All Pens and Ephemera

If you thought that the Montegrappa Modigliani was gorgeous but out of your price range, give this Levenger True Writer Select a close look. The cap and barrel design look nearly identical, without the aquamarine and gold nib. Our preowned pen comes with its original boxes and a converter. You will write a smooth medium...even if the steel nib is stamped broad. Minimal wear will be found on the pen. We think one of the nicer things about these "Select" pens is that they are larger than standard True Writer models. Click the headline for close-ups. 15.2cm capped.

Few pens taught as many American teens how to write with an "ink pen" as the humble Esterbrook. These vintage pens were often required by high schools and trade schools for secretaries and stenographers. Affordable, reliable and easily customized with screw-out nibs of more than 3 dozen point styles, it is easy to see their appeal. We just restored this classic Esterbrook J model with a new ink sac. It comes with an upgraded steel 9550 nib. You will write a firm, extra-fine line with true feedback...not scratchy scratchy. Experienced pen users might understand better. 12.6cm capped.

Feast your eyes on the Stipula I Castoni Lapis fountain pen. We believe this to be a New Old Stock pen. We dipped the nib in water, and no ink came off it. The converter is still in its little baggie with a standard international ink cartridge. The pen comes with its original boxes and papers. Silver-plated trim and this stunning blue acrylic are very attractive. You can see spots of purple like clouds at sunset mixed in with the blue. Click the headline for close-ups. Its two-toned 18k gold nib is marked fine, but we haven't dipped it, in case this is New Old Stock. No cracks or scratches. However, there are two odd small ovals imprinted into the cap. They seem more like a manufacturing defect than wear to this otherwise pristine pen. 13.8cm capped.

Here's a rare treasure from way back in 1906! We love the gold-filled filigree on this Parker 33. This pen clearly did not experience the 1906 earthquake that destroyed San Francisco. However, the top of the cap has some sizable spots of brassing from wear. There's a little brassing near the tail, too. We polished them out, but it won't stay gleaming without continued polishing. Click the headline for a close-up of the original 14k gold nib. We love the old-timey "Lucky Curve" script. There are no engravings on the initial plate of the filigree. Only slight chocolate hazing of the black hard rubber. No cracks. The section unscrews easily. You will write an extra-fine to nearly 2mm wide line with its flexible nib. It isn't a wet noodle. 13.9cm capped.

Waterman was resurgent in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This Waterman Exclusive is likely from that era. Ours comes with a box and converter. The green-marble design shows minimal, if any, wear. You will write a firm medium line with its 18k gold nib. There is a hint of feedback, and we think it writes on the fine side of medium. 14.2cm capped.

Perfection in Parker 51 Demostrators is damned near impossible to find. Yet, legendary pen repairman Stuart Hawkinson asked us to sell his vintage pen beauty. Click the headline for close-ups. No fractals. No ink stains. He added a fresh diaphragm. It looks as if there is a thin snowflake inside the ink reservoir of the pen. The steel cap has a couple little marks...really small...from just existing for 70-odd years. Its 14k gold nib is an extra-fine nail. We would never dip this pen to write with it, but the nib feels very scratchy to our finger tips. Seriously, though. Who would defile such perfection by filling it with ink? 14cm capped.

Who says teens shouldn't have a good pen for school? The Sheaffer Cadet was aimed at the beginners fountain pen market. With a great TouchDown filler, this is a more sophisticated way to ink up a basic pen. We replaced the ink sac and O-ring. You will write a very smooth fine line with its steel F1 nib. Overall, the pen looks pretty good. There is a little wear. Worst of all is some chrome plating missing from the cap band. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.3cm capped.

Here's a real granddaddy of vintage pens. It is a black hard rubber Sheaffer Lifetime Senior with etched pinstripes in the cap and barrel. It also has no white dot. It is that early! Fully restored with a new ink sac, it is ready to write. Brassing can be found on the ball of the pocket clip, but the rest of the pen is free of the blight. Click the headline for close-ups. There is a little chocolate hazing on the cap and barrel. It is worse on the cap, which is a little more faded in its pinstripe imprints. No cracks, chips or serious scratches. You will love its nib the most! Smoothly write from extra fine to more than 1mm wide with its semi-flex properties! A very rare semi-flex nib. Notice that the Lifetime nib has a serial number? This might indicate it is an early replacement nib, as the original nib had no serial numbers. 13.6cm capped.