This beautiful circa 1925 Conklin Endura Flattop fountain pen belonged to my grandfather. It is the black and gold version. I have memories of my grandfather using this pen in the late 50s and mid 60s. He used to travel to dry cleaning plants all over California and Nevada taking orders and writing them up with this pen. The pen was 25-30 years old by then.
After my grandparents passed the pen wound up in my hands. It was no longer functional by the time I got it. I kept it for sentimental reasons. The ink had dried up and the ink bladder cracked and deteriorated.
I have always liked fountain pens, though I never had a working one of my own. Good fountain pens are expensive. They have remained more popular in Europe than in the States. Lately they seem to be regaining some popularity in the States. I started looking for a nice fountain pen and was surprised how expensive a good pen is. Not surprisingly my Facebook page became inundated with cheap knock off fountain pens from China. They weren't what I was looking for.
Even used and restored fountain pens commanded premium prices. Looking at Etsy and Ebay good pens like the Conklin Endura could easily fetch $300. Restored pens were going from $300 and up. Some Parkers around the $1000 mark and Mont Blanc, well we will just say they are expensive.
I decided to see if my Conklin could be restored. I researched a number of people that restore fountain pens and decided on a vendor. Three weeks after I sent the pen in, and less than $75 later, the pen was returned completely restored to like new condition. So now, 100 years after it was manufactured, it graces my desk and pocket. The pen writes beautifully, though my penmanship could stand some work.