Shakesperian Gilt Series #190 Pen (Vintage)

Made in England around 80-90 years ago, this gold-plated dip pen is a smooth writer with a high ink capacity and an upturned tip that's easy for beginners to use. The most popular name for this type of tip was "oval point," but this manufacturer called it a "dome point." Either way, the design is the same: the pointed tip of the pen is turned upward, so the writing surface is actually the convex area of the bend. This provides less line variation, but won't catch on paper and is simple to maneuver across the page.

We don't know much about this vintage penmaker, beyond their oddly misspelled brand name, but in our tests, these pens proved to be of excellent quality. The gold-plated surface channels ink smoothly to the tip; the extra-large body has the capacity to hold more than the average dip pen; and the S-cuts near the tip give this pen a bouncier, more responsive feel than other oval point nibs.

We estimate that this pen is 80+ years old. Thanks to the protective coating applied to all dip pens (even new ones produced today), they are in excellent vintage condition. They've been checked for rust and other defects by our experts and are ready to return to service on your desk.

As with any dip pen, you will need to remove the protective coating so that ink will stick to the nib consistently. To remove the coating, simply dip your new pen in ink a couple of times and wipe it off. Repeat until the ink coats the nib completely and doesn't bead up. This process takes about 15 seconds and only needs to be done once, before you use the pen for the first time.

Sold individually. Made in England.