I couldn’t resist this little fellow.  I don’t know how old he is or where he came from, with absolute certainty, though the seller suggested that he had come from the Black Forest.  That seems quite likely given the quality of the work and the fact that it appears to be made from lime wood, which was much used in Germany.  I’ve checked my various reference works and I see nothing else with a carved wood animal finial.

There is not a lot I can say about this object.  It’s not perfect – much of the ear away from the camera has been lost.  That’s a pity but it doesn’t affect the function and it barely affects the aesthetics.  It’s my guess that the part that the nib goes in is bone rather than ivory.  So far as I can, given that I can’t write with a dip pen, I’ve tried it and it seems perfectly practical.

Twenty-one pens uploaded to the sales site today.  All brands, many low prices, some flex, some rarities.

I’ll be doing TAXES today so I won’t be around much.

Still, all is not bad.  We had a bullfinch in the garden eating our dandelions today.  They’re common enough farther south but I’ve never seen one here before.

Luckily my assistant was otherwise occupied at the time.

This is an unusual entry for me.  Dip pens are certainly not core to what I do, but Mabie Todd is.  Looking at these two treasures I suspect that dip pens may feature here a little more often.  I spotted this glorious dip pen when it first appeared on eBay.  It had a bid or two and I think it was around £6.00 at that time.  I knew that it would go higher – very, very much higher, but I hoped that it would not go beyond what I could afford, and as luck would have it I managed to obtain it within the budget I had set myself.

Mabie Todd as you may well know is one of the oldest pen companies.  It was formed as Mabie Todd & Co. some time in the 1840s and kept that name until 1873 when it became Mabie Todd & Bard.  It reverted to Mabie Todd in 1907.  As this nib is marked Mabie Todd, it could have originated in either of those periods but common sense suggests it is much more likely to be the latter.  The increasing popularity of fountain pens did not mean an immediate end to the production of dip pens which indeed continues to this day.  These very high quality dip pens were probably only made until around 1920, so give or take, this pen’s around 100 years old and is in splendid condition.  The large No. 3 nib is very flexible indeed.  Sorry there’s no writing sample – I’m just no good with dip pens.

The handle may be ivory but I think it’s more likely to be celluloid, and it is hand-painted with a very fetching floral design.  It’s a wonderful survival and while these high-quality fountain pens are not rare as a class, individual designs are often represented by only a few surviving examples.

It was, I believe, good value for money, but the seller (acetateblue in ebay – I recommend him highly!) kindly included another high-quality dip pen as a gift.  This one is a Grieshaber of probably around the same date.  Again, the nib is very flexible.  It’s a little smaller, probably around the No. 2 size.  The handle is mother-of-pearl and again the condition is very good.  Grieshaber is not well known here but it was an old established nib and pen company dating back to 1884.  They produced some outstanding high-quality dip pens and later went on to produce good quality fountain pens though they were generally conservative in style.

I confess that I don’t know a great deal about dip pens and dip pen holders.  I keep an eye on the market and have a general awareness of what’s available and how the prices run, but there’s a whole world of knowledge on this subject that I have yet to acquire.

Another upload today at the sales site.  Some rarities, some flexies, and many good restored pens.

It’s a little frustrating when your main interest is fountain pens and you’re finding it painful to write.  This has happened to me gradually over the years and recently it has become rather less gradual.

CCBarton recommended hot wax for pain relief and that works well.  Someone else recommended IMAK arthritis gloves.  I tried a pair and they’re really good.  They gently compress your hands and somehow that reduces the pain and allows you to work.  I use them for writing, typing and pen fixing.  For other sufferers out there, they’re well worth a try.

My hands in these gloves reminded me of something, though. For a while I couldn’t think what it was, then it came to me.  I’m Fagin!  Ron Moody as Fagin in Oliver!

 In this life, one thing counts
In the bank, large amounts
I’m afraid these don’t grow on trees,
You’ve got to pick-a-pocket or two

You’ve got to pick-a-pocket or two, boys,
You’ve got to pick-a-pocket or two.

But that’s OK.  I don’t mind being Fagin if it’s a bit less painful.

Lots of pens uploaded to the sales site tonight – Conway Stewarts, Swans, Parkers, Watermans and quite a few rarities and bargains.

I managed to snag a rather exceptional pen in eBay last night. Full report when it arrives. Watch this space!

I had an email from Ron Manwaring yesterday. Here’s what he had to say:

Deb,
We haven’t met but I have seen your blog a few times and enjoy reading your reviews. I am Ron Manwaring from penchalet.com. We are an online retailer of pens, mechanical pencils and inks. I was just writing to let you know about a new giveaway we are running for the next couple weeks and was wondering if you could post something about it to your readers. Here is a link to the page to enter. Thanks.

http://www.penchalet.com/blog/enter-to-win-gift-cards/

I also would like to offer a 10% discount to you or your readers if you would like to post it as well. The coupon code is GOODWRITERS

So there’s a giveaway and a discount for all of you if you want to use it.