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I have been a fan of the Pilot Capless/Namiki Vanishing Point fountain pen since I bought my first Vanishing Point 11 years ago. Nine years ago I started collecting the early Vanishing Point and Pilot Capless (the predecessor to the Vanishing Point) pens, and I started to keep a file of all the information I found on these great writing instruments. |
At the Pilot Namiki Capless/Vanishing Point History Page you will find historical information on the fountain pens gleaned from my files and collection, and from the many VP fans that have shared their information with me. This is a work in progress, and I don’t claim to be an expert in this line of fountain pens. I am just a fan who has an interest in its history, would like to acquire more information about these fountain pens, and share this information with those who are interested. |
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Click the links to view Pilot Capless/Namiki Vanishing Point foutain pen ink filling instructions. |
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Ink Cartridge
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(Large Document - English & Japanese) |
| Press-Plate (Squeeze) Converter and Twist Converter |
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Twist
Converter with Ink Bottle |
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What's
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(May 22, 2009) Just got 3 prototype Vanishing Points: two lightish reds and one lightish blue. The three pens with the tags on the pocket clip in the picture below are the regular production, released in the U.S., pens. The red pen with no tag and the two with round stickers are the prototypes. I was told that the stickered VPs are trimmed with chrome rather than rhodium. Looking at them I can't tell the difference. All three of the prototypes have 14K gold nibs dated 1998 or 1999. Thought I saw a while back a picture of a lightish red with gold trim VP for sale in Japan, but I have never seen the lightish blue or red with chrome (or rhodium) trim.
(May 15, 2009) Just uploaded over 40 pens for sale to my Web site. Most are very
desirable limited editions from the '90s. I have a nice selection
of Montblancs, Viscontis, Auroras and Pelikans, among others. I
even have a Pilot Mandarin Yellow Vanishing Point for
sale. (February 1, 2009) I have added four new beauties to the Pilot
Namiki Capless/Vanishing Point fountain pen history page. First is
the first model Pilot released after it stopped producing the still popular plastic-faceted barrel pen. This lacquered
enamled barrel with gold trim was first released in 1998 in Japan before
it was released to the American market. The Japanese version has 18K gold nibs, the American version
has 14K gold nibs. Finally, Pilot has released another yellow VP (September 2008). This yellow is NOT like the May 2003 limited edition Mandarin yellow Vanishing Point. This yellow is a little lighter than the "mustard" yellow VP that was released in December 2000 in Japan. The Mandarin yellow is more of a lemony yellow. The nib in the new yellow VP is 18K yellow gold, the Mandarin yellow has a 14K yellow gold nib. For those who are interested in seeing the different shades of yellow (alongside the orange) that Pilot offers in their Vanishing Points I have added a picture below to illustrate the differences. While I was at it, I decided to add VPs in the various grays, silvers, rhodium, and chrome that Pilot also released. Below the picture I listed the official colors of the fountain pens.
From left to right: 1) gray (released in Japan); 2) slate
gray (the exact same color as the previous gray); ORANGE
CRUSH (October 2007)
ICED
PILOT (January 1, 2007)
PILOT IS TWISTING THINGS UP
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| Click below for Pilot Capless/Namiki Vanishing Point fountain pen ink filling instructions. |
|
Ink Cartridge
-
(Large Document - English & Japanese) |
| Press-Plate (Squeeze) Converter and Twist Converter |
| Twist Converter with Ink Bottle |
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Updated: June
5, 2009
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