Filling Mechanism: Lever Filler

Sheaffer Balance pens can get a little confusing when you look at the imprints. This Sheaffer Balance has a 350 under the usual imprint, just like another pen we recently posted. However, our striated green version is a fully inch shorter than the striated golden brown. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. No cracks nor brassing. There's a tiny chip in the lip of the cap. You will write a dry, extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. The barrel has the name "Beatrice L. Best" imprinted on it. We don't know who she was, but she had a cool pen. 12.1cm capped.

Arguments might be had about whether this Sheaffer Balance comes with an extra-fine nib or an accountant nib. Whatever it is, no one will mistake this 14k gold nib for a fine, medium or broad. It is a sharp #3 nib that has a little feedback, too. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. No cracks nor brassing. But light wear from use. Long and slender, it looks good with Sheaffer's golden-brown striated design. Click the headline for close-ups. 14cm capped.

Following up the huge success of the Eversharp Skyline pen was the Eversharp Symphony. This first edition of the pen featured another great cap design by Rey Loewy. Although it is called the "slipper cap," we think it looks more space-agey. We restored this great green-and-gold-filled vintage pen with a new ink sac. It has a little wear from use, but it is still a pretty amazing pen. You will write a very smooth medium line with its 14k gold nib. 13.9cm capped.

Paul E. Wirt pens were the most popular of the late 1800s. They continued on into the 20th century, and this is a Wirt ringtop from the 1920s. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. We also worked to de-oxidize the chocolate hazing. We didn't get it back to perfect black, but it nice and the chasing is clearly visible. You will write a really nice, smooth extra-fine to fine line. It has a tiny bit of flex, but we wouldn't call it a semi-flex nib. No cracks or deep scratches. 11cm capped.

Isn't the early 1930s' marbled grey-and-red design one of the prettiest of the decades? Something really rings our bell about the celluloid of this Waterman 3V. Better than that, this pen comes with a double-broad 14k gold nib. Click the headline for a close-up. It looks like a stub but writes like a fire hose with its exceedingly smooth tip. If you haven't noticed, yet, there is one major flaw to this pen. The lift-tab of the lever is missing. The only way to lift it enough to engage the filling system is to use a toothpick or a pin to get in there and lift it. The good news is that we just restored the pen with a fresh ink sac. No cracks, light wear from use. 10.7cm capped.

Here's a rare treat for you. Welcome to the Waterman 7 Yellow! These pens were especially easy to identify by the colorful ring around the top of the cap. The ring corresponded to a nib named for the color. Each color represented a different use case for the pen. Yellow was designated for left-handed writers and anyone wanting a lot of tipping and customization. We find it writes a smooth, wet medium line. Better yet, we love that it has enough flex to go to about 2mm wide! Click the headline for a close-up of the pen and nib. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. It has a fair amount of brassing on the pocket clip, cap band and lever box. Luckily, no cracks or significant wear to the orange rippled hard rubber has been discovered. 14.2cm capped.

We love finding vintage pen packaging. We just discovered this winter scene Waterman box with the pencil below inside of it. The matching Waterman 3V fountain pen was elsewhere in the collection, so we decided to put it all together. The vintage pen and pencil are in remarkably good condition. A little wear and marking from use, but no cracks or long scars. We restored the pen with a new ink sac. You will write a very nice semi-flex line from fine to 1mm wide with its 14k gold nib. The pencil remains in good working order and takes 1.1mm lead. The box is in pretty good condition. The name "Gerard J. Inguagiato" is beautifully written in pencil with a lovely cursive script. Gerard might have been a tween or teen at the time, as his name is repeated in the less confident hand of a younger person still mastering cursive. Click the headline for close-ups.

Waterman made a ton of pens in the 1940s that all looked very similar but gave them a ton of different names. We think this is the Waterman Stalwart, but you are welcome to correct us, if we are wrong. Blue flames shoot through its beautiful celluloid cap and barrel. No cracks mar this beauty, but you can see a deep scar made by the pocket clip to the right of the bottom of the clip. There are other signs of wear, and the section has lost all of its luster. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. Its 14k gold nib writes a nice fine, maybe fine-medium line with a little bounce. Not a true flex of any kind, you can get a touch of line variation from it. 12.2cm capped.