Writing instruments from the former GDR enjoy an ambivalent reputation among collectors: some hold them to be cheap mass-produced goods, others appreciate them as decidedly cult. On closer inspection GDR fountain pens impress with an independent design language, good writing behaviour and almost indestructible everyday usability.
The most important models of the Heiko brand include the Heiko Junior, a classic school fountain pen with a convincing steel nib, and the Heiko Sprint, also a school fountain pen; both were produced until German reunification and can still be found relatively often today. The Heiko Primus is regarded as the 'Mercedes' among GDR fountain pens and impresses with a timeless shape such as Western makers also preferred in the 1980s. The Heiko Trend aimed at an older, more upmarket target group than Sprint and Junior, but stayed below the level of the Primus. The Heiko Filius is the oldest of the models presented here, regarded as rare and came onto the market among others in purple-marbled and green-marbled variants. Beyond that, the Heiko 444, the Heiko P401 and an unidentifiable model from the 1960s are known from the Heiko programme.