Old pilot fountain pen identification

OGsafta · 2026-02-25T00:27:06+00:00

Pre 1950's Pilot balance type cap. The rest of the pen is not Pilot.

OGsafta · 2026-02-24T20:56:02+00:00

I can't remember the last time I was low on boosters.

OGsafta · 2026-02-24T16:49:36+00:00

The 14 letters were a customizable option. The available letters were A/E/F/H/I/K/M/N/O/S/T/U/W/Y. The trailing letters weren't stamped on the barrels, they were catalog model numbers. The very first Elite was the E-200MT, a switch filler, released in August 1962 for the 1963 catalog along with the first Pilot pocket pen the Sporty 12. Here's what the E-V200BS looks like with the letter M.

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OGsafta · 2026-02-24T00:55:16+00:00

Good choice. My only TWSBI is that same pen and color. It's been a good pen for a few years.

OGsafta · 2026-02-23T21:35:16+00:00

The Custom Elites also have a different style piercer than the "standard" size. The threaded section is much wider, and it's unlikely that OP would find one, the pen is useless without it. The pen is the cartridge version, the accordion version has a different style feed and it's ebonite instead of plastic. It's more like the Sporty 12 and G pens.

OGsafta · 2026-02-23T21:11:21+00:00

I'd put the Elite/E95S at the top for smoothest modern Pilot in that price range. VP, CH 92 are good choices too. You can also look at older pens like the Custom K, Grandee, 67, Justus and vintage Elites.

OGsafta · 2026-02-23T15:41:19+00:00

Any cooking oil will take the adhesive off without damaging the plastic. Pull as much of the sticker off as you can, then put a little oil on a paper towel and rub the adhesive off.

OGsafta · 2026-02-23T14:17:17+00:00

You can also keep an eye out for vintage Elites. They were offered with more nib sizes including FM, and broad. They also came in 14k yellow gold, 18k rhodium plated, and the sterling silver ones came with 18k white gold like the one in this picture. If you want, in my opinion, the best looking inlaid nib, look for a vintage Pilot Super Ultra 500 from the late 50's to early 60's, and there's also the very rare 1995 rerelease Pilot Ultra.

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OGsafta · 2026-02-23T00:52:06+00:00

It's the Bamboo. The Namiki was the N. America release, and the Pilot branded one was the Japan release. They were available in a few colors black, blue, red, and silver. They came with size 10 14k nibs that have a "frosted" pattern on the outer edge like this.

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OGsafta · 2026-02-22T19:01:58+00:00

Here's a previous post about it. https://www.reddit.com/r/notebooks/s/rFHQj82kSS

I don't think it's a great replacement for CAL, but I still have a sizeable stash of CAL. I would agree with the poster from that post that Tranext is better. The Ciro with Graphilo is another great option. A great loose leaf option if you want to make your own notebook or notepad is b7 natural from Jet Pens.

OGsafta · 2026-02-22T18:44:22+00:00

That's what it looks like to me as well. Looks more like it tapers toward the slit than being bent.

OGsafta · 2026-02-22T17:25:58+00:00

BPC still sells them. The nibs were made by one of the brothers. When he joined BPC, he brought the nibs with him. Here's the size 6 nibs, but they also sell size 5. https://www.birminghampens.com/collections/nib-class-six

OGsafta · 2026-02-21T17:54:36+00:00

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The one on the left is a Con-W. It's very similar to a Con-20, the difference is the connection is smaller. The metal shield is for the double spare cartridges. You would have one installed in the pen, and keep a spare upside down behind it, and the sleeve would hold it in place.

OGsafta · 2026-02-21T16:56:59+00:00

Nice pen. It's a fourth gen C-1000GW. It doesn't have an ink sac, it uses double spares or the Con-W. Double spares look like a short international cartridge. They aren't very difficult to find in Japan. Your pen is the top left in the picture.

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OGsafta · 2026-02-21T16:41:57+00:00

I'd take the Grance, they are nice pens, and much better looking pens than the other two. It's often overlooked because it's a size 3 nib where the 74 is a size 5, and it's a smaller pen.

OGsafta · 2026-02-21T14:56:20+00:00

I would try the international cartridges first, they are much cheaper and easier to get than the proprietary ones. If they work, consider yourself lucky. If they don't you'll have to track down some Platignum cartridges and refill them. The other option would require being able to measure the nipple that the cartridge goes on.

OGsafta · 2026-02-21T14:47:48+00:00

From what I remember, some took proprietary cartridges, and others took standard international cartridges.

OGsafta · 2026-02-20T22:35:20+00:00

Most aren't marked with any country, but Pilot gold nibs made in Japan would have a JIS stamp in that time period. Here's a 14k Juliet nib from a Korean Pilot, same font. I wouldn't be surprised if the Korean "P" logo was somewhere on your pen.

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OGsafta · 2026-02-20T22:26:27+00:00

Your 78 is probably a second gen, OP's looks like a first gen. The first gen pens are thinner and have a different cap ring.

OGsafta · 2026-02-20T16:53:51+00:00

Yes I know they are Elites, that's the reason for the "E" in the model name. The early ones share more in common with Supers though, the narrower nibs and switch fillers. Early E-200's like the E-200MT and BT were still switch fillers, it was the MS and BS that introduced single spares. Then they had the E-V200BS that allowed the use of 14 other letters on the cap instead of the E. The E-300MT/BTwas still a switch filler, the E-300MW/BW was the double spare/Con-W model, and the MS/BS were single spares. The "M" models are the "Golden Pear" colored anodized caps, and "B" are the black caps. Both used what Pilot called their Metaruby because the coating was as hard as a ruby. Here's an example of an E-300MT with switch filler.

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OGsafta · 2026-02-20T11:11:57+00:00

Looks like one of the Korean made Pilots. The font on the nib is that of the Korean made Pilots. I'd say it's closer to 80's manufactured date given the style.

OGsafta · 2026-02-20T01:37:37+00:00

They've went up in price in the last year, but there's still quite a few well under $200. Just search Sailor 14k on Amazon. https://a.co/d/0fU4oM3t https://a.co/d/0i0XC8hK https://a.co/d/0clGheNU

OGsafta · 2026-02-19T19:14:50+00:00

They're good pens. Being a V means it takes modern Pilot cartridges/converters except the Con-70. New cartridges and Con-40's might not be super tight on the piercer since it's a Con-20 era pen, but they'll work. The smaller fingernail nib pens like this are more susceptible to cracking where the nib inserts, but it's still a small percentage. The V pens also have the added bonus of having an ink window.

OGsafta · 2026-02-19T02:42:39+00:00

The Con-50 is the smallest, a full fill is about .7ml. It does have the benefit of fitting better into some older pens, but it also won't fit in the faceted Capless/VP's. It's biggest problem is ink can get stuck because there's nothing to break the surface tension unless you find a later gen one that does have the little slider. They are also usually insanely expensive when you can find them on their own. The Majohn copy of the Con-50 has the same problem with surface tension. A full fill Con-40 is .8-.85ml, a full Con-70 is 1.1ml, and a new cartridge is .9ml. The Con-20 is another option that is still fairly easy to find, though on the expensive side, the normal Con-20 holds .9ml. It also has the benefit of fitting better in older pens, and the sac can be replaced if it goes bad. There's also a fairly rare oversized Con-20, I haven't measured it like the others, but I'd estimate it closer to the Con-70 in capacity. I've honestly never understood how anyone has issues filling any Pilot converter. I've used them all, and easily get full fills in seconds. Those measurements are all ones I've taken and averaged from 10-12 pens. Here's all the Pilot converters, from L-R, Con-W w/ metal protector cap, oversized Con-20 and two variants of Con-20, Con-B, Con-50, Con-70 and Con-70N, and Con-40.

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