Featured EDWARDIAN ERA 9kt GOLD FOUNTAIN PEN

While I collect a lot of things, my first love has always been writing instruments and accessories.

This last week was the Melbourne Pen and Stationery Show, down here in the Merry Old Land of Oz, and while there, I added yet another piece to my collection...


Here it is with my 18kt-gold clad eyedropper which I picked up about 10 years ago...



The nib:


Hallmark on the barrel. There's an identical mark on the cap, but it was too hard to photograph...

 

Very nice!
I've recently become enamored with fountain pens. As I'm sure you know, they can be quite expensive! So, to see if I really wanted to get into this, I bought a Platinum Preppy to give writing with a fountain pen a try. I like it! I'm thinking of moving up to a Kaweco Classic Sport. No doubt my tastes will become more expensive as time goes by.
Do you happen to have any recommendations for "beginner" fountain pens?

 

Japanese pens make good beginner pieces. Pilot, for example, and Sailor, make really good quality pens at all price-points.

A calligraphy fountain pen set is also a good option for getting into it. I've done that. In fact, I turned one into an eyedropper pen for myself. That was fun. I don't remember what happened to that pen (it was a cheap Sheaffer), but it was fun.

I've been tinkering and collecting fountain pens for over 20 years, so there's not much I don't know about them.

 

I used to draw with the dip pens, and used some fountain pens in high school and college to take notes. Less of a mess when you're a southpaw.

 

Beautiful! I know nothing about fountain pens, but these seem classy to my uneducated eye.

 

Classy and extremely rare.