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The Ohio 2013 Pen Hoard. Monster 51's and More...

Pen Hoard Vintage Pen Collection Parker 51 18k Presidential Parker 51 Presidential David Isaacson Pen Collection

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#1 david i

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Posted 27 November 2013 - 12:11 PM

I have some killer show and tell (eye candy) below.

 

In a recent thread, I discussed a recent pen purchse of about 300 pens--  the Janesville 2013 Pen Hoard-- and insconsistent accumulation ranging from worn out Parker 21's to some truly off-catalogue great rarities.  That bunch was found October 2013. I used that as a platform to discuss the challenges and charm of buying large pen collections.  Feel free to peek, as I won't repeat all the babble here about buying old pens en masse.

 

link-Janesville Wisconsin Hoard of 300 Old Pens-link

 

 

 

Not a month later, at the Ohio Pen Show, November 2013, a well more focused and high quality collection of 50 pens met me at the door.  The year before, at my usual table located right in front of the final entrance to the ballroom, I had been busy accosting  anyone who wandered into the entrance or past my table while carrying pen storage (generally, the notebook sized leather portfolio style cases), yelling, "New pens for old!", "Any nice show and tell?" and even "Any pens to sell?".  An older fellow heard and approached.  After introductions he noted he was not yet ready to sell his collection but indeed had brought it to show about.  I had chance to see a case of very nice Parker 51's, as well as a few other pens.   He took my card.

 

I received a call from him this year the night before my arrival at the show.  He mentioned he now wanted to sell everything, preferably in one fell swoop.  Would I be interested?  Heh.   Sad thing is, I could not quite recall the collection. I see many displays of pens each year. The fellow mentioned he had some prime material, including a Parker 51 Empire, but that local offers had  focused on just one or another pen, and had been... insufficient. He agreed to meet me Thursday night.

 

I flew in from NYC arriving at 10pm.  He pulled up a half hour later in a vintage English coupe, done in British Racing Green. I'm fond of British Racing Green. An auspicious beginning.

 

 

  I like British Racing Green

 

jaguar_blueridge_jotterAsmall.jpg

 

We ran up to my hotel room. This sort of dealing is best not done in the lobby for reasons perhaps obvious. A herd of pen collectors around fresh pens  can be dangerous.

 

The collection was most impressive. Settling on 50 pens during a 90 minute evaluation, leaving some but not much behind, we had a nice chat while evaluating the pens. Had I not been fairly exhausted what with lack of sleep and prolonged travel, I likely would have grabbed the leftovers and the mostly untouched moderns. But, examining a case of truly top notch Parker 51's and many other pens, doing an upfront "correction" of 51's that had mismatched caps (making sure the smooth sterling caps were on first year double jewel not mid era single jewel barrels, etc) was draining.  Roomate Jim Baer wandered in near the end and Paul Erano popped in after the deal had been done. Paul noted this was the best focused collection of 51's he'd seen trade hands so quickly.

 

This was not a random pile of pens accumulated by a flea market hunter. This was the good stuff.  Indeed in the arena of old pens (I also have partnered and bought some modern pen collections of solid cachet), save perhaps for the Overbury collection purchased at Ohio last year by a consortium of five collectors I'd organized, this was by far the best quality/cachet  collection I've  grabbed, even if this was relatively small at 50 pens.

 

So, here is the eye candy, spread across a few posts.  Note too these were shot in my new extra large light assembly, allowing props I'd not been able to use before

 

Comments and Questions of course are invited.

 

Near Modern Pens:   All these are pretty hefty, that not well conveyed by lack of normal sized pens in the field.

 

  • Pelikan M 1050, a huge Sovereign 1000 with Vermeil cap instead of plastic. Out of production, I believe
  • Pair of Waterman Edsons, amongst the most beautiful of near modern Watermans. These included original boxes,  not shown.
  • Also in the field is a sweet Pelikan 2-pen leather case.

 

 

ohio2013hoardA950.jpg

 

Do continue to scroll. Many more pics below.

 

regards

 

David


David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#2 david i

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Posted 27 November 2013 - 12:18 PM

More pens dating to the last 40 years.

 

The first appears to be a bit of a monster. I've handled a fair number of Sheaffer Targas and own two or three. I do not actively collect that series, which is growing in popularity with collectors. Gary Ellisons sheaffertarga.com website is suggested for those who want to learn about Targa.

 

Generally gold-plated versions  are moderate-level collectables in the Targa world, worth less than some of the colorful variants.  This one turns out to be the Fox Head pattern, pointed out to me by a Targa collector the next day. I traded him the pen but kept it for this shoot.  I've never seen another. Mythology has it that fewer than 1000 were made.  I almost had skipped as it was in the leftovers pile near the end of the buy.

 

Left to Right:

 

  • Sheaffer Targa gold-filled, Fox Head pattern. Already traded
  • Parker 75 sterling Cisele pattern. Mint in box with nib key.
  • Parker Sonnet in lacquer pattern (help me out here)

 

 

ohio2013hoardB950.jpg

 

Keep on scrollin...

 

-david


David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#3 david i

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Posted 27 November 2013 - 12:21 PM

Let's play with the Parker 51's from this collection.

 

 

The first shot is a bit contrasty, but features four very clean Double Jewel pens in black.  Three have the Heritage cap, a window pane pattern in gold-filled, while the first pen has desirable squiggly line pattern.

All three window-pane pattern pens have solid gold trim, clip and bottom trim ring (tassie) marked "14k". They are known to turn up this way, but not all do. Bonus

 

ohio2013hoardE950.jpg

 

Keep scrollin'...

 

-david


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Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#4 david i

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Posted 27 November 2013 - 12:29 PM

Double Jewel Parker 51's  (trim ring and end screw at bottom not just top)  generally are more scarce and desirable than single jewel pens made during the 1940's (all 1950's and later pens are single jewel).  Since four gems of course are not enough for a great collection, here are more, along with an uncommon later single jewel pen.

 

Clockwise:

 

  • Double Jewel Parker 51 in Buckskin Beige, a better color. This 1945 pen carries a vaunted First Year cap, squiggly lines with "Parker" imprint at top, with metal top jewel (instead of plastic), with early clip with large blue diamond.  I will move this  cap to a  1941 barrel eventually
  • Double Jewel Parker 51 Nassau Green, also a high cachet color.
  • Parker 51 Signet (all gold-filled, cap and barrel), Demi. Most Signets are full size pens. I doubt I've seen ten Demis during the last ten years
  • Double Jewel Parker 51 in black with superb sterling lined cap still with rhodium plating intact.

 

 

ohio2013hoardF950.jpg

 

 

 

Keep scrollin'

 

-david


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#5 david i

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Posted 27 November 2013 - 12:32 PM

Pieces de Resistance for Parker 51?

 

How often do you wander across a near mint Empire set (two tone solid 14k gold caps, solid gold trim)?

 

Well, hey, it happens. I guess I've grabbed 6-7 Empires the last five years, though this one really does pop.

But, hey, that's not all. ;)

 

Also included was a killer Parker 51 "Presidential" in solid 18k gold. Superb condition. First I've owned. Not sure the English solid gold pens were called Presidential by Parker, though the USA-issued 14k pens were.

 

 

ohio2013hoardC950.jpg

 

 

Keep scrollin'

 

-david


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#6 david i

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Posted 27 November 2013 - 12:38 PM

OK then.

 

So, we've seen a pile of Parker 51 Double Jewel pens with gold-filled caps in desirable patterns, a range of Double Jewel 51's either in high-cachet colors (Nassau and Bucksin) or with condition-rarity superb Sterling cap, an uncommon small (Demi) Signet in all gold-filled,  and a  monstrous double jewel Empire set and more monstrous 18k English Presidential.

 

Still, that's not enough, right?

 

So, howzabout four "First Year" Parker 51's, all at least relatively uncommon and all popular with collectors. That's what's shown in the pic to follow.

Not key enough?  Howzabout three of 'em have the Smooth Sterling cap?   When's the last time three of these popped up together?

 

Not key enough?  Howzabout one of the  Smooth Sterlings is a true early Demonstrator, with appropriately marked barrel, with clear hood, and with red collector shown within the clear hood.

 

The Cordovan (brown-red) with Smooth Sterling already has been restored. The other smoothies not yet

 

 

ohio2013hoardH950.jpg

 

Keep Scrollin'...

 

-d


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#7 david i

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Posted 27 November 2013 - 12:42 PM

In the photo above, a remarkable 12 Double Jewel Parker 51's, mostly non baseline variants and mostly quite clean were shown, along with some better single jewel Aerometric era pens.

There were more 51's of course.  So, below see the remaining Single Jewel pens. Some are mint. Some (very clean) have the stacked-coin "Jeweler's" cap-band. Some are stickered.  Not bad for leftovers.

 

 

ohio2013hoardG950.jpg

 

Keep scrollin'...

 

-d


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Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#8 david i

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Posted 27 November 2013 - 12:44 PM

I did manage to grab a bit more.

 

Namiki (Japanese) Sterling pen in a dragon motif. You can tell me about it.  I don't follow this style actively, but couldn't pass on this neat pen.

 

ohio2013hoardD950.jpg

 

More to follow...

 

-d


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Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#9 david i

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Posted 27 November 2013 - 12:46 PM

1930's- 1940's Wahl Eversharp.

The fancy pen at top is a 1936 Wahl Coronet, an iconic pen. This one has the dubonnet (red) rather than black inserts, adding to cachet. Pretty clean pen.   The more bland Eversharp Skyline below in fact has a solid 14k gold cap, though I need to switch the barrel as this appears to be a short barrel instead of the expected standard barrel

 

 

ohio2013hoardI950.jpg

 

More below

 

-d


David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#10 david i

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Posted 27 November 2013 - 12:49 PM

Sorry for the lmited picture on this one.   This blue Wahl-Eversharp flat-top set  from the late 1920's  is about as clean as I've seen. Perfect color. No signs of ink.  Unfortunately, it was pried away from me by a pen friend at the show, so it never made it back to NY for a proper photograph. SIgh... ;)

 

ohio2013hoardk950.jpg

 

More below

 

-d


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#11 david i

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Posted 27 November 2013 - 12:54 PM

Nearly wrapping up this collection was a spread of, oh, just some 1920's- 1930's Parkers

 

In no particular order

 

  • Parker Vacumatic Senior Maxima, Emerald Pearl
  • Parker Duofold Junior, Mandarin
  • Parker striped Duofold blue/gray, a true transitional variant from mid 1942
  • Parker Vacumatic "streamlined" Standard in Burgundy Pearl
  • Parker Vacumatic Standard in Golden Pearl
  • Parker so-called Thrift Time pen done in Waterman's Onyx Celluloid, with better than average color preservation.

 

 

ohio2013hoardJ950.jpg

 

 

regards

 

david


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Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#12 david i

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Posted 27 November 2013 - 12:57 PM

Also included in the collection,  though at the moment I cannot find them  as I unpack from the show and unpack my entire pen room from the recent move to a new apartment,  were three Parker Duofold Seniors from 1928-1932, two flat-tops and one streamlined.

 

Basically, I spent all my cash  for the show during my first two hours there Thursday night, ironic perhaps because my old line about pen shows is, "Estimate  your budget, bring twice as much, anticipate running out during the first day of a four day show".

That's what happened. Not complaining.  This was a serious personal collection.  I'm glad to have had the chance to grab it.

Thoughts?

 

regards

 

david


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#13 matt

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Posted 27 November 2013 - 04:10 PM

:

snip

  • Double Jewel Parker 51 in Buckskin Beige, a better color. This 1945 pen carries a vaunted First Year cap, squiggly lines with "Parker" imprint at top, with metal top jewel (instead of plastic), with early clip with large blue diamond.  I will move this  cap to a  1941 barrel eventually

 

 

 

 

And you do know there are 2 different "squiggly" lines caps?  The one you picture has the imprint either at the top or bottom of the cap plus the one Ernesto describes as scalloped, shown on the left below.

 

gallery_151_19_338399.jpg



#14 david i

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Posted 27 November 2013 - 04:13 PM

Hi Matt,

 

Indeed this collection has two styles in it. The black pen (in the black 51 DJ picture) has the late style. The Buckskin has the early style

 

regards

 

d


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Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#15 matt

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Posted 27 November 2013 - 10:06 PM

Hi Matt,
 
Indeed this collection has two styles in it. The black pen (in the black 51 DJ picture) has the late style. The Buckskin has the early style
 
regards
 
d


Yep. Didn't see it on the black pen until I zoomed in.

#16 George

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Posted 28 November 2013 - 02:34 PM

David,

 

Very nice pens. The whole group shows a strong focus on quality. The English 18k is a very pretty pen.

 

When you get a chance, could you see what's the datecode on the empire?

 

Regards,

George



#17 AeRoberto

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Posted 29 November 2013 - 09:26 PM

Great pics for great pens.

 

P.S. The Sonnet in the third photo is the Vision Foncé



#18 david i

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Posted 30 November 2013 - 07:56 AM

Great pics for great pens.

 

P.S. The Sonnet in the third photo is the Vision Foncé

 

Thanks for the info.

 

regards

 

david


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#19 quinden

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Posted 06 December 2013 - 04:07 PM

I did manage to grab a bit more.

 

Namiki (Japanese) Sterling pen in a dragon motif. You can tell me about it.  I don't follow this style actively, but couldn't pass on this neat pen.

 

 

 

More to follow...

 

-d

 

Not much that I can say on the other pens, aside from WOW, but this Namiki is part of the Art Craft/Silvern collection; the dragon is still produced today. You can occasionally find them branded Pilot as well.  I think the modern nibs are all rhodium plated.  Your nib will have letters and numbers - the letter is the factory where it was produced, numbers are dates (so 1108 would be November 2008, 810 would be August 2010, etc).   I have an earlier Pilot-branded pen (chrysanthemum pattern) with the earlier clip - I love these pens :)

 

gallery_15217_340_76292.jpg



#20 david i

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Posted 06 December 2013 - 04:48 PM

Thanks for the info about the Namiki, Quinden.

 

regards

 

David


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