Filling Mechanism: Lever Filler

Abalone shells from California's kelp forests of the 1930s dapple this black cap and barrel of this classic Sheaffer Balance. We believe Sheaffer called the design Ebony and Pearl, but it was really abalone. Our slender, full-length vintage pen looks pretty good for 80-odd years. You'll see some scratches, wear and brassing, but there are no cracks. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. The ink-viewing window is ambered, but you can still see through it. You will write a nice fine line that some might think leans toward medium with its 14k gold nib. You might feel a little feedback on ascenders and descenders. 13.7cm capped.

Here's something you don't see every day: the Eversharp Coronet! We think these vintage pens represent the very pinnacle of art deco design in pens. We especially love the red cathedral triangles on the top of the gold-plated cap. We restored this pen several years ago, and it still seems to work well. The barrel is engraved "W.F.D." The cap and barrel only have light wear from use. The 14k gold nib is marked "Semi Flex." You will find it writes more of a smooth fine, but you can push it a little for some line variation. We just urge extreme caution. The pencil design matches perfectly but is engraved "Dawco." The pencil doesn't seem to be working, although it is cosmetically in very good shape. Click the headline for close-ups.

We love the playful color palette of translucent flecks on the design of this limited edition Conway Stewart 100 Series pen. The company calls this color "Flecked Autumn." We would be more apt to call it spumoni or birthday cake. Complete with its original boxes and papers, it is in near-mint condition. It is a classic lever-filler, which we love as much as the colors. You will write a smooth fine-medium line with its 18k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. Numbered 13 of 500. 12.9cm capped.

One of the top sellers of the early 1940s, the Eversharp Skyline was a modern-design superstar. In fact, it was designed by Henry Dreyfuss who also designed famous items such as the 20th Century Limited steam engine, the princess phone, the Royal Quiet Deluxe typewriter, a couple of oceanliners, nearly a dozen tractors and even the famed Polaroid SX-70 instant camera. We restored this "executive-size" vintage pen with a new ink sac. The cap and barrel show a little wear from use but no cracks or deep scratches. The green-striped cap has an optical illusion on the side of the cap that looks like a mini-wormhole to a different plane of existence, but it is just a trick of the translucence in the celluloid. We tried to capture it in the photo but it is photographically shy. You will write a very smooth fine line with its 14k gold cap. Click the headline for close-ups. 14.3cm capped.

Esterbrook is most famous for it, but Wahl-Eversharp was the first that we know who made nib assemblies that screw in and out of its fountain pens. Click the headline on this Wahl-Eversharp Gold Seal to see the word "Flexible" written on the nib. This was just one of a series of nibs that could be screwed in or out to better suit the needs of its writer. We don't find this 14k gold nib to be super flexible. It seems more like a semi-flex these days. You will write a nice fine to roughly 1mm line. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. Its woodgrain hard-rubber cap and barrel sport some wear and hazing. There is a little brassing on the lever, too. 12.1cm capped.

There's nothing like writing with a junior-sized Sheaffer Lifetime. Possibly a little overlooked, these are fantastic pens with great nibs. Yes, the nibs are firm, but they also are smooth. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. It shows some wear from use and some brassing on the pocket clip and cap band. However, it remains a solid pen nearly 100 years after it was made. You will write a smooth, wet fine to extra-fine line with its thick 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. The nib photo shows a hairline crack in the nib from the section through the second 6 in the serial number and into the U of U.S.A. on the imprint. The nib seems stable and still writes well. The pen measures 11.2cm capped.

We don't know the model name for this black-hard rubber Wahl pen, but it is a very nice example of the company's 1920s manufacturing. The pattern is still crisp and there is minimal brassing. We couldn't get it open, but it does still have a working ink sac inside it. There is a little chocolate hazing overall with some larger spots of it on the cap. You will write a dry, extra-fine line with a little feedback...but the 18k gold nib also flexes just a little to give you about a half millimeter of line variation. Long and slender. 13cm capped.

A true classic for any pen collector or writer, the Sheaffer Balance Lifetime is an unstoppable force of American manufacturing in the 1930s. Our oversized model is fully restored with a new ink sac. No cracks, no brassing, no deep scratches. Our pen only has light wear from use. Its monster 14k gold nib writes a very nice extra fine line with only the lightest of feedback for such a stiff nib. 14.2cm capped.