I’ve always been a fountain pen user; for a time I was also a collector. A couple of years ago, I became a full-time restorer, mainly so that I could see and handle more pens. The pens are the ultimate documents of our hobby. There are no better learning tools than the pens themselves.
You can contact me at goodwriters(AT)btinternet.com, and my sales website is http://www.goodwriterssales.com
Goodwriterspens's Blog 
Dear Deborah,
I hope you don’t mind the informality: I have only just found your blog and found it fascinating, informative and am totally in agreement with your opinion of TalkTalk, who bought out my friendly little ISP a year ago and caused me trouble ever since.
I have been a collector for several decades but an infrequent user lately as my hands are shaky. I am a onetime Scot living in (at present) snowy East Anglia. I came across your blog when looking at the Conway Stewart forum, I usually buy Parkers and cannot afford modern CS pens: they are beautiful but,… I have a dozen or more vintage CSs, including a “blue measles” set including the pen-knife, I just love those huge Duro nibs. I have several Burnhams, Uniques and Mentmores and several other mid-range to excellent British pens, which have disappeared from view. It’s good that you write about them and spread the word.
On a completely different note, and what prompted me to write, was I came down late this morning and turned on the TV for company to find the Powell and Pressburger black and white film “I know where I’m going” set around Tobermory and Mull. I know the film well but when I saw your location, it was such a coincidence that I felt I had to write thank you for your blog.
I cannot seem to find the site where you sell you restorations and would be grateful for the link, many thanks,
Alastair
Hi Alastair,
Thank you for your very kind words. It sounds like you have a good collection, especially the “Blue Measles” set, which is an uncommon and beautiful pattern. I’m glad you enjoy the blog.
I sell my restored pens in eBay as redripple52.
It was good to hear from you.
Regards,
Deb
Greetings from Canada! Your blog was a wonderful surprize! Along with writing to thank you for some wonderfully entertaining reading I am hoping that you can shed some light on a bit of a mystery. I recently came across a Harisson buttonfeader in burgundy striated plastic, made in France but with a steel Harisson Special No 9 nib. Have you any information on the history of this pen? Best Regards, Alan
Hi Alan,
Welcome aboard! Sorry to disappoint you but I know nothing about Harrison pens and my reference material isn’t very good on French pens. All I can say is that there was a period before World War II when English-sounding names were popular among French and Italian pen makers.
Regards,
Deb
Dear Deborah,
have been reading your blog about the Mentmore Ink Lock Vac filler, I had not seen one of these and managed to find one in a sorry state that I am getting repaired. I also could not manage to get it to come apart. Interestingly I have a Platignum Visi Ink that is different to any that I have seen before and seems to have had the Ink Lock system fitted, though the peg in the cap is missing, but the rest bears a great resemblance to the Mentmore pen.
I have since found a photo of another of these, which seems to show that mine is all original, but nothing seems to be written about these pens. I will send photos of them.
Regards
Roy Holley
That’s very interesting, Roy. I look forward to seeing the photos.
OK, I surrender. Your post on Davids site intimates pens for sale. I hit the link and find pens but no indication of “for sale” or pricing. I know I am a distracted geezer but I speak 2 languages one of them US English and for a while lived in Maidenhead so my UK English is not all that bad.
Let me know what I am missing.
Jerry Adair
fntnpn2@yahoo.com
Hi Jerry,
Good to hear from you – or it would be in other circumstances. I’m sorry to hear that the site is not working for you but I don’t really understand what it is that you’re seeing. On the site, if you can see photographs of a pen, you should also be able to see its description and price. The “Home” screen shows an example pen and a heading “pens for sale” with the various categories listed underneath. If you click on any of these categories it will take you to the appropriate screen which will show thumbnails of the various pens on sale there with the price for each underneath.
Can you supply me with some more information about what it is that you are seeing?
Best regards,
Deb
Hello,I hope you may help me find out more about a pen i have just bought.It is a NOVA pen made in england.It was very encrusted with dried ink.After cleaning it,on the nib is NOVA made in england,There are no markings on the clip.I would be most grateful if you could shed a little light about which company made this pen.
Yours hopefully
Tim Walker
None of my sources gives any indication of the history of the Nova fountain pen. It’s rather a mystery. It’s quite commonly found on eBay. The Nova company seems to have been active in the 40s and 50s. They appear with both gold nibs and plated nibs. In terms of quality, they are at the lower end, though they produced many attractive pens. The one most often seen has a semi-hooded nib.
There’s a fine project for someone!
Just saw a Unique pen: https://imgur.com/gallery/624eO
Similar to: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/247270-mystery-makers-markcan-anyone-identify-this-nib/
Maybe interesting for you to see 🙂
Nice celluloid. I’ve seen these replacement nibs from time to time. The pierced cap band is unusual.
Such civility on this site Deborah! Sooo happy I happened to come across your ad on Doni’s NewsCafe. Enjoyed reading your kind and respectful responses on your blog, so very refreshing! I already like you!! I too enjoy collecting ‘old’ pens, don’t know a thing about them but it’s a fun hobby. Enjoyed viewing your lovely pens, will spend more time browsing after Christmas. Feliz Navidad!!
Welcome, Evengelina! If you want to know anything about your old pens, just ask!
Debs, thank you for writing such a useful and informative blog.
I was interested that in one of your notes about the ‘Nova’ that you mentioned a possible connection with Unique. Besides the clip I have, in the past noticed another similarity with their manufacture.
One of the things that marks the Nova out is the messy way the tassie and the end of the barrel are finished off- as if pinched and twisted from a rod of casein and then smoothed, there is no attempt at a tidy finish as there is with say the small peaked plug on a Croxley barrel or a black flat end piece on the CS 286.
This is the same approach as Unique took with the barrel of their cheaper steel nibbled school pens like the ‘Junior’. So perhaps the Nova replaced the Junior or were in direct competition with it and it’s ilk. Either way I think it suggests you are correct about a date of the late 40s early 50s
David
That’s an interesting conjecture, David, and I’m sure it has merit.