Esterbrook Radio Pen #913 (Vintage)

Esterbrook's "Radio Pen" line was an odd marketing tactic of the early 20th century. Faced with an increasingly crowded pen market and searching for ways to promote a product list that stretched into the hundreds of models, Esterbrook chose a couple of dozen popular models and began selling them all as Radio Pens.

The #913 Radio Pen is a recast of the best-selling #313 Probate Pen, a long, slanted stub with a bold tip and moderate flexibility. A nice choice for larger handwriting, the Probate has a long body with good ink capacity and a distinctive crescent moon vent hole to regulate ink flow. The Radio Pen version was chrome-plated, but there are no other differences to the design.

Our stock of #913 Radio Pens was manufactured between 1920 and 1960; earlier pens were hand-ground and later pens were groove-stamped. You may also notice small differences in the shape, finish, stamp, and grind, since Esterbrook changed its production practices several times during this period.

Thanks to the protective coating applied to all dip pens (even new ones produced today), these pens 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 the United States.

About R: Esterbrook & Co.:

Founded in 1856, R. Esterbrook & Co. was the United States' very first manufacturer of steel dip pens. Formerly, these important 19th century tools had to be imported from Europe, but Richard Esterbrook brought expertise and craftspeople from England and opened a factory in Philadelphia.

For over 100 years until the company finally went out of business in 1970, Esterbrook produced the finest steel pens in the country, with a level of quality and a range of shapes that would put contemporary nib manufacturers to shame. Whenever we're able to get our hands on a vintage batch of Esterbrook pens, we're excited to offer them to you. Supplies, of course, are limited.