I sat down to write a note to some friends . . . .
It's hard to have a visit with them and not come away with something . . . a hangover, a great story or something to remember the trip by.
We spent the 4th of July at their home in coastal South Carolina. Not only were they great hosts and wonderful company, Jim managed to persuade my wife to conceal his "parting gift" in my luggage.
A 1928 Longines with calibre 13.34, a 15 jewel version of the movement introduced in 1910, produced in several variations from 15 to 18 jewels, cased in 14k green gold fill (green gold is alloyed with silver)
I mentioned another vintage . . .
I recently bought a Sheaffer Triumph vacuum fill fountain pen I understand is from 1946 . . . .
I'm just learning about fountain pens . . . . this one has a 14k gold nib (how does that work -- the part that writes doesn't seem to be gold?)
Despite appearances to the contrary, I understand the pen is made of celluloid, not wood.
[from Wikipedia --
Celluloid is the name of a class of
compounds created from
nitrocellulose and
camphor, plus dyes and other agents. Generally regarded to be the first
thermoplastic, it was first created as
Parkesine in 1856 and as
Xylonite in 1869 before being registered as
Celluloid in 1870. Celluloid is easily
molded and shaped, and it was first widely used as an
ivory replacement. Celluloid is highly flammable and also easily decomposes, and is no longer widely used. Its most common uses today are the
table tennis ball and
guitar picks]
In any case, a hearty thank you to our hosts, Jim and Ginger!!!
Sam
