Filling Mechanism: Lever Filler

New Old Stock pens are always fun, even it they are from a lower tier. This Venus fountain pen bares a distinct resemblance to the Parker 51. Certainly, the hooded nib was all the rage. Unlike a 51, this pen is a lever-filler, and we just replaced the ink sac. You will see a little wear on the pen from rattling around an old drawer or box for the past 70 years or so. As it is N.O.S., we haven't dipped or written with it. Its matching ballpoint pen has a click top to engage the non-working vintage refill. Just under the clip is the refill release. A fun early ballpoint pen. Too bad they don't make these refills, any more.

The most popular vintage pen on the market is likely the Waterman 52 with flexi 14k gold nibs. Our smooth, black-hard-rubber version is fully restored with a new ink sac. It looks really sharp, too, with barely any chocolate hazing and crisp imprints. The barrel imprint is weak in the center, but we think that might have been more of a factory thing than wear. No cracks. The clip is a tiny bit sprung and doesn't quite connect its ball to the lower cap. The 52 imprint on the flat tail is still that orange-red color. You will easily write a nice flexi line from a fine line to 1mm wide. 13.5cm capped.

Conklin broke their own mold by releasing the stunning Endura line of pens and pencils in the mid-1920s. Our Conklin Endura is an early variant, as it is made of orange hard rubber with a woodgrain design. There is some wear from us and brassing on the cap band and trim. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. No cracks. You will write a juicy broad line with its 14k gold nib. A fun user for any vintage pen fan. 12.2cm capped.

Almost perfect but not quite. There are a couple little dimples in the gold-plated cap band of this oversized ebony-and-pearl Sheaffer Balance Lifetime. It is a stunningly handsome pen that is actually made with abalone shell flakes, not pearl. No cracks or deep scratches. No brassing. Looks amazing. It also feels great in your hand, if you have larger hands. You will write a very nice, smooth fine line with its two-tone 14k gold nib. It is a firm nib, so you will feel the paper under your pen, but we don't think it is scratchy. There is ambering in the ink viewing window. Still, it is an amazing vintage pen. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.9cm capped.

Our Palmer Method Woodgrain pen was undoubtedly sold by or for the school of handwriting also known as the Palmer Method. We have not previously seen a Palmer Method pen that didn't have some other branding on it. We strongly suspect that this pen was made by the Wahl-Eversharp company, but there are no markings to verify that beyond the shadow of a doubt. It just has similar design touches. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. No cracks or deep scratches. There is brassing on the cap bands and lever. You will write a razor-sharp extra-fine line that can flex out to about 1mm. This 14k gold nib is on the stiff side for a semi-flex nib. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.3cm capped.

The 1920s were THE decade for amazing semi-flex nibs. This Swan Mabie Todd 142/1 fountain pen has a fantastic semi-flex nib made of 14k gold. Not a wet noodle, this vintage pen still writes a great extra-fine to 1mm wide line. No cracks or chips. However, the chocolate hazing is obvious, as is the wear on the chasing of the black hard rubber. It does not appear this pen ever had a pocket clip. Initials are engraved in the wide cap band. We restored the pen with a new ink sac. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.9cm capped.

Leboeuf invented the celluloid pen. Prior to this company from Springfield, Mass., pens were only made from hard rubber, metal or glass. Celluloid broadened the spectrum of colors and shapes pens could take. Our Leboeuf Unbreakable is actually quite breakable, but it also is an interesting piece of vintage pen history. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. This is a standard-size pen, not one of the hyper-expensive oversized pens. Unfortunately, the section has tons of scars and damage from past repairs. Click the headline for close-ups. You will write a slightly varied line with its small-stub point 14k gold nib. It is a smooth writer, but we don't think it has any tipping. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.4cm 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.