Iconic Fountain Pen?

[Jack Straw]

I would go with a Waterman.

 

[Antique Hoosier]

I would go with a Waterman.

I left a fine Waterman pen in a limo in Los Angeles in 1997.

I traded one of my favorite Old Sheffield 7/8 razors for a NOS 1958 pen via a fine B&B member... Mission accomplished. Thanks Nelson and thanks B&B members!

 

[maxman]

That's one heckuva nice gift.

 

[Bayamontate]

I left a fine Waterman pen in a limo in Los Angeles in 1997.

I traded one of my favorite Old Sheffield 7/8 razors for a NOS 1958 pen via a fine B&B member... Mission accomplished. Thanks Nelson and thanks B&B members!

My pleasure Mike. I bought that pen and three other NOS Esterbrooks while on tour in Wisconsin in 1995. The band I was playing with at the time was doing Summerfest and I had 5 hours to kill so I got in a cab and told the driver to take me to the closest antique store. At the time I had a couple of their dollar pens but could never find any J or JLs in good condition and here I walk in and find 3 NOS JLs and a J with their original boxes and paperwork. With no haggling involved, I took all 4 and also got a Fontain wristwatch from the late 1920's.

I would never sell these pens but being a vibe kind of person thought it will be cool for a youngman to get one of them to enjoy.

After reading some of the replies on this thread I decided to throw in a Parker 51 replica in case your nephew doesn't want to carry the Esterbrook around for daily use. Please extend my congratulations on his graduation.

 

[Antique Hoosier]

Wow! Thanks Nelson, great story and thanks for the bonus. This young man is a musician and will appreciate that it was owned by a professional trumpeter!

My pleasure Mike. I bought that pen and three other NOS Esterbrooks while on tour in Wisconsin in 1995. The band I was playing with at the time was doing Summerfest and I had 5 hours to kill so I got in a cab and told the driver to take me to the closest antique store. At the time I had a couple of their dollar pens but could never find any J or JLs in good condition and here I walk in and find 3 NOS JLs and a J with their original boxes and paperwork. With no haggling involved, I took all 4 and also got a Fontain wristwatch from the late 1920's.

I would never sell these pens but being a vibe kind of person thought it will be cool for a youngman to get one of them to enjoy.

After reading some of the replies on this thread I decided to throw in a Parker 51 replica in case your nephew doesn't want to carry the Esterbrook around for daily use. Please extend my congratulations on his graduation.

 

[Bayamontate]

In case he wants to know, I'm the trumpeter on the far right, yes, the one with one arm but that's a story for another day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKNRBbQ7O90

 

[LuckyR]

I always recommend Cross FP's as gifts for people.
The Century II series is a nice, recognizable style.
I have one that I've been using for darn near 20 years now. It works just as well as the day I bought it.

Personally, I am a fan of the Townsend series. It's one of their higher end series, maybe not what you're looking for in a gift.

My only other piece of advice is to get one where the recipient can find cartridges and other accessories easily. It's a little annoying when you have to go order everything online for top dollar.

Cross can be found almost everywhere.

The guy is 18, I like this ^^^^ opinion.

 

[willhopkins]

If he gets curious about fountain pens or is unsure how to care for it, make sure to send him to the Fountain Pen Network.

 

[Bayamontate]

Great suggestion from WillHop, this is a great source of information on everything fountain pen.

 

[Shavely Manden]

A friend of mine who's got the Fountain Pen AD recommended the Twisbi Diamond 530 as a good beginner pen -- evidently, it was designed to the requests of a fountain-pen forum as a sort of back-to-the-basics pen. It's $40 from the Twisbi eBay store, which seems like it'd be about the right budget for a high-schooler.

(I don't have any experience with these, other than messing around with my friend's, b/c the shaving ADs have been taking up all the budget lately...just thought I'd mention what'd been recommended to me.)

 

[Isaac]

If you think he will take care of it, these are some of my favorites. Montblanc 149. The flagship pen for Montblanc

 

[LouieGrandie]

If you think he will take care of it, these are some of my favorites. Montblanc 149. The flagship pen for Montblanc

I would agree but if he is young a 149 would be too big for his hand. A 146 or 145 might be better suited.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

What about the ink?

 

[Wil]

What about the ink?

you really want to start that?....

 

[DunEdinRanger]

What about the ink?

you really want to start that?....

I'm just saying, a fountain isn't going to work too well without some ink...

 

[Wil]

I'm just saying, a fountain isn't going to work too well without some ink...

Isn't there a nice limited edition somewhere?.....

 

[DunEdinRanger]

Oh yes there are several... Also exclusive inks, sold only in one store...

 

[rickboone1]

Bang for buck... TWSBI.

 

[instpasr]

I left a fine Waterman pen in a limo in Los Angeles in 1997.

I traded one of my favorite Old Sheffield 7/8 razors for a NOS 1958 pen via a fine B&B member... Mission accomplished. Thanks Nelson and thanks B&B members!

Any chance of seeing a picture of this lovely pen?

 

[justjcez]

I'm a fan of the M90 or vanishing point. Both are unique and noticeable to anyone regardless of their pen knowledge. At work I regularly use both and people notice quickly that I'm using something different. The Vanishing Point may work better as it is a retractable pen that is easier to use (I'm not good at capping pens). Both pens are much cheaper than Mont Blanc, but more expensive than Cross and Lamy.

I have a number of Mont Blanc pens, ranging from a 147 to the larger more unique pens which go unnoticed by most non-pen people. If you give him one, you'll have to give him something more substantial when he graduates from college!