They were based in North Bergen, New Jersey, and they catered to the budget crowd. This De Luxe is from the top of their range: attractive plastic, gold-plated trim, and a 14k gold nib - technically.

In order to use the least amount of gold possible, they made a paper-thin gold nib supported by a steel frame. Gives it a real distinct look.

They only did this for a couple years. I can't imagine they were easy to assemble! So now (of course) these nibs are valuable and collectible. This one is a soft and wet broad. It feels really nice.

And the pen itself is just pretty!

For a budget brand Wearever put a lot of effort into their pens. The nibs were usually crap, but the bodies were nice. They imitated current trends very well, and had some great original designs. These days they're easy to get for cheap. Some collectors like to upgrade them with better nibs.

It's a Waterman no. 12 eyedropper. No clip but for some reason both Watermans and BCHR pens with clips hate me so this is the norm for me lol. Cap's patent date reads "MAY 24. 1898" so it's very likely it's from right about the turn of the 19th century. Barrel's patent date reads "FEB. 12. & NOV. 4. 1884" so I believe the later date on the cap is probably closer to when it actually left the factory.

Both patent dates are very clear despite visible aging throughout the pen. Barrel imprint "WATERMAN'S IDEAL FOUNTAIN PEN N.Y." is also very legible. The "12" stamped on the end barrel is much more faded and difficult to make out in poor lighting.

The pen's barrel, section, and cap are all made from ebonite/hardened black rubber. I don't see any markings that would lead me to believe this was ever chased/patterned. However, the pen has clearly been exposed to water throughout its life as it's a very uneven brown, with the section and parts of the barrel having turned black.

The no. 2 nib and its ebonite feed are completely intact thank fuck. The section was very stubborn and did NOT want to unscrew thanks to decades' old dried ink. I went ahead with the decision to partially soak the section to where it meets the barrel as it was already very discolored and seemed unlikely to be further damaged by this.

(Side note: it is not recommended to soak rubber pens or expose them to water unnecessarily, especially if the rubber still retains its original factory look. Even in this situation I took care to not soak the barrel.)

After some careful soaking and a little bit of heat (just low controlled heat!! NOT heated water!!!), the section unscrewed in my hand, so I didn't even need my section pliers, which was nice lol. Flushing the inside of the barrel with a syringe made cleaning go pretty fast, so I was able to fill it with ink in no time.

She's a flexy lol

The tines split very easily with hardly any pressure to the point I think I can safely classify it as a true flexible nib, albeit not a wet noodle. Without any flex, it leaves an almost stubbish EF or even EEF line—however, it lays down ink so wetly that unless you're writing VERY slowly, it doesn't look quite so fine lol. And with just barely any pressure, it easily puts down BBB lines, though (as evidenced by the slight railroading pictures) sometimes the feed struggles to keep up.

This is one of the most user-friendly vintage flex pens I've owned. It makes me wish my handwriting wasn't dogshit so I could do it justice :(

Biggest issue is a moderate crack on the cap. It isn't so severe to the point of drying out the pen, but I have to be careful when capping, and just to be safe posting is a no-go. It's functional but I wouldn't mind replacing it.

Vintage antique Parker Lucky Curve #98 Plain Gold Filled Overlay Fountain Pen

Parker Lucky Curve

– Parker #98 pen

– Plain Gold overlay – ding-free

– Jack Knife

– with a ring top on a rope-crown

– Excellent black hard rubber without discoloration

– Antique grade, aged 100+ years

Parker Lucky Curve #98 Jack Knife fountain pen – Up here is a vintage Parker Lucky Curve #98 fountain pen, which was manufactured in USA circa 1910s.

The pen is in nice condition, ding-free only minor wears due to age. The pen is in plain gold filled overlay with no pattern, ding-free, in very nice condition. The plain gold filled overlay covered the whole pen, from cap top to barrel end screw cap. The black hard rubber is in nice condition, with minimal discoloration, pretty rare to find.

It bears a ring-top, with rope-crown.

There is a “M” on the cap. On the barrel is a nice imprint with patent dates, reads ‘PARKER FOUNTAIN PEN PAT. 6-30-91 1-3-05.’

The pen bears a stunning RARE 14ct Lucky curve gold nib in LUCKY CURVE BANNER Pattern. The iridium tip on the nib is intact, flexible, writing smooth fine to broad line. The pen, thought its age of over a century, is still Perfect in nice working condition.

The button filling system is in nice working condition.

The pen has been serviced and tested for full functionality. Only there is slight discoloration on the hard rubber. Yet considering its age of over 100 years it is still in nice condition. It is rare and very much sought after, of such a vintage  pen in nice condition. Ownership of pen with the history and prestige of the Parker, will provide the owner with a feeling of satisfaction and a sense of ceremony each time that they write.

The Parker Pen Company was founded in 1888 by George S. Parker, whose mission was to manufacture a better pen. The Parker Pen Company’s tradition epitomizes the highest standards of craftsmanship, technology, and aesthetics. From the 1920s to the 1960s, Parker was No.1 in worldwide writing instrument sales. The Parker Duofold is one of the most recognizable and enduring fountain pen designs. Launched in 1921, the pen was a phenomenal success and put the Parker Pen Company squarely into the front rank of fountain pen manufacturers. Duofold remain popular in Europe being produced well into the 60s in varying sizes and colors when it was revived in the 80’s once again as Parker’s Flagship model.

In 1932, Parker began test marketing the next generation in fountain pens, the Golden Arrow. This radical new pen featured a compact plunger-operated pump filler that nestled at the back end of the barrel, eliminating the space-hungry pressure bar and sac. The Golden Arrow was later renamed as Vacumatic. The Vacumatic went on the market in 1933; and discontinued in 1939, due to the introduction of new Aero-metric filler.