Missouri Pacific Railway #1 Pen Nib (Vintage)

ABOUT THIS PEN: Commissioned by the Missouri Pacific Railway — most likely in the 1930s-40s, based on the railway's history and the specific styles of box and nib — this vintage steel pen was manufactured by one of the large nib manufacturers of the 20th century. The nib is very well-made, with a distinct and consistent stamp, excellent metal condition after almost a century, and beautiful hand-grinding starting above the vent hole. It's a smooth writer and very reliable, which would have been nice for the MoPac railway clerks of 100 years ago. Firm and rounded at the tip, the #1 nib would have been for accounting or precise writing, since its line width is smaller than the other MoPac nibs in our collection. It's great for neat writing on modern lined paper or gridded notebook paper. ABOUT OUR VINTAGE PENS: Since 2016, we've collected, chronicled, and re-sold vintage dip pen nibs from the turn of the 20th century. Back in our second year in business, a regular customer paid in trade (no, we don't allow that anymore) with an old box of Esterbrook Blackstones, and we've been selling vintage pens ever since. Each one of our vintage pen nibs is individually inspected here in our St. Louis office, packaged in a glassine envelope, and shipped carefully in the same box as your modern art supplies. Please note, each nib is sold individually and without a dip pen holder. The pen holder is sold separately because the nibs eventually get worn out and replaced. It's not like a fountain pen, where the nib and handle usually have the same lifespan. VINTAGE DIP PEN BASICS: All dip pens, for more than a century, are finished with a thin coating to prevent rust. You need to remove this protective coating so that ink will stick to the nib consistently. To remove the coating, simply dip your new pen in ink a couple of times and wipe it off. Repeat until the ink coats the nib completely and doesn't bead up. This process takes about 15 seconds and only needs to be done once, before you use the pen for the first time.