A Brief History of Some Important Fountain Pen Companies
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 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
Sheaffer is one of the better known names in pens. The company was founded in 1912, but the story of the Sheaffer pen starts five years earlier, in 1907.
At that time fountain pens were very messy and inconvenient to refill. You basically took an eye dropper and dripped ink directly into the reservoir. Walter Sheaffer didn't like this method and started experimenting with other possibilities. He wanted to develop something that would be simple and easy to use.
The result of his experiments were the development of the first lever filling fountain pen for which he got a US patent in 1908. His invention was a small metal lever that could fill the reservoir of the pen directly from the bottle of ink.
For over 100 years the Sheaffer company has been known for innovation and quality.
Pelikan
The Pelikan pen company has a history that dates back over 170 years.
Originally an ink and paint factory it was bought by an employee, Gunther Wagner, in 1871. The logo and Pelikan name were adopted from Wagner's family crest.
The company manufactured its first fountain pen in 1929. They introduced a new system for refilling the fountain pen with ink, called a differential plunger. This was a new piston filling system that was highly reliable.
Pelikan is well known for its high quality workmanship and nibs that are top quality. The nib of each fountain pen is shaped and polished and then for quality control, and then written in by hand.
Parker
The Parker pen company is another business that has a history tracing back over 100 years. And 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
Since 1908, the German pen company Montbanc has been manufacturing some of the worlds best known pens. Their name can also be found on luxury lines of jewelry eyewear and fragrances.
Some people feel that Montblanc has become too marketing oriented and that the quality of their fountain pens have suffered as a result. Many collectors feel like the quality has dropped, however, their vintage pens are generally still prized by collectors.
Authorized Montblanc dealers are not allowed to sell the pens over the web. The reason given by the company is that there are fake pens being sold on the internet. Some critics feel like it is a decision made only to support their high prices.
Waterman
Waterman fountain pens are some of the best pens ever made. The company was started in the USA by Louis Waterman although today the pens are made in Paris France. His primary contribution to the fountain pen was the development of an ink feed that would direct the ink down the back of the nib and deposit it on the paper, an invention that he patented in 1884.
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
Some of the highest quality fountain pens made today are those that come from the Omas factory. Each of their pens are hand made and it can require 100 days for one fountain pen to be completed. They pay attention to the finest details and their fountain pens are considered some of the finest luxury pens made.
Omas was founded in Italy in 1925. Their high standards were set at the establishment of the company and each stage of the pen making is done by hand. Their nibs are extremely flexible and produce a high quality calligraphy.
eBay is an excellent source for finding collectable fountain pens.
You can choose from various manufacturers by using the menu in the left column to find your perfect vintage fountain pen.