Filling Mechanism: Lever Filler

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.

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.

Among the epic failures of the golden era of vintage pen is the story of the Eversharp Symphony. Designed to replace the wildly popular Eversharp Skyline, this Eversharp Symphony is a handsome pen. We love the dark-blue barrel paired with the chrome and gold-plated cap. Unfortunately for Wahl-Eversharp, its Symphony never quite caught on with the writing public. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. The barrel has some moderate wear but no cracks or nasty scars. No dents mar the cap. You will write a really wet medim--some might call it broad. It has some feedback but not hideous. 14.1cm capped.