NOS True Time Capsule - Lost Brand of France - 1930s Stylomine Hard Rubber Lever Filling Fountain Pen w/ 18K Super Flex EF Hearthole Nib Item ID: VAR-174

STYLOMINE France

Manufacturer/Model: Stylomine France/ 300 Family - Exact model unknown - Box marked 6901D
Year of production:  Exact year unknown, estimated mid to late 1930s
Filling system: Lever Filler
Nib: 18K 750 Solid Gold - EF Size, Super Flexible melts on paper, writes up to BB/3B, wet and consistent; Original Ebonite feed
Material: Barrel - cast hard rubber, Cap - steel, 18K gold plated
Length (pen closed): 135mm, Posted: 150mm posed
Condition and information:

Offered here is an extremely beautiful and rare pen from the lost company of Stylomine, made in France in the 1930s. Moreover, the astonishing condition of this true time capsule, basically found as it was sold close to a century ago, in its original carton box with the instructions leaflet, with its original price sticker, and promo band around the cap stating its 18K gold plated. We rarely see pens in such condition, and whenever we encounter them, we are thrown back in time as if we were there.

The pen is made by Stylomine, a very respected and well established company from France who started in the 1920s. They had some very unique pen models, including the first accordion bladder filler in the 300 series range. This pen however seems to be the predecessor of the 300 line, as it features a very similar design, but the materials used and the filling system are different.

The pen is made entirely out of hard rubber, it is solid, very dark blue, with a nice steel 18k gold plated cap. The inspiration for the lever filling system is obviously from early Watermans and many brands used this system at the time. The most unique aspect is the retaining ring at the section, which is basically a serrated cylinder where the "flaps" help guide the cap in and out as well as protecting the body from scratches. The feedback and feel when opening and closing the cap are quite unique.

While specific details about the company's history and product line are extremely limited, we managed to pull together several sources from inside our company literature and some online and just partially piece together some history of this company.  From piecing all the info we have and some telltale signs such as the materials, the build and the filling system, we estimate this pen was made somewhere in the mid to late 1930s. Similar Stylomine pens are known to exist from the 1950s, however they merely resemble the shape of this pen, though the materials are completely different. The last pens produced from this company are also from the 1950s, when it apparently went out of business.

The nib is the pinnacle of the pen. A very smooth and soft, solid 18K gold Heart-hole nib, absolutely superb as only those old flex nibs can be. Its size is not marked, however it is pure EF by today's standard, so the nib with all its flexibility will just dance on the paper and produce some amazing line variations from EF to BB and wider. The ebonite feed can easily support it and feed it with all the ink it requires.

The pen is ready to be used, perfectly functional as the day it was made. A beautiful masterpiece pen worthy a notable place in the fountain pen history books.