c.1948 NOS Stickered Waterman Taperite Conquest 517V Fountain Pen - SEMIFLEX

Vintage: c.1948

Make: Waterman's

Model: Conquest Taperite 517V

Color: Jet

Materials: Acrylic, brushed Lumalloy cap, nickel-plated trim

Filling System: Lever-filler (resacced and guaranteed to fill to factory capacity)

Length: This short model measures 4 9/16” capped and 5 5/16” posted. 

Nib: 14k nib lays down a smooth and consistent XF/F line that’s stubby under normal pressure with cross-strokes slightly thinner than down-strokes. And the line widens to a 2B/3B (approx 1.3mm) under moderate pressure.

Condition: Near mint. This pen is new old stock with it's original price sticker intact. But it has been resacced and inked. Unlike most of these you’ll find, the brushed cap is pristine with no dents, dings, or scratches. Lever is also pristine. Acrylic parts are smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other notable blemishes – scarcely even any microscratches. Manufacturer imprint on barrel is factory deep and fully legible. 

Details: I received this pen in a batch of New Old Stock Watermans from the 1940s. It retains its original sticker on the barrel, which reads: “517V / Med. Flex / $5.00.” When Parker’s 51 was introduced in 1941 and became an instant bestseller, the other Big Four makers scrambled to develop designs that would compete with the world’s most desirable pen. Waterman’s Taperite pens were arguably the most successful. Like the 51, they featured a clutch-activated cap for convenient (un)capping. And Waterman offered the option of a semi-hooded nib touted to prevent the nib from drying out as fast when the pen was left uncapped. Like the Crusader below, the Conquest has a distinctively wartime appellation. This V-model (‘v’ for vestpocket) has a black acrylic barrel and a brushed aluminum cap with midcentury design elements - a material Waterman dubbed Lumalloy.