Uh Oh - A Third Omas...

Omas addiction is a terrible thing.

Before I talk about my third Omas (which I bought today), I have good news considering my second Omas - the custom XF which was ground for me is being replaced for nothing with a genuine Omas 18K EF nib. Thank goodness. :)

Today I added a third Omas to my collection, the Omas Dama (1930 size) model from the Celluloid Collection. The Dama is like the Princess, but slightly larger and has a cap clip. As it was the last pen in the store, I had no choice in the colour, which is Pearl Grey. It does look striking with the rolled gold trim though, better than the rhodium (HT) trim looks, in my opinion.

I now have the following Omas Celluloid beauties:

• 1993 Omas Princess, Saft Green.
• 1994 Omas Princess, La Royale Blue.
• 1996 Omas Dama, Pearl Grey.

I think my Omas craving has been satisfied - for now. :)

The Second Omas

Today my long-awaited Omas Princess in La Royale Blue, with custom EF nib arrived - and it is crap.

The pen wasn't packed properly, the box is missing and the custom nib is completely terrible.

I'm too upset to even write any more about it.

The First Omas

My perfect Omas Princess arrived yesterday, and it is superb. This is the 'Saft Green' colour from the Omas Celluloid Collection.


The nib is a Fine, but writes more like a Medium, so I guess it will go off to Brisbane to get a little nib work done. I am toying with the idea of having the nib made into an Extra Fine Cursive Italic.

I've removed the ribbon ring from the top of the Princess, and will replace it with a similar brass ribbon ring - this is so that the silk tassel stays perfect and the pen is more practical.

Sadly, I think Omas addiction has begun. I am enquiring about the price of an Omas Dama, or for a little more money I could get the Omas Venice Carnivale. The Carnivale has been in my sights for a little while now, and I would love to add it to my collection for the right price. The right price is of course, much less than anyone will ever sell it for.

In other news my Pilot MYU 701 arrived this morning and it is great! The Fine nib is more like a superfine - just the way I like them. :)

Pilot Pens Are Sexy

I bought a Pilot MYU 701 Stainless Steel fountain pen this weekend - it's very, very sexy. This is the 'short' version, not the Murex.


Two Omas Princess pens I am awaiting should arrive this week. (Yes, I caved and bought a second one.) I can't wait to test the custom nib on the La Royale Blue. If it's right, I'll send the Saft Green down for the same treatment.

I've also just ordered several bottles of ink, so my mailbox will be a very exciting place for the next few weeks!

Sometimes I simply have no discipline when it comes to pen collecting...

Early Kaweco Toledo

Well, the mystery lever-filler I bought last month turned out to be a bit of a prize! It is an early Kaweco ladies model, and the Toledo overlay work is stunning!



A big thank you goes to Thomas, whose help was invaluable in determining the maker. :)

You can read all about the pen on the FPN.

Pen Arrivals + Omas!

It's been a nice couple of weeks for pens! My Parker Petite Pastel is gorgeous, as is my Waterman Lady Patrician. I will have to take some pictures to post this weekend.

Yesterday while I was in the city I encountered, by sheer luck, an Omas Princess. This long-discontinued ladies fountain pen is quite collectable, and to find a NOS one is superb. The store I found it in also had an Omas Dama - both pens were gorgeous. These were the last two pens the store had from Omas, as there has not been an Omas distributor for Australia for a couple of years now. I bought the Princess at about 60% off its original tag price - very sweet. :)

Yet More Small Pens

I added three more nice pens to my collection in the last few days: a Parker 'Petite Pastel' in Apple Green, a Sheaffer Flat Top Junior in Jade Green, and a Waterman Lady Patricia in Onyx. The Waterman is especially nice, as it has an attractive red hard rubber section and nib feed.

Ring Tops & Odd Lever-Fillers

I picked up half a dozen small ring top fountain pens in the last week, most are from the 1940’s and were priced from $6 to $40, with only the cheapest one needing to be restored. Amongst these is a very nice 1926 Parker Lady Duofold, in Red Permanite plastic with a wide gold cap-band - at last I have a Lady Duofold!

The other ring top pens I bought are from ‘third tier’ manufacturers – Majestic, Arnold etc. The pens are in excellent condition, they have barely been used, and some have 14K nibs, so I’m sure a couple will be very sweet little writers.

This week I also overspent a little on a weird lever-filler which had captured my interest. As a fountain pen collector I have no brand preferences. I will buy a pen because it appeals to me – the purchase is usually based on the shape, colour or size. A pen may be complete tat, but if I think the colour or finish is great, I’ll buy it.

When I saw the weird lever-filler, the latent ‘organized collector/accumulator’ in me must have surfaced. I sometimes get a bit fixated on an object, and even though it may be of little use/importance/value, I must have it. I'm not sure who made the lever-filler, but I think it's an early model from a German brand. The pen does have quite a bit of gold Toledo decoration, but bits are broken and missing and the overall condition is poor. So while it is old, funky and fairly unappealing, the history of the pen interested me.

Morton Pen & Pencil Set

In my search for vintage flat top and ring top pens, I picked up this cute set over the weekend:


A Morton (sub-brand of Morrison) 'Duet' set, which looks just like a 1920's Mandarin Yellow Parker Lady Duofold... minus the third cap band. Hope it's a nice writer. :)

Fiesta Red

Today my last eBay Mystery Snorkel arrived, and it has turned out to be Fiesta Red Clipper. It's in good condition, but the best thing is that it has a beautiful PdAg "A4" Triumph nib - a true Accountant (Needlepoint) nib, which is scarce in itself.