PenHero 365: Eversharp 5th Avenue
by Jim Mamoulides, January 20, 2010
Eversharp 5th Avenue fountain pen open
Although my primary collecting focus is fountain pens, one particular pen that I am a sucker for when I see them in antique stores is the Eversharp CA ballpoint pen. The CA, the initials stood for "capillary action," a reference to the way the liquid ink refill worked, had the dubious distinction of being both a wild commercial success and a huge commercial disaster at the same time. In 1945, when the CA was introduced, ballpoint pens were a novelty, with very few available on the market. I like CAs because the capped models are very easily converted to usable ballpoints by substituting a collared BIC Crystal refill for the useless CA unit.
Eversharp 5th Avenue fountain pen closed
Eversharp, already having great success with the fast selling Skyline, rushed into the ballpoint market by spending millions to obtain the rights to make the Biro ballpoint from the Eterpen Company of Argentina. Unlike Sheaffer, which introduced its own well tested ballpoint pen, the Stratowriter, in 1946, Eversharp essentially skipped over extensive product and market testing trying to beat the Reynolds company's Rocket ballpoint to market. Rather than license the patent rights to the Biro, as Eversharp did, Reynolds did it the old fashioned way and just copied the Biro design.
Eversharp 5th Avenue fountain pen open showing cap engraving
The CA was introduced in multiple versions and at a high price point, $15.00 for the gold filled cap Fifth Avenue CA, higher than most 14 karat gold nib fountain pens on the market. Eventually the CA line included pens from $6.95 to $100.00. After a hugely successful first year, Eversharp suffered massive returns because of the poor writing quality. Who would pay $15.00, for a lousy pen when you could have a Parker 51 for the same or less money? The cost of the returns, along with the lost investment and damaged reputation crippled the company, the line was dropped by the end of 1947 and the effect was more cheaply made, less premium designs beginning in 1948. Eversharp was out of the big leagues.
Eversharp 5th Avenue fountain pen hooded nib and cap detail
While the CA was sucking up all the oxygen, Eversharp did introduce a new, cylindrical, hooded nib design fountain pen as part of the new in 1945 Fifth Avenue line. This is probably the first time in a line of pens where the ballpoint was the featured item and the fountain pen was the secondary writing instrument. I find the design of the Fifth Avenue very appealing, especially since it was a step in a different direction from the highly streamlined pens that were in vogue in the 1930s and 1940s. The cylindrical shape echoes early fountain pens from the hard rubber era, but the oddly short, ribbed gold filled cap with its massive, v-channel clip speaks of a completely different era. The cap pulls off using a ridge clutch, much like contemporary pens, and the hooded section has two chiseled panes on the top giving the tip a more pronounced point and angular look. It's a menacing look. What's that gold thing peeking out of Mongo or Darth Vader's pocket?
I actually forgot I had this Fifth Avenue. I have a stack of pen boxes where I store project pens, and I was going through one of them, looking at the CAs and noticed that one of them looked like it had a lever on the side. Well, how about that! I actually had to replace the ink sac, which was a simple job, just unscrew the barrel from the section and slip on a new one, making sure the breather tube was clear and positioned correctly in the back of the feed.
This Eversharp 5th Avenue is a mid-size, lightweight pen, weighing 0.6 ounce and being 5 1/4 inches long with the cap on and 5 3/4 inches with the cap posted on the end of the barrel. The uncapped pen is quite long and fits the hand nicely unposted. There was also a shorter, ladies version of the pen.
Eversharp 5th Avenue fountain pen showing hooded nib detail
Since it's a lever fill pen, filling is simple, dunk the section in the ink, flip open the lever, count to ten and wipe. I've found that this pen is not quite as efficient a filler as I would like, not holding as much ink as the larger sac should. The hooded nib covers up a larger nib unit than in the Parker 51, and this one is something of a medium stub, being a little flattened and a wet writer. For a surprise find in the repair pen box, I really enjoy this Eversharp Fifth Avenue. It's been in and out of my rotation for several days and I've found it quite fun. I have a trip ahead and may take it along.
You can read more about the Eversharp CA in this article: Eversharp CA Ballpoint 1945-1947.
Discuss / Recommend what you read on PenHero.com
Follow us on Twitter: PenHero
Add a link to PenHero.com on your blog:
(Copy & paste code)
Please only use the photo provided. Use of other photos requires permission.
The provided link photo will change as we update the site.
Comments on this article may be sent
to the author, Jim Mamoulides
PenHero.com Bibliography