Perry #120 Balance Spring Pen (Vintage)

Perry's Balance Spring Pen was one of the best-known "crown pens" of the dip pen age, with the excellent build quality of the leading firms in Birmingham and a time-tested design that was made by dozens of manufacturers around the world. The crown-shaped section in the middle of the nib was the defining feature of these pens, offering a bit of extra bounciness and absorbing some of the pressure applied by hurried or inexperienced writers.

This hand-ground Perry #120 is a very high-quality example of the crown pen genre, with smooth and skillful hand grinding, an easy-to-use semi-flex design, and an attractive bronze finish. The pleasing press-and-release rhythm of calligraphy is reinforced by this very springy nib, so it's a good nib for beginners to practice with.

This is a vintage Perry & Co. dip pen, made about 90 years ago. 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.