Pen Profiles: Safety Pens, Moore Safeties, Waterman Safeties
7252: American Fountain Pen Co. Moore's Non-Leakable: long mottled hard rubber retracting-nib safety, 15.3 cm long, marked "3.50" on posting end, good barrel imprints, cap imprints worn but legible, early model without safety post inside cap; pen has been recorked, nib is an old replacement, marked "MOORE PEN" instead of "AMERICAN FOUNTAIN PEN", slightly toothy but very flexible, opens up with light pressure.
DATE: c. 1906
• CONDITION: VG-fine* • NIB: extra-fine flex • $425 
7471: American Fountain Pen Co. Moore's Non-Leakable: mottled hard rubber retracting-nib safety, 14.6 cm long, early model without safety post inside cap; pen has been recorked, fine tightly-sprung nib.
DATE: c. 1906 •
CONDITION: VG • NIB: extra-fine flex • $400
8339: American Fountain Pen Co. Moore's Non-Leakable: mottled hard rubber retracting-nib safety, 12.6 cm long, marked "3.50" and "2" on posting end, strong imprints on both cap and barrel, safety post inside cap, correct "AMERICAN/FOUNTAIN/PEN CO." imprint on nib; some scratching to barrel (see detail), nib is an elegant writer, though tipping material is a bit scant.
DATE: c. 1915 • CONDITION: VG-fine • NIB:
extra-fine flex • $425
9586: American Fountain Pen Co. Moore's Non-Leakable: black hard rubber retracting-nib safety with full gold filled overlay, 9.2 cm long, combined engine-turned and hand-engraved decoration; no brassing or dings, like new, very difficult to find in this condition; nib is smooth and opens up with light pressure, pen has been recorked.
DATE: c. 1915 • CONDITION: near mint • NIB: fine flex • $985
7250: American Fountain Pen Co. Moore's Non-Leakable: black hard rubber retracting-nib safety with full gold filled filigree overlay; 11.9 cm long, hard rubber nice and dark, metalwork crisp with only flaws a tool mark on the posting end and an adjacent spot of missing gold (see detail); cap indicia has been engraved, pen recorked, nib is quite toothy on rougher paper but extremely flexible.
DATE: c. 1915 • CONDITION:
fine-exc* • NIB: extra-fine superflex • $1250
9055: American Fountain Pen Co. Moore's Non-Leakable: mottled hard rubber retracting-nib safety, 12.4 cm long, 1903 patent cap imprint, safety post in cap; has been recorked, smooth-writing #4 American Fountain Pen nib.
DATE: c. 1915 • CONDITION: fine-exc • NIB: extra-fine flex • $485
7802: American Fountain Pen Co. Moore's Non-Leakable: retracting-nib safety, full gold filled overlay over black hard rubber, 11.7 cm long, fine parallel lines pattern with scroll borders, fancy hand engraving at end of barrel, extremely clean, one ding and monogram on cap indicia, American nib, Moore's 1896 patent imprint on end of barrel; has been recorked.
DATE: c. 1916 • CONDITION: fine-exc* • NIB: fine superflex
• $850
9330: Astra safety: mottled hard rubber vest-pocket, 9.3 cm long, imprints shallow but crisp, "42" on end knob; nib is small but smooth, tip slightly angled, easy for right-handed use.
DATE: c. 1925 • CONDITION: exc-near
mint • NIB: medium reverse oblique italic flex • $160
7615: Caw's safety: rare early pen, black chased hard rubber, 11.1 cm long, barrel bands marked "DOUBLÉ/18K", crisp imprint, lists patent dates from 1895 to 1904; pristine surfaces, original seal has not been replaced and is not ink-tight, replacement Parker nib.
DATE: c. 1905 • CONDITION: exc* • NIB:
fine • $585
7541: Ebos safety: miniature hard rubber ringtop, 8 cm long, German-made, with handsome Italian-made gold filled overlay; Ebos-marked 14K nib also has "00" size imprint (not visible without disassembly); excellent quality, comparable to the baby safeties of Montblanc and Astoria, seal has been restored, internal mechanism repaired.
DATE: c. 1928 • CONDITION: fine-exc • NIB: fine semiflex • $485
7247: Moore Non-Leakable: black chased hard rubber retracting-nib safety, 13.6 cm long, scarce large model (14.6 mm diameter at cap and sleeve), original model band on cap, sleeve end marked "5 50", "QUICK TURN" cap imprint; new old stock, has been recorked, replacement #6 warranted nib.
DATE: c. 1919 • CONDITION: near
mint • NIB: fine semiflex • $425
7249: Moore Non-Leakable: small hard rubber retracting-nib safety ringtop with full chevron-pattern gold filled overlay, 9.7 cm long, very clean but for brassing to posting end (see detail); has been recorked, nib is a bit toothy but very flexible indeed.
DATE: c. 1921 • CONDITION: fine • NIB: fine superflex
• $595
8741: Parker-Osmia safety: black hard rubber, 13.9 cm long, with nickel-plated slip-on clip bearing the mark of Sirt, Parker-Osmia's Hungarian agent; milling at ends is good, turning knob is imprinted "6" and "F", flat Canadian-style spearhead feed, #6 Parker-Osmia nib is boldly imprinted; Parker-Osmia operated only from late 1927 to the end of 1929, when Parker sold Osmia back to its former owners. Parker-Osmias are uncommon, but Parker-Osmia safeties are extremely rare -- and are the only safeties ever to be sold under the Parker name.
DATE: c. 1928 • CONDITION: exc • NIB: fine semiflex • $2000
8667: Soennecken safety: unusual black chased hard rubber clipless model, 12.7 cm long, with a ventless Hicks New York 18K gold nib with French hallmarks; condition is like new, but the original barrel imprint of this French-market pen appears to have been polished away -- most likely out of WW1-era anti-German sentiment. Early production Soenneckens often carried New York-made nibs, but most were from A. Morton.
DATE: c.
1913 • CONDITION: exc-near mint* • NIB: extra-fine flex • $325
9211: Viala Lilliput safety set in box: French black hard rubber miniature black hard rubber safety, 8.25 cm long, hallmarked silver overlay with transparent pink guilloche enamel, with matching 1.1 mm pencil in box with instructions. Aside from the losses to the enamel on the cap and a shallow crease on the pencil's nose cone, the set is like new; the pen's seal has not been replaced, but appears sound and passes a suction test.
DATE: c. 1925 • CONDITION: fine* • NIB: medium • $425
5324: Waterman 14 VS: smooth black hard rubber safety pen, 11.6 cm long, rare first version with threaded turning knob and mechanism where nib turns as it extends and retracts; strong imprints, cork seal has not been replaced; 3 mm hairline at edge of vent hole of #4 New York nib (see detail).
DATE: c. 1908 • CONDITION:
fine-exc* • NIB: fine flex • $250
9233: Waterman 14 VS: smooth black hard rubber safety pen, 11.6 cm long, rare first version with threaded turning knob and mechanism where nib turns as it extends and retracts; strong imprints, cork seal has not been replaced, early #4 nib missing tipping on one side; hard rubber crisp and glossy with deep, bold imprints, some scratching to cap from old add-on clip.
DATE: c. 1908 • CONDITION: fine-exc* • $250
9697: Waterman 12 Chatelaine: black chased hard rubber screw-cap ringtop eyedropper-filler, 13.4 cm long, gold filled trim; extremely narrow threads, Waterman's first non-safety pen with a screw-cap, very rare model, appears in catalog of 1908, though introduced a few years earlier. Good chasing and imprints, moderate fading, cap lip slightly shortened, cap ring fitting not original.
DATE: c. 1908 • CONDITION: VG-fine*
• NIB: extra-fine flex • $385
4291: Waterman 0512½VS Baby: smooth gold filled overlay safety with rare double cap; 9.3 cm long, has been recorked, turning knob fully marked, virtually no plating wear, but inner cap rim dinged and wavy (see detail), barrel engraved with name.
DATE: c. 1917 • CONDITION: VG-fine* • NIB: fine flex •
$450
9184: Waterman 442½V in box: black hard rubber ringtop safety, 9.6 cm long, smooth sterling silver overlay with hard to find telescoping outer cap; metal clean, imprints on hard rubber strong, initials "M.W.D." on barrel. Patent imprints on feed, responsive nib.
DATE: c. 1918 • CONDITION: exc • NIB:
fine stub semiflex • $550
8639: Waterman 45: large black hard rubber clipless safety, 13.8 cm long, smooth solid 9K gold factory overlay with full London hallmarks; hard rubber is worn but sound, overlay is engraved with initials "G. L. B."; no real dings, but some light marks to the forepart of the barrel, and some tight stress hairlines to the metal at the cap rim and front edge of the barrel (see detail; this is typical of 9K overlays where the hard metal is spun down onto the hard rubber); big, smooth-writing #5 New York nib.
DATE: 1919 • CONDITION: G-VG*
• NIB: fine semiflex • $950
9023: Waterman 42½V: black chased hard rubber vest-pocket safety, 8.8 cm long, crisp imprints and good chasing, some toothmarks to cap; seals replaced, responsive nib.
DATE: c. 1923 • CONDITION: fine •
NIB: extra-fine flex • $165
9135: Waterman 44 set: black hard rubber safety, 12.9 cm long, gold filled French-hallmarked overlay, with matching JiF pencil. The pen has had its seals replaced, and is in near perfect condition; the pencil uses 1.1 mm lead, and is in similar condition but for a very light clip mark (a weakness of the design) and one very slight area of flattening at the shoulder of the front taper. Pen comes with a characteristically French slip-on Waterman clip, fully marked.
DATE: c. 1925 • CONDITION: near mint • NIB: fine flex
• $785
4089: Waterman 42½V Ripple: clipless vest pocket red and black hard rubber safety, 9 cm long, has been recorked, barrel imprints strong, model number imprint on turning knob weak.
DATE: c. 1930 • CONDITION:
fine-exc • NIB: extra-fine semiflex • $225
2700: unmarked safety: clipless miniature, 8.1 cm long, transparent pale blue enamel over sterling silver with guilloche work; cap crown marked "STERLING", "GERMANY"; excellent quality, some chipping to enamel at edges (see pictures), not inktight (cork seal needs to be replaced); 14K warranted nib.
DATE: c. 1925 •
CONDITION: fine-exc* • NIB: fine flex • $500
