Vintage Pens

Orange woodgrain designs really showcased artistry in an era where pens had limited design options. Our Wahl-Eversharp is unique in several ways. First, this vintage pen only has "Wahl Pen" imprinted on the pocket clip. The 14k gold nib says Wahl-Eversharp. The two companies merged in the 1920s. The majority of their clips and nibs would read the hyphenated company name. But this pocket clip just says Wahl Pen. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. Secondly, this pen has a buttery smooth fine-point nib! Minor wear from use and some brassing are visible. No cracks. We think it has a replacement inkfeed that is a newer plastic than the older hard rubber. 15.6cm capped.

You don't need to spend a fortune for an amazing vintage pen. Our Sheaffer Imperial is the perfect case in point. This is the 1980s rendition of a pen that first saw light in the 1960s, so it squeaks in as a vintage pen. Nevertheless, it has a buttery smooth 14k inlaid gold nib that writes better than just about any of the cheap Chinese pens that are so popular. It comes with its original squeeze-bar converter but takes modern Sheaffer converters and cartridges. Elegant black-and-gold design shows very little damage from use. No cracks nor deep scratches. It might just be your favorite new daily writer. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.5cm capped.

Mandarin yellow Parker Duofold Juniors are not the most common of colors. Yet, streamlined versions are even more difficult to find. Our vintage pen was fully restored with a new sac several years ago. The photo doesn't showcase the nuance of the colors in the cap and barrel. The of the cap is a couple of shades lighter than the barrel. However, the barrel is inconsistent with some spots darker or lighter than others. The imprint is fairly well worn. No cracks. Minimal, if any, brassing. You will write a buttery smooth, wet fine line with its 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. 11.5cm capped.

If you want to get into fancy Spencerian script or other handwriting styles, most vintage pen fans will tell you that a Waterman 52 is the ultimate pen for your collection. Our black hard rubber favorite has some heavy wear on its chasing and imprint, but it remains structurally sound without any cracks. We restored it with a new ink sac and a replacement 14k gold Waterman #2 nib. You will write a very nice extra-fine line that can flex to about 1mm wide. This is not a wet noodle. You will need to "learn the nib" with slow gentle pressure. Yet, it will write beautifully for you, once you've mastered it. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.4cm capped.

If there was one pen that taught Americans how to write with a fountain pen, it was the Esterbrook J-model. Required by many high schools and professional schools in the 1950s, these vintage pens were attractive, easy to use, easy to customize and very affordable. We restored this J-model pen with a new ink sac. If you have a spare Esterbrook nib, these are easy to customize by simply unscrewing the old nib and screwing in a new one. Its steel 1555 Gregg was designed for practitioners of the Gregg Shorthand Method. Mostly stenographers, secretaries and journalists. You will find it is extra-fine with some feedback. No cracks or deep scratches. Staining to the barrel threads and the pocket clip isn't flush against the side of the cap. 12.7cm capped.

Black ripples on orange hard rubber look fantastic on this Wahl-Eversharp Gold Seal fountain pen. Our vintage pen is fully restored with a new ink sac. We think people will be most interested in its semi-flex 14k gold nib. It has a couple of small dents, but it writes a nice fine line to 1mm wide. There's a little feedback, as many semi-flex nibs do. There is a tiny chip in the lip of the cap but no cracks. You will find some brassing on the trim. We aren't sure that is the original section. Be very careful putting the cap back on the pen. Sometimes you will engage the wrong threads and touch the nib to the cap, as the nib seems too long. Yet, there is one engagement point where the tip of the nib does not touch the cap. Pen measures 12cm capped.

French safety fillers are definitely something we know nothing about. Click the headline for close-ups. This is a black hard rubber pen. Most of the chasing and imprint has been worn down. In the right light with magnification we can see the letters "LLARD" at the end of what would have been the imprint. There is room for 5 or 6 more letters in front of it. The safety filler mechanism moves freely but doesn't lock. We couldn't test write with the 18k gold nib because it kept sliding back into the barrel. It seems flexible, but 18k nibs are notorious for being easy to "spring" or ruin. There is a really handsome brass after-market pocket clip on the cap. No cracks in the cap or barrel that we saw. Unrestored. Sold as is. 13.2cm capped.

To our way of thinking, the Parker 61 capillary filler was the last great invention of the battle to create exciting new fountain pen filling systems. Just dip the Teflon-coated tube in ink for a few seconds, and you are ready to write. Sometimes you need to prime these by dipping the nib in ink the first time you fill it. After that it works great. We flushed out the old capillary filler as best we could with fresh water. However, you never quite get all the old ink out. That is what makes these pens less desirable for people who change ink colors daily. You pretty much need to commit to one color for these pens. Our pen comes with a Parker 61 box numbered 261. We don't know where the matching pencil is. The pen has light wear from use but not cracks or dents. You will write a smooth fine line with its 14k gold nib. 13.5cm capped.