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Fountain Pen Companies -- Fascinating Early History

By: Sara Bondia

These fountain pen companies all share some common traits. First of all they are not new companies, many having been founded over 100 years ago. In addition, the vintage fountain pens they manufactured are prized by collectors because of their quality and beauty. Here is a brief history of some of the companies that have made major contributions to the fountain pen industry.

W. A. Sheaffer Pen Company -- The Sheaffer pen story started in 1907, although the company was not founded until 5 years later, in 1912. The name "Sheaffer" is one of the most widely known brands of fountain pens.

At this point in the history of the fountain pen, the way you got ink into the pen was to take an eye dropper and load it a drop at a time into the ink reservoir. Everyone, including Walter Sheaffer, felt like this was an extremely messy way to do it. He started looking at other possibilities and knew there must be a better way to fill a fountain pen.

Sheaffer conducted many experiments and finally discovered that by using a small pump lever he could design a better way to refill a fountain pen. In 1908 the U.S. Patent Office granted Sheaffer a patent on his invention. Now it was possible to use ink directly from the bottle and refill a fountain pen without the issues associated with the older method.

Pelikan -- Since 1838 (170 years!) the Pelikan company has been in business. Gunther Wagner bought the original factory in 1871 when it was first just an ink and paint operation. Wagner's family crest was used as the inspiration for the logo and the name.

In 1929 the Pelikan pen company manufactured its first fountain pen. They developed a new system for refilling the fountain pen with ink which used a small piston. It was highly reliable and they called their invention a "differential plunger". Pelikan is known for nibs that are top quality. Each nib is polished after precise shaping, and then is individually written in by hand.

Parker -- The Parker pen company is another business that has a history tracing back over 100 years. Much like the Sheaffer pen company, the Parker pen company was started in response to a complaint. George Parker was a teacher who taught students how to use the telegraph. His students complained that their fountain pens would sometimes provide too much ink flow, and sometimes no flow at all. Parker was already selling pens for another company on the side to earn extra money so he decided to start making his own.

Parker was able to improve the flow of the ink, solving his students problems, and for the next 30 years worked on fountain pen designs. He also designed a lever type filling system.

Montblanc -- A fountain pen company located in Germany, the Montblanc name is known around the world. They have been making some of the best known pens in the world since 1908. In addition to fountain pens, they also lend their name to other luxury items like fragrances and eye wear. There are those who accuse Montblanc of sacrificing the quality of their pens and just relying on their marketing efforts. However, the vintage fountain pens made by Montblanc are still generally very highly sought after by those who collect antique fountain pens.

Although the internet has become a vast marketplace, official Montblanc dealers are not permitted to sell using the web. The Montblanc company says that there are fake pens being sold and this is the reason they do not permit it. There are those who believe it is only a marketing ploy to keep their retail prices high.

Waterman -- Louis Waterman got a patent in 1884 for a unique system of getting the ink onto paper. His process involved channeling the ink down the back side of the nib. Many people believe the Waterman fountain pens are some of the finest made anywhere in the world. Although the company was started in the United States the manufacturing of the fountain pens is now done in Paris, France.

He sold his fountain pens on a very small scale until World War I. After that his sales took off and today the company has a name that is one of the most recognized in the industry. Their fountain pens are very reliable and have a reputation for writing perfectly every time.

Omas -- Each pen that comes from the Omas factory is hand made. The fountain pens are thought by many to be among the finest luxury fountain pens created. Each pen can take up to 100 days to be made, and attention is paid to the finest details, so it is no wonder that their vintage fountain pens are so highly regarded. The nibs of their pens produce a high quality of calligraphy because they are extremely flexible. Established in 1925 in Italy, Omas set their expectation of extremely high standards at the point when the business was founded.

All of these companies have fascinating stories behind the pens they created. Many vintage fountain collectors prefer one brand over the other, and you can bet that a lot of these pen manufacturers will be creating pens throughout the next 100 years. They have given their best and are loved by the collectors who acquire vintage fountain pens as a hobby.

Article Source: http://www.myarticlesdirectory.com

Sara Bondia has wide ranging interests and enjoys researching details on vintage fountain pens, and purchasing and selling on eBay. For more details on finding vintage fountain pens and for some amazing bargains on fountain pens, visit her Vintage Fountain Pens website.

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