. Once again Conklin chose a name that described the pen. Nozac appears to be a play on the words no sac. The pen used a twist filler mechanism.  ↩

5. Ed’s review of the Mark Twain gives the weight in metric units and the length in English units (inches). To make the comparisons in the table, I converted the English units to millimeters.  ↩

Post 003 Salz Peter Pan

Introduction

Today’s post features what is probably the smallest pen ever made: the Peter Pan pen from the Salz Brothers Pen Company. Pens we think of today as small, like the Kaweco Sport, look like giants when seen next to the Peter Pan pen.

Short international cartridge, Peter Pan pen, Kaweco Sport, and Duofold Centennial,

Salz Brothers History

The Salz Brothers Pen Company was founded around 1920 in New York City by Ignatz[1], James, and Jacob Salz. Salz initially produced high quality pens, but over time the quality deteriorated. The company went out of business around 1950. Some nice examples of early Salz pens can be found at PENS PAPER INKS…WHATEVER!, including this 1920s pen and pencil set. The website also gives a brief history of the Salz Brothers Pen Company.

Salz pen and pencil set from the 1920s. Image from PENS PAPER INKS…WHATEVER!

There is limited information available about the Salz Brothers Pen Company. Richard Binder, an extremely knowledgeable pen collector and highly respected nibmeister, has some useful information.

Worthpoint has some details on the later years of the Salz Brothers Pen Company including the name change to Stratford Pen Company.

Description

Peter Pan Pen

My Peter Pan pen is an early[2] model, probably from the early 1920s, and is typical of the style popular in the early twentieth century. The barrel was made of black hard rubber and overlaid with a gold filigree pattern. There is a solid area where a name could be engraved. The gold overlay on the Peter Pan was, in fact, actually gold filled, which meant that 10% of the material used for the overlay was made from 18K gold.[3]

The pen was too small to hold a lever or button filler that was typically used when this pen was made. You can see from the picture above that even a short international cartridge would have too big a diameter to fit inside the barrel, in addition to being too long.

The Peter Pan Disassembled

The pen has a small ring at the top of the cap. A ribbon or chain was passed through the ring so that the pen could be worn by a woman around her neck. The pen then served a dual purpose: a writing instrument and a piece of jewelry.

The weight and size of the pen are given in the table below. The Peter Pan weighs in at ridiculously light 4 grams, or only 14% of a modern Duofold Centennial. It is interesting to see that the Kaweco Sport, which is considered a small pen today, is just about twice as long as the Peter Pan pen.

Early 1920s Peter Pan compared to a Kaweco Sport, and Duofold Centennial

Measurement	Units	Peter Pan	Kaweco Sport	Duofold Centennial
Weight	g	4	9	29
Length, capped	mm	56	105	138
Length, uncapped	mm	53	100	127
Length, posted	mm	77	134	172

Details

The nib of the Peter Pan pen is usually described as a No. 1 0, that is, the smallest nib size in use.

Peter Pan No. 0 size nib

The nib is inscribed “Peter Pan 14 KT”. As mentioned earlier, the pen is an eyedropper filler, that is, the ink is squirted into the barrel and the nib/section is screwed back into place.

I was curious about the ink capacity of the barrel, so I measured it[4]. The Peter Pan pen can hold 0.4 mL of ink. This volume is about 1/100 of an ounce. According to Wolfram Alpha, this is the equivalent of 2/3 of a plain M&M, although I imagine it’s not as tasty.

Looking down into the barrel looks like a satellite photo

The engraving on the cap says Salz Brothers and 18 K - 1/10, which indicates that the hard rubber body is covered with a gold filled alloy.

Engraving on the cap

Summary

The Salz Brothers Peter Pan pen is an example of the pens produced during the early years of the company (1920s). The materials and workmanship were of high quality, unlike the pens made during their later years. I am fortunate to have another Peter Pan pen in my collection. It differs from the one shown here only in that the gold filled exterior is solid (not a filigree pattern) so the hard rubber doesn’t show through.

It’s too bad more isn’t known about the Salz Pen Company, but I suppose that is because they only made quality pens during the first part of their existence. There would be little interest in the low quality pens made during the later years.

I can’t resist one more comparison shot:

The little gun and the big gun

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1. Ignatz was quite a playboy and spent much of his time in nightclubs. Apparently he mixed with the wrong type of people and was shot at the entrance to his home one evening. New York Times Abstract  ↩

2. The original Peter Pan pens, like this example, were superseded by increasingly larger models that were needed to accommodate non-eyedropper filling systems.  ↩

3. Gold filled pens were of much higher quality than our modern gold plated equivalent. The gold doesn’t wear off as easily as gold plating, although heavy use will eventually cause brassing where the gold is worn away.  ↩

4. I filled a syringe with water and noted the amount of water. I then slowly pushed down the plunger squirting water into the barrel. I stopped when the barrel was full and noted the amount of water remaining in the syringe. Subtracting this number from the original amount gave the amount of water (or ink) that was needed to fill the barrel. That number turns out to be 0.4 mL. Since a milliliter and a cubic centimeter are the same volume, this is also 0.4 cc.  ↩

002 Parker Big Red Duofold 1928-29

Introduction

The Parker Pen Company was founded in 1888 by George S. Parker. Parker has made pens continuously since then and is still in business today[1]. Parker was one of the Big Four pen companies that dominated the fountain pen industry during its Golden Age. For more information, see the companion article Parker Models found at the tab above.

This picture, like all the illustrations in this post, shows my 1928–9 Big Red Duofold Senior.

Duofold History

The Duofold was launched in 1921 with the Big Red model, which has since become the most recognizable Duofold color. Originally the pen was made from hard rubber, but in 1926 Parker plastic models. Plastic pens quickly dominated the market and were the mainstay of pen manufacturers ever since[2]. Duofolds sold for $7, which was considered outrageously expensive at the time. Nevertheless the public fell in love with the pen and were willing to pay this extravagant sum to own one[3].

Description

Big Red Senior from 1928–9

I own several Big Red Duofold Seniors. The specific one shown in this post was made in 1928 or 1929[4]. It has two thin gold bands on the cap, that distinguish it from earlier models that had either no band, or a single large band. Later models, know as Slimline, although also having two thin bands, had caps that tapered somewhat so that the top of the cap had a smaller diameter than the bottom where the threads were located.

The weight and size of the pen are given in the table below. The Duofold Senior weighs in at surprisingly light 21g compare to a modern Duofold Centennial that weighs 29g. The extra weight of the Centennial is due to the brass casing for the filling mechanism. The size of the Senior and Centennial are virtually identical, which shows how carefully the designers of the modern pen were to be faithful to the 1920s design.

The 1928–29 Duofold Senior compared to the Duofold Centennial

Measurement	Units	Duofold Senior	Duofold Centennial
Weight	g	21	29
Length, capped	mm	138	138
Length, uncapped	mm	130	127
Length, posted	mm	171	172

Details

The nib of the 1928–9 Duofold Senior is appropriately sized for a pen of these dimensions, that is, it’s quite big. It is, of course, made from 14K gold, which was the standard for that day.

The nib is inscribed “Parker Duofold Made in USA” [5].

The 1920s Duofold pens carried over the button filler mechanism that was used in the Jackknife Safety pen and other predecessors of the Duofold.

Pushing in the button would cause a thin metal strip to bow towards the center of the barrel causing the ink sac to compress. Releasing the button while the nib was immersed in ink caused the ink sac to fill.

The imprint on the barrel is somewhat worn, but it is clearly legible.

The imprint reads George S. Parker—Parker Duofold—Made in USA[6].

The clip was large and gold-filled.

The engraving on the clip reads “Pat. SE 5–16” at the top and “Parker ” written vertically.

Summary

The 1928–29 Parker Duofold Senior was one of the most prestigious and expensive pens of its time. It was meant to reflect the importance of the user and to make a statement. The large size and the amount of gold in the nib was meant to impress people. This was the kind of pen that was used to sign a bill into law, or, for lesser mortals, sign a mortgage contract.

This particular unit has some flaws. There is a series of gauges in the barrel where a tool of some sort seems to have slipped. The imprint is worn, but easily readable. Also, it looks like the lip of the cap had a chip knocked out and later glued into place. These noticeable flaws made the pen less valuable and I purchased it for somewhat less money than a pristine unit. Perhaps some day, if the mood strikes me, I might fill this pen with ink and write with it. A little extra wear probably won’t hurt the value of this pen as it would one in better condition.

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1. Parker did stumble in the 1980s and was bought out by its management, who quickly sold the company to a conglomerate. The conglomerate moved the headquarters to England and subsequently to France.  ↩

2. Plastic pens could be made in a large number of colors and patterns, whereas hard rubber pens came in only red and black. Early plastic Duofold colors include red, black, jade, mandarin yellow, lapis blue, and pearl.  ↩

3. Parker, aware that large Duofold Seniors were too expensive for many people, introduced a smaller and less expensive model named the Duofold Junior, which sold for $5. Also sold at $5 was the Lady Duofold, which was similar to the Junior model except that the clip was replaced with a gold color ring on the top of the cap. The ring was used to attach the pen to a neckless since women’s clothing styles didn’t include pockets. My mother, who was a young girl during the 1920s, told me how much she disliked this style of ladies pens because, inevitably, the pen would work its way loose, unscrew from the cap, and she would look down and find just an empty cap dangling from the neckless.  ↩

4. How is the date of a pen determined? The most common method of dating a pen is by comparing it to contemporary magazine advertisements. Looking at a series of ads in dated magazines for Parker Duofolds during the 1920s shows all the major and minor modifications made during the years it was produced. In particular, Glen Bowen’s book, Collectable Fountain Pens is filled with ads arranged chronologically for each manufacturer.  ↩

5. Beneath the inscription are the additional characters “.47.”, however I don’t know the significance of this.  ↩

6. The Parker Vacumatic pen, which followed the Duofold, had the year of manufacture as part of its imprint. Thus a “9” in the imprint would mean the pen was made in 1939.  ↩

001 Pelikan Toledo M900

Introduction

The Pelikan M900 Toledo was released as a limited edition in 1991. I don’t know how many were manufactured, but only 500 were sold in the United States. My pen came with a certificate saying it was #431 out of 500.

This is a very expensive pen, perhaps the most expensive in my collection. A Google search showed that the pen, in mint condition, sells for around $1800. That is about twice what I paid for it in 1991[1].

One thing that puzzles me is that, even though the pen was marketed as a limited edition in 1991, today there are many pen stores selling the M900 Toledo. For example, The Pen Boutique is selling it for $1800 and Amazon is selling it for much less.[2].

The Pelikan Pen Company describes the Toledo pens like this:

The body of the fountain pen is made by use of an elaborate damascening technique. Its hand‑carved motif was coated with a layer of gold.

Pelikan’s detailed description of the Toledo models is here.

Physical Characteristics

Here is a picture of the M900 Toledo next to a TWSBI 580. They are just about identical in length when capped. However, the M900 is much heavier as shown in the table below.

I made these measurement using a calibrated digital scale and a micrometer. The weight agrees with the numbers I found on the internet.

The Pelikan M900 Toledo compared to the TWSBI 580

Measurement	Units	Pelikan M900	TWSBI 580
Weight	g	39	28
Length, capped	mm	141	142
Length, uncapped	mm	128
Length, posted	mm	158

Like the beautifully hand-carved exterior, the nib of the M900 Toledo also has beautiful carvings on its upper surface.

How it writes

I can only guess that it writes like any other Pelikan’s with gold nibs. If a pen is truly rare, it can only lose value by writing with it. Although I write with many of my antique pens, I don’t write with the ones in mint condition except under certain circumstances. I’m planning a future post on the subject.

References

• The Fountain Pen Network has a very detailed review of the Pelikan Toledo M900 here. The review contains several closeups of the pen including the top and bottom of the nib.

• Another review is from the blog Write to Me Often. This review is bilingual, so scroll down to find the english version.

• The Fountain Pen Hospital, based in New York City, has a brief description of the process used in making the Toledo pens[3].

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1. That sounds like a good investment, but it only works out to about an annual increase of 3%. A certificate of deposit would have done as well and an equity investment would have returned 3.75 times as much.  ↩

2. The certificate, as shown in the picture, identifies the pen as the “Toledo M900 Collectors Edition”. I suppose this makes it stand out from the ordinary Toledo M900, but I don’t see any differences in the pen dealers pictures from my pen. Perhaps the only major difference is in the wording of the certificate itself!  ↩

3. I confess to a certain nostalgia when I think of the Fountain Pen Hospital. Although I have been buying fountain pens since 1957 (that’s not a typo, I’ve been writing with fountain pens for 57 years) I never thought of myself as a pen collector until I discovered that there was a thriving hobby in collecting antique pens. I bought my first antique pen from the Fountain Pen Hospital in January 1990. It was a black Shaeffer Snorkel, with gold nib and trim, from the 1950s.  ↩