Aurora “98”
1960s
About This Model
The Aurora 88 model line is one of the more reliable and elegant fountain pens ever made. It heralded the reawakening of the Italian fountain pen industry after WWII, its design inspired by the Parker 51 seen in the pockets of many American soldiers in Italy for the reconstruction of Europe. However closely they resembled 51s with their gold cap over a black barrel/hood instead of a traditional gripping section and partially hooded nib, under the surface lay an all-Italian piston mechanism and workmanship. And, as Parker issued 51s in gold and Lustroloy caps, Aurora did as well it the 88, adding the a cap in a silver/nickel alloy called Nikargenta. The original 88, according to research by Jacobini and others, sold from 1948 until it was succeeded by the 88K in 1953 and the 88P in 1958, some 3 million sold pens later. The 88 line was one of very few pens that carried a serial number, which recent research has pinned down to years of manufacture and made it possible to identify each pen's age within a month or two. 88s were sold until the 1970s and are generally regarded as the most sold Italian fountain pen. In modern years, after 2005, Aurora began reissuing the 88, in an all-resin-bodied pen, with, after 2015, a wide variety of nibs.
About This Pen
Aurora, the Italian company that has produced numerous elegant fountain pens from the early 1900s until the present day, restarted its postwar activity in 1949 with the 88, in clear homage to the success of the Parker 51s carried by thousands of American soldiers rebuilding Italy. The 88 engendered Aurora’s next generations of pens, in numerous models, among them the 98 family of the 1960’s. This pen, in steel with chrome plating, is a cartridge filler, introduced as a less expensive option. While not a true 98, it is much more affordable and less complicated, and carries the 98’s wonderful, expressive nib, which writes a wet medium line with a bit of flex. This pen has been recently restored by the manufacturer and comes with an Aurora cartridge and in the Aurora service case.
Price: $118 Sold