In the early 1990s Visconti entered the market of fountain pens with very innovative ideas. The young Florentine company aimed at creating exclusive writing instruments which could synthesise tradition and innovation.

Their first line of products was called  Ragtime; the denomination made reference to the musical trend which developed in the USA from the late 1800 and the first decade of 1900. The pens had a very traditional design, with a peculiar clip which was reminiscent of mobile clips of the past. Ragtime pens were made in celluloid in a variety of colours. Nibs were initially steel; later on gold nibs were adopted, too.The line was extremely successful.

In those early years, Visconti was able to acquire a large stock of vintage celluloid in Bologna from the Vecchietti shop.The Vecchietti family still owned the ancient Nettuno brand and its entire warehouse. 

Using this precious and antique celluloid, Visconti was able to create beautiful writing instruments which flanked the Ragtime line.One of the most fascinating creations was the Classic range, a very elegant and linear series of flat top pens  with a ball ended clip  which was manufactured using Vecchietti's celluloid. The number of pieces produced for each color depended a the amount of material Visconti had and many colours of the Classic line are extremely rare today as they were manufactured in a very limited number of pieces.

Visconti was led by two very special personalities, whose union gave shape to a dynamic and creative company. Dante del Vecchio gave his ingenious contribution designing filling mechanisms and innovative features for Visconti models while Luigi Poli contributed with a deep knowledge of the history of pens. The result was a success story and a number of extraordinary models which still represent an important part of the history of fountain pen making in Italy in the 1990s.

This unusual Ragtime model was part of a limited edition of 4 pieces called "The 4 Seasons (Le Stagioni) issued in 1993 in 300 pieces. Each season had adifferent color combination: Winter gray and black, Summer black and orange, Spring blue and brown and Autumn black and burgundy. This Inverno Ragtime is fitted with a steel nib and is a converter/cartridge filler. 

It is unused.

It is definitely a very interesting collectible and a good writer, too if you like using stiff nibs.