A brief guide to Paul Wirt HistoryEverything you ever wanted to know about Wirt feedsA listing of imprints found on Wirt pensA study of clips used by Paul WirtA study of the gold nibs made by Paul Wirt  
     
     
 


Early Wirt Overfeed pens from before 1903 Wirt pens made from 1903 and latter A study of Wirt gold and silver overlay pens A collection of Wirt Safety pens An unusual collection of Wirt Self Fillers A collection of Wirt Lever fillers These shouldn't be so hard to find... Things you might not expect to see

A very early Paul Wirt Overfeed fountain pen.
1885 Wirt overfeed
A huge Oversize Paul Wirt Fountain Pen
Huge #8 Overfeed Mint with price band.

A lovely Paul Wirt Pearl and Abalone slab fountain pen
 Early Pearl slab overfeed.

A gold snail reposse overlay with a taper cap fountain pen
Wirt Early solid gold overlay overfeed.

A Paul Wirt hexagon fountain pen
Wirt Hex overfeed pen.


NEXT PAGE

  

The Paul Wirt overfeed fountain pens are my favorites. For me they represent everything about the Gilded age of America, the time after the Civil War until the 1900's. The pride of progress, the push for perfection, and the competition for profit.

Paul Wirt did not invent the overfeed fountain pen, but he was the first American to see its potential and improve upon it. Basically, he made it work.

Paul Wirt sold millions of these fountain pens, however back in the 1880's and 1890's, these pens were bought to be used, not as prized collector items, so it is frustratingly hard to find early overfeed fountain pens in mint or excellent conditon.

An early Paul Wirt advertisement showing a swelled case fountain pen This advertisement shows one of the harder to find Overfeed pens, a Wirt Swelled Case pen. Not only was this pen advertised to be an ergomatic pen, but also the pen had a double resivore.  

The inner resivore was said to be insulated from heat generated by the writer's hand, and consequently prevented leaks. Quite, an interesting idea, but a rather odd looking fountain pen. I doubt that these sold well, and explains why they are so scarce today.