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Highbinder · Seasoned

Recommend me a good vintage piston filler!

jar · Seasoned

What's your budget?

In Montblanc you can often find 3xx pens reasonably priced, sometimes 2xx pens. Then there are the Montblancs from the late 50s through early 70s, the 12, 14, 22, 24, 31, 32, 34 or the later 121, 221, 220, 321 and their student pen, the MonteRosa.

From left to right: 74, 12, 22, 121, 221, 220.

From left to right: 149. 146, 144, 12, 121, 342, 264.

In addition there are the older Pelikan, the 140 and 400N and 400NN.

There are older OMAS including the reasonably priced student pen, the 620.

And the Ogivas or old style Milords.

Highbinder · Seasoned

Budget wise I'd be talking ~�100.

You've given me some food for thought, tho, so I shall do a bit of google snooping :)

/e: Interestiiing.. The MB22 is pretty cool, saw a nice pic of it broken down into components, I like how the nib section just screws straight out. The styling is pretty retro, kinda cool and unlike a 'normal' mb, and it has a ink window. Seen them going for $100+ dollars so not that expensive. Do you know if they come in other colours than black?

The MB34x pens look quite nice too, but rather small?

Dennis, sure you'll see this, I blame you for suggesting I consider vintage pens. Damn you *shakes fist*

-- Edited by Highbinder on Sunday 22nd of November 2009 02:16:57 PM

DWL · ***

heh, another vintage junkie created..my work here is done.

jar · Seasoned

Highbinder wrote:

Budget wise I'd be talking ~�100.

You've given me some food for thought, tho, so I shall do a bit of google snooping :)

/e: Interestiiing.. The MB22 is pretty cool, saw a nice pic of it broken down into components, I like how the nib section just screws straight out. The styling is pretty retro, kinda cool and unlike a 'normal' mb, and it has a ink window. Seen them going for $100+ dollars so not that expensive. Do you know if they come in other colours than black?

The MB34x pens look quite nice too, but rather small?

Dennis, sure you'll see this, I blame you for suggesting I consider vintage pens. Damn you *shakes fist*

-- Edited by Highbinder on Sunday 22nd of November 2009 02:16:57 PM

The 342 and 264 are early 50s pens. There was 25x series as well. The third digit reflected the nib size and length, a 344 will be larger than the 342 with a slightly larger nib as well.

The 25x series had slip on caps and a butterfly nib.

The 26x series had the conventional screw cap and nib.

This may help see relative sizes.

�

From left to right: Parker 75, MB 121, Parker 61, MB 74.

diplomat · Experienced

Within your budget you may want to consider Pelikan as well. The wide available 400 from the 50s and his evolution 400NN are reliable writers, have the interchangeable nib unit and comes with a tad of flex too.

More recently the Pelikan P1 and the M20/30 series are good alternatives too.

You can check here for photographs:

400 & 400NN

P1 & M20/M30

Bo Bo Olson · Seasoned

How cheap do you want to go. Markant a East German piston filler is dirt cheap and works.

I would not get a Mont Blanc...Pelikan is a better writer and more sturdy. MB is way down on my list to get.

I'd look for a 1984-96 400 pelikan, or the new one, or a 200 depending on if you want medium or small pen. Look in the German Ebay. They have a lot of them. I don't knowthe price, in I have a 140, 400 and a 605 so don't need any more Pelikans.

Geha can be had, it's a small German company. I had not seen any that I liked.

Black pens are easy to find in Germany.
I have two Artus, which were cheap....E-15 or so. (Pre-Lamy-Lamy) 1930's-50's.

Tropen is getting expensive, over E-20. Soennecken is getting very expensive E-40�as are Osmia and Osmia-Farber-Castell, they are E-50-100.

Rotering is now cheap...solid metal pens. No longer made.� Solid...Suddenly wanted a copper or a bronze one, but ran out of money....You go and buy it today. Is to be had today...or tommrow...don't wait. I won't be able too. I bought a 1928 pen for E-60....plus a lot of other pens in the last month.

There are Cheaper Lamy's to be had....the 2000 is still expensive, much more expensive than many Pelikans.

How to do�German Ebay �and what questions to ask......the seller.

Germans have a lot of names for a Fountain pen. Copy this into your computer because of the umlaut (F � ller). If you do not have the umlaut, it don't work.
My key board does not have an umlaut, so I have to copy it into EBay every day.

F�ller
F�llfederhalter
F�llhalter
Federhalter
Kolben F�ller

Fountain pen (whod thought it?)

Yep, every time I go into the German Ebay, I have to put each name up to find out what is there........

When you need to find out about the nib.
Is the nib point ok?
Ist die Federspitze beschaedigt ?

Is the "iridium" point there?
Die iridium Rundung am Ende noch vorhanden ?

From the top the nib looks ok, Is the nib corn under there.....(some are not there any more.)
Ja das ist sichtbar von oben sieht die Feder gut aus,
aber ist unten das Korn mit der Iridiumbeschichtung noch in
Ordnung ?
Does it suck water.
Saugt es wasser?

This I got from some other guys selling scale....

Der Artikel ist gebraucht und weist starke Gebrauchtsspuren auf. (eventuell defekt / f�r Bastler)
This item has been used and shows heavy signs of wear and tear. (for parts or repair)

Der Artikel ist gebraucht und hat Gebrauchsspuren.
This item has minor defects but it works.

Der Artikel ist gebraucht aber in einem gutem Zustand.
This item has been used but is in very good condition.

Der Artikel ist neuwertig.
This item is second-hand but as good as new.

Der Artikel ist neu und unbenutzt.
This item is new and has not been used.

I have just stopped due to lack of money....but there are lots of pens that are cheaper in Germany than in England or the US.
German pens are to the vast majority Black.

-- Edited by Bo Bo Olson on Friday 4th of December 2009 05:14:44 AM

-- Edited by Bo Bo Olson on Friday 4th of December 2009 09:02:28 AM

Bo Bo Olson · Seasoned

I forgot, some guy is selling Reform 1745 and P-120's on German Ebay....he has so many he flooded the market. I expect to get two for under E-4.50 my high bid.....some time today... I expect under E-2.50.

It is a school pen but perfectly adaquate....and can not be beaten for NOS that is 30-40 years old.
Medium fine nibs.....

A great deal....bar none....Next week I'll let you know what is what.
They come only in Green.

DWL · ***

******INCREDIBLE POST WILLIAM!!!!******

My man that post just earned this thread a permanent sticky!

One request. Drop a link/url to German ebay home page in the reply so it's just a click away.

Bo Bo Olson · Seasoned

Don't know how to put the utl or what ever link there..

By us, you go to the bottom of the page and there are the countries.
At least in Germany they have other cournties.

You click it on, and register your name like you would if you was entering for the first time in the day. Click the little box under, and you are in for the day.

I do England, and Germany, and once in a while look at the states....but don't buy from there because you got to add the postage.
There is also a World Wide area. It could be I connect to that from the USA.

German Pens I think are more expensive in the US than in Germany. Sometimes you can get some good US pens cheap......dam, I am going to kick my self in the ass, for telling you guys this.

OK........if I see something I really want...I'll come here and tell you pen rich land to butt out.

I just picked up a small Reform P-120 for E-1($1.50) plus E-2 ($3.00) local posting.

It cost me 1E.

Some idiot bid�E7.50 for the other pen...fool..
So I bid E-4.50 on the next day's 1750...stay out....ok...

�Stay away from the Reform pens for the next five hours. After that you can bid, stay low. He has too many.

I had ignored him for a couple of months, not wanting a "Cheap" School pen.....forgetting that was quality German workmanship.
The p-120 is a small pen, the Reform 1745 is a medium pen.
I'll see what I can do with this URL stuff.....I have a smart typewriter...and a dumb operator....

Hell the first computer I worked on in the late '60's was 9 x 12 x 18 weighed 40 pounds, and had 6 vaccume tubes, and six dials with ten clicks. You looked in the book and set the dials to what you wanted.
I wouldn't know where to find their URL....

-- Edited by Bo Bo Olson on Friday 4th of December 2009 02:31:07 PM

Chthulhu · Rawr.

DWL wrote:

******INCREDIBLE POST WILLIAM!!!!******

My man that post just earned this thread a permanent sticky!

One request. Drop a link/url to German ebay home page in the reply so it's just a click away.

Dennis,

http://www.ebay.de/

�

Highbinder · Seasoned

Just a wee update. About a week back I got an MB 14 for a steal (IMO), looks to be in great nick and have a tasty B nib (my first!) it's not arrived yet.

Is it terrible I'm ALREADY planning my next purchase, this time a Pelikan..