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Maker: Osmiroid.

The failure to mention the 75 makes one wonder, though....

In about 1980, Osmiroid appears to have retired its earlier self-filling models, replacing them with this item.  I am at something of a loss regarding the model name to apply, though.  I have an opinion from one who I respect that this may be a latter-day incarnation of the 65.  However, I have a packet of cartridges made at about the same time that specifically says they are not to be used in a 65, which strongly suggests this is something else.  Just what, though, is still an open issue.  I have seen one other site refer to it as “Osmiroid’s New Model”, but I’m not sure they mean that capitalization.  I am, for the moment, using the name by which the interchangible sections were sold.

I’m not altogether sure why this change came about, other than to perhaps come as late to the cartridge pen party as Osmiroid had managed with the entire fountain pen fiesta.  The inset points are reasonably nice to look at, and somewhat address what might be considered the dated looks of the open-points on the 65 and 75, but that might be outweighed by the extremely old-fashioned profile of the pen when capped.  Then again, Sheaffer had been getting away with similarly retro-look in the No Nonsense for years at that point.

Like the 65, there are two ages of this pen, although the difference is rather more subtle in this case.  The early version have an actual steel cap band, while the latter merely have a gold-foil imprint of bands.  For reasons I go into in the page about the sections, the parts of these eras are not compatible with each other, seems to me a bit of folly.

Some of these pens came with a “Squeeze-Fill” converter, which was in effect an empty vinyl cartridge with very thin walls.  It was relatively long, and had no internal mechanism, so a good capacity is possible with some care.

Production Run: c. 1980 – c. 1999

Cost When New: Dashed if I can remember.  Not a lot; I bought my own on high school student money.

Size: 12.8 cm long capped, 15.0 cm posted, 11.7 cm uncapped.  These measurement are a little idealized, since the points are not of a uniform size; a Copperplate point has much longer tines than any of the Italics.

Point: Plated steel

Body: Polystyrene

Filler: Cartridge, international type (0.6 or 1.4 ml) or converter (which I’ve lost mine, and thus can only guess the capacity from memory and on-line pictures; likely about 0.8ml)

The earlier version, with a real cap ring

 

The later version. This is one of the Chinese manifestations, but the previous late models are indistinguishable.

A larger boxed set; this is from very late in the production.

An earlier boxed set, but still of the later pattern; purchased about 1990

 

 

If you are relying on the preceding information to win a bet or impress a teacher, you should read the site’s scholarly caveat. Remember, this is the internet, and it’s full of bad information.

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