Corona Extra
1940s
About This Model
There were many small fountain pen manufacturers in Italy during the vintage era, particularly in Torino and Bologne, and included Artus, Atlantica, Aurea, Imperiale, Kosca and others. The trouble is that there is almost no published information about them, except for the wonderful scholarship of Letizia Jacobini, who has managed to tease out most of the sub-brands and models from brands, a tremendously complex job. Most of the brands here were one purchase I made some years back to experience mid-level Italian vintage pens. They were almost all button-fillers, in celluloid patterns that I had never seen before or since. The nibs were almost all steel, responsive and often at least minimally flexible. Filcao started in the 1960s in Settimo Torinese, Italy, as a machine shop for metal parts. Crediting Richard Binder for the history, it's noted that by the end of the decade Filcao was producing cartridge/converter fountain pens, which then became its primary business. In 2004, Binder designed a pen for Filcao called “Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean,” an all-new button filler. It was followed by the Atlantica, the Nobile, and the Silvia. Filcao closed in 2012.
About This Pen
This is another of the Italian vintage group I purchased, from a firm called Mario Diaz. Jacobini’s text notes that Coronas were made by various manufacturers, and that Extras were piston-fillers, but this Extra is a button-filler. It has, uncommonly, two barrel rings, which give it a very interesting and different appearance. The pen is of red streaked celluloid, with gold trim. It has seen some use, shows some minor nicks and marks, but is a very solid pen that can be used every day. Its nib, also imprinted Corona Extra, is 585 gold, and like most of the other of my Italian vintage, writes a flexible fine line with just a little feedback.
Price: $175 Sold