Verification, writing sample, and album: https://imgur.com/a/SaGGCNL.

 

For sale: A Pilot Elite Japanese pocket pen with a 14k fine <F> gold nib, body and cap with floral decorations, and coral section.

 

The Pilot Elite is a precursor to the modern-day Pilot E95S, with the “long-short” design where the long cap posts onto a short body, yielding a full-size pen. Though they can take a Pilot CON-20 or CON-40 converter, they are for the most part used as (refillable) cartridge pens. While not completely equivalent to the Pilot E95S, a vintage Pilot Elite provides a gold nib at an affordable price point and an interesting alternative.

 

This Elite features a lovely floral imprint on both its body and cap, along with a coral section. Often, when I’ve run across this pen it is fairly beaten up, as the finish is a bit delicate, but this one is in great condition, with only tiny minor blemishes and microscratching.

One thing to note is that the body ring does not screw into the section, so take care not to lose it when you are refilling the pen. I am a ding dong. The "joiner ring" secures the body ring to the section. I was unscrewing it unintentionally.

 

Writingwise, the flow is just a tad dry, there is a small bit of pencil-like feedback (which I find pleasant – your mileage may vary), and the nib is on the stiffer side, with no noticeable give. There is no visible nib or body code to date the pen, but circa 1975 is a good guess. Solid grade B.

 

The pen will ship with a Pilot ink cartridge.

 

Asking for $70.00 shipped to CONUS. Shipping outside the US is possible, but buyer pays for it. All sub rules apply. Please comment publicly first.