Pen Model: Osmia

Osmia was one of the great early fountain pen manufacturers in Germany, founded by Hermann Böhler, an early principal in Kaweco, in 1919. The name Osmia was finally settled upon, to memorialize their patented use of osmiumalloy, a very high quality iridium alloy for nib tips that enabled them to provide a lifetime warranty for their pens. During the 1920’s, Osmia produced the Parker Duofolds that were marketed in Europe, but were apparently not successful with this because the American nibs were too stiff.

Throughout the 1930s, Osmia recovered from losing Parker and produced a variety of successful button- and piston-filled models. Most important, Faber-Castell bought a minority share in the company, and invested steadily until assuming ownership in 1951. Gradually, the Osmia brand evolved to F-C, until it disappeared completely in the early 1960s. Faber-Castell continued the tradition of producing very fine pens, and does to this day.