7609 Eversharp Symphony Mk I Fountain Pen and Pencil Set in Red. Boxed. Fine Manifold FIVE STAR Nib.

Summary;

• Make: Eversharp
• Model: Symphony Mk I No.500 Fountain Pen with matching 1500 Propelling Pencil.
• Origin: USA
• Dates from (approx): 1948
• Finish: Red with gold filled trim.
• Overall Length: Fountain Pen 140mm capped, 150mm posted, Pencil 136mm.
• Filling Mechanism: Lever Filler 
• Nib: Fine Manifold.
• Nib Rating: ***** (Nib Ratings Explained Here)

Wahl Eversharp needed a new design shortly after the War, although the Skyline was very successful it was difficult to manufacture and the reject rate was too high. The company had also been hit with a series of marketing disasters, the unpopular Fifth Avenue pen was floundering and the badly designed CA ballpoint pen was giving the warranty department nightmares!

Eversharp turned to one of the most successful industrial desgners of the time, Raymond Loewy, to come up with a design for a new pen which would be attractive (unlike the Fifth Avenue) and easy to manufacture (unlike the Skyline). Loewy came up with the Symphony, a stylish, good looking pen which was easy to manufacture. The Symphony was immediately successful, it wrote well, didn't have any leakage problems and it was pitched at the mid range market which was traditionally where eversharp operated most profitably. The Mk1 Symphony was fitted with the famous Loewy Slipper Cap, this was superseded in later design revisions (again, to keep manufacturing costs down) by a smooth cap.

The Symphony, although not as popular as the iconic Skyline, deserved to be more successful than it actually was, it was well made, very reliable and very good looking. It sold well but there was always the nagging feeling that it should have done better. Symphony pens now are much sought after by collectors who recognise it for what it is - an iconic design.

The Symphony on offer here is the most desirable of all, this is the Mk I version with the famous Loewy "Slipper Cap" The set comprises of the No.500 Fountain Pen and matching 1500 Propelling pencil, finished in Red. They are genuine "New Old Stock" from the late 1940's and, as you would expect, they are in excellent condition. They are supplied in their original box. There are some very light rub marks on the cap and a little corrosion on the clip due to the long term storage. The flocked interior of the box is deteriorating and causing a few dust problems as you can see in the photographs!

The nib on the fountain pen is straight out of the factory which is good news as it will mould itself to your handwriting style a lot more quickly than a used nib.

I have fitted a new ink sac to the pen and it now writes perfectly with a Medium line. The propelling pencil is operated by pushing the button at the top of the cap, the original eraser is still intact but it has gone hard. There are some replacement 1.2mm leads inside.

Pen sets in this condition do not appear on the market very often and this is a rare opportunity to own one.

Condition: New Old Stock

Remember!

• Free UK Postage (1st Class signed for)
• All pens come with a 12 month warranty