Made in the early 1930s, this 'The de La Rue Pen', No. 560 lever filler is one of the less common offerings from the makers of the Onoto pens.
Fully restored and tested, the pen is in superb condition. It has an excelllent surface with an incredibly sharp and clear barrel imprint identifying the pen and has the model number '560' stamped at the end of the barrel.
The lever filling system works well and the 14Ct. Gold De La Rue nib produces a smooth line with a very good flex. It would particularly suit someone who enjoys writing with a flourish.
At 15.5cm in length with the cap posted for use, it is a long and elegant pen with an unmistakable high quality feel. Although some users prefer not to post the cap on the end of the barrel, these pens were designed to be well balanced when used that way. It is also worth considering that, if the pen is droppped, it is less likely to land nib first!
The last photograph shows the pen alongside it's image in Steve Hull's excellent book on De La Rue pens. It also shows the imprint reading 'Made in Great Britain', the pens were actually made in Scotland after De La Rue moved it's manufacturing base there in 1928.
The De La Rue 560 is not a common pen by any means, a pen in such remarkable condition is highly collectable.