Columbus rolled gold - Fountain pen

Columbus Extra – Italian vintage fountain pen with 585 gold nib and original box

Refined Columbus Extra fountain pen, produced in Italy, complete with its elegant original period box.

The piece features a refined gold finish with characteristic decorative geometric motif work, gold-plated clip and details. The pen preserves the original Columbus Extra nib, stamped with “585 Extra,” indicating 14-carat gold (585/1000).

The pen is accompanied by its original Columbus box, an especially interesting element for the collector and which helps preserve the object’s historical identity.

Historical notes:
The Columbus brand represents one of the most important historical realities in Italian writing instrument production.

The company was founded in Milan in 1918 by brothers Eugenio and Alfredo Verga, dedicated to the production of fountain pens, nibs, inks, and stationery. The first Columbus was the Safety Pen No. 1, made in black ebonite.

In the following years, the Milanese house developed increasingly refined models, introducing materials, filling systems, and finishes of greater value. The Columbus Extra line belongs to the brand’s most prestigious production and represents one of the most interesting expressions of Italian fountain pen tradition in the twentieth century.

The 1930s-1940s decade was one of Columbus’s most successful periods, with production characterized by numerous models, different finishes, and technical solutions. The designation “Extra” was used for the higher-end pens in Columbus’s production.

The manufacturing history is also tied to Milan’s wartime events: the factory on Via Lamarmora was destroyed by bombing, and production was temporarily moved to Lesa, on Lake Maggiore, before returning to Milan in the postwar period.

Exemplar characteristics:
Brand: Columbus
Line: Columbus Extra
Type: fountain pen
Production: Italian, Milan
Nib: Columbus Extra
Nib stamp: “585 Extra”
Nib material: 14-carat gold, 585/1000
Finish: gold/plated, with geometric decoration
Accessories: original Columbus box
Era: vintage, precise dating to be determined
Conditions: good vintage condition, with normal signs of time and use visible in the photographs

An item for enthusiasts of vintage Italian fountain pens, Columbus collectors, and those who appreciate the history of Milanese pen-manufacturing.

Please carefully study the photographs, which are an integral part of the description.