S. Roeder #53EF Pen Nib (Vintage)

This German-made spoon pen features a fine, upturned tip, an easy-to-handle semi-flex construction, and a distinctive design worthy of one of the 20th century's leading pen manufacturers. The torch-shaped vent hole on many Roeder pens is a particularly nice detail, as are the unusual side cuts and elegant pinched waist.

The #53EF is an excellent writer and a great choice for dip pen beginners, with enough flex for satisfying variation but very sharp, fine hairlines for an upturned-point (also called "oval point" or "bullet point," which was Roeder's choice—the German is kugelspitze) pen.

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 Germany.

About S. Roeder OHG:

S. Roeder OHG was one of Germany's first pen manufacturers, with roots in the mid-19th century and a history of about eighty years. Founded in 1841 as a retailer, Roeder began manufacturing pens in 1853 and created several successful models that became industry standards (i.e., their pens were shamelessly copied by other manufacturers—just as Roeder copied the successful models of other manufacturers. This was very much the way it worked in the steel-pen industry.)

Roeder's brand identity was closely tied to the Bremen Stock Exchange, despite its location in Berlin (300 km away.) The company's first big success in 1869 was called the "Bremer Börsen Feder" (Bremen Exchange Pen), and later models used the same brand to build on that success. As a result (and much like other manufacturers of their day) Roeder's model names are a bit confusing, with quite a few branded "Bremer Börsenfeder," "Boersenzack," and other stock-exchange-related things.

The quality of Roeder nibs was excellent, surpassing most European manufacturers of their day, and in 1920 the company had the greatest German market share in pen nibs. Despite surviving the economic headwinds of the early thirties, the company's story ended in tragedy. The Roeders were Jewish, and in 1939 they were forced to cede their factory and equipment to Nazi-friendly ownership. Pens were no longer manufactured as the new owners turned to war production and moved the remnants of the company to modern-day Poland. The family scattered, some escaping to exile in England and America, others murdered in the Holocaust.