Richard’s Pen Collection : Vintage American Fountain Pens

Writing instruments on this page are part of my personal collection and are not for sale. Click the magnifying-glass symbol () next to any pen to view a zoomed image for more detail.

What pens am I carrying today?

The 1920s saw pen manufacture flourish; that time is frequently called the Golden Age of Fountain Pens. One manufacturer that grew tremendously was Wahl. From its beginnings as an adding-machine maker, Wahl had expanded into mechanical pencils and, with the purchase of the Boston Pen Company, fountain pens. In the ’20s, the company began producing a line of excellent metal pens, and it is these for which Wahl’s early years are perhaps best known.

My first Wahl metal is a sterling silver pen in the Check pattern, catalogued as Model 651C. This particular pen, 4²⁹/₃₂" capped and 6¹⁷/₃₂" posted, features a Nº 5 semiflexible stub nib.

While we’re looking at silver, here — also in the Check pattern — is a Model 321DW. This little cutie is not sterling; its imprint reads SILVER FILLED. It’s 3³/₄" capped, 5³/₃₂" posted, and it has a Nº 2 fine nib.

This next pen wears the rare Console pattern; the lovely mottled section was unique to Console pens. Introduced in 1928, the Console in this size was catalogued as Model 4215A. This gem has a Nº 4 flexible fine nib, and it’s 5¹/₃₂" capped and 6⁹/₁₆" posted.

Targa by Sheaffer: Postmodern and Superb

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At 5³/₈" capped and 6¹/₃₂" posted, Targa by Sheaffer is very similar in size to the Parker “51”. It’s also one of the greats, a truly excellent pen that is arguably Sheaffer’s best pen of the latter 20th century. Sheaffer introduced the Targa in 1976 to commemorate Italy’s famed Targa Florio auto race, a wild endurance run around the hills and valleys of Sicily. Discontinued as an outright race in 1977 over safety concerns, the Targa Florio exists today as a TSD rally — but the Targa pen lasted in Sheaffer’s catalog until 1998. It’s a sleek metal-bodied pen that features the reliable and elegant Inlaid Nib™, and Sheaffer produced it in a tremendous range of lacquer colors and metal finishes. My gold-plated Targa 1007 has a modified crosshatch design and a factory medium nib. It’s among my most pleasing writers.

Sheaffer didn’t advertise its stainless steel pens as Flighters; that name was of course the property of Parker. But names, or the lack thereof, didn’t stop Sheaffer from producing some delightful Flighter-styled models; my first one is a 1001xg that’s fitted with a smooth-writing fine nib. (That “g” means that the nib is 14K gold, not gold-plated steel.) This Targa is 5³/₈" capped and 5²⁷/₃₂" posted.

The opposite of bright silver is matte black, and Sheaffer produced this second-version 1002 as part of a series of matte Targas. It’s 5⁵/₁₆" capped and 6³/₁₆" posted, iand its fine nib is quite nice.

I’m enough of a sucker for brilliant transparent green over a metal body that I’ll fight for it. Which is how, while sorting through parts at the U.S. Sheaffer distributor’s warehouse, I acquired this NOS lacquered guilloché Targa 1086. It’s 5¹⁵/₃₂" capped, and it’s a remarkably long 6¹³/₃₂" posted because of the unusually large barrel diameter. And to top it off, this baby wears a wicked fat broad 18K nib. (Actually, there were two of these pens in the box, and my “opponent” got the other one.)

For just plain classic good looks, it’s hard to beat this Regency Stripe Targa 675, given to me by a friend. It’s 5³/₈" capped and 6¹/₄" posted, and it has a delightful fine nib. It’s as close to “mint’ as you can get, too, and I’m in love all over again.

For a while during the 1970s, slim was in. I mean seriously slim. Parker had its 180, and Sheaffer rolled out the Slim Targa. My first Slim Targa is a 1000s, featuring grouped lines on a chrome-plated body. At 5¹³/₃₂" capped and 5¹⁵/₁₆" posted, it’s about the same length as a Classic Targa, but you could almost slide two Slims together down inside a Classic.

My Slim Targa 1040s is 5¹¹/₃₂" capped and 5²⁷/₃₂" posted. The Prestige Marble Lacquer finish, with its plain gold-edged bands, is elegant: unusual but not gaudy. This pen came from NOS parts, and I’ve fitted it with a U.S.-made medium 14K nib to complement the gold-plated furniture.

One of the Grail pens for many Targa collectors is the Fred. Properly known as the Fred Force, it was a part of the Force 10 collection, a collaboration between Sheaffer and a famous Paris jewelry store named Fred Joaillier. It has a palladium-plated body with a nautical rope design, and it’ among the heavier Targas. At 5³/₈" long capped and 5⁷/₈" posted, it's pretty typical otherwise, and this one has a smooth medium nib.

Sheaffer’s Wasp. Parker’s Parkette. Wahl’s Oxford. They all did it. So, in 1929, Conklin of Toledo launched a sub-brand called THE ALL-AMERICAN PEN. Flat-topped at first, the All-American soon acquired a streamlined look along with the Endura Symetrik and, when it was introduced a year later, the Endura Nozac. Produced with three filling systems (lever, vacuum plunger, and twist-actuated bulb), the All-American was an excellent and reliable pen; and it also appeared as a combo (pen/pencil combination). My twist-bulb All-American wears a black and green “Candy Stripe” celluloid, and it’s 5¹/₁₆" long capped and 5¹⁵/₁₆" posted. Its Conklin-imprinted medium nib, although not “correct” for this sub-brand pen, is the right size, and its pleasant light flex makes it a joy to use.

In 1926, Parker extended its product line downward, in size at least, with the introduction of a very small pen called the Pastel. Offered in various solid pastel colors, the pen came either as a ringtop or with a clip. The next year, new colors joined the range; these were lovely moiré patterns made of alternating clear and colored material. My Pastel ringtop wears the color called Coral Moiré, and it’s 4¹/₂" long capped and 5¹⁵/₃₂" posted. Its nib is a slightly flexible fine stub..