Matador Express 814

Siebert & Löwen was founded in 1895 by Adolf Siebert and Ewald Löwen in Wuppertal-Elberfeld (near Düsseldorf). The company originally made office supplies, but had started making fountain pens by 1911, when they were granted this patent in France.

One of the most significant innovations made by the company was the development of an airtight slip-on cap in 1949. The first models with this feature were called the Matador Click, due to the noise it made when you closed it.

This Express 814 was made before the Click – probably around 1940. It’s a piston filler with an Extra Fine nib.

The finial at the top of the cap and the bottom of the piston mechanism are both made of ebonite, and show some signs of age, as can be seen in the photos. There is also some significant pitting around the ring of the clip – although the clip itself is in excellent shape.

Total weight: 12.7  g
Body weight: 10.4  g
Total length (not posted): 117.1  mm
Total length(with cap): 122.2 mm
Barrel max diameter: 11.9 mm
Cap max diameter: 13.8 mm

V2018071