Rotring
Pens and Ephemera

It came as a surprise to us to learn that there is a huge difference between the original Rotring 600 fountain pens, such as this one, and the poorly made modern ones. These original ones were very well constructed. There are no cracks or problems with the metal. The cap snaps tightly, and the worst you can say about this pen is that it has a little wear from use. It comes with standard international converter. You will write a firm, dry extra-fine line with its steel nib. There's a little feedback, but not much. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.7cm capped.

We wish we could tell you that this Rotring 600 is one of the classic ones from longer ago, but it is much more modern. You can tell by the crack in the barrel near the tail. You can see the brass beneath the black. Click the headline for close-ups. We've never seen a metal pen crack before. Otherwise, this pen is nearly perfect. The crack won't effect the writing. It has a firm, extra-fine steel nib that is reasonably smooth for an extra-fine nib. It fills with standard international cartridges. There is a silvery disc on the tail that has "EF" in black letters, indicating the nib size. 14cm capped.

Modern mechanical pencils don't get much cooler than the Rotring 600. All metal, modern design...this pen is in great condition. Minimal if any wear. It takes .7mm leads. There is a half-used eraser and spare leads under the tail clicker. 14.3cm

Remember what a big deal we thought the Millennium would be? Everything was branded with millennium, such as this Rotring Millennium "ArtPen." Rotring vowed to make these through the year 2000. This is the 1996 edition. It appears to be New Old Stock. No trace of wear and the nib doesn't seem to be dipped. You get all of its original boxes and papers. The cap was hand lacquered and looks better than this photo can convey. Click the headline for close-ups. Its two-tone nib looks as if it is gold, but it is not marked such. It is marked "M" for medium, but we have not dipped it to preserve its newness. It fills with standard international cartridges. It comes with the original empty dummy cartridge and an unopened but dried out cartridge. 17.8cm capped.