Filling Mechanism: Lever Filler

Here's a real granddaddy of vintage pens. It is a black hard rubber Sheaffer Lifetime Senior with etched pinstripes in the cap and barrel. It also has no white dot. It is that early! Fully restored with a new ink sac, it is ready to write. Brassing can be found on the ball of the pocket clip, but the rest of the pen is free of the blight. Click the headline for close-ups. There is a little chocolate hazing on the cap and barrel. It is worse on the cap, which is a little more faded in its pinstripe imprints. No cracks, chips or serious scratches. You will love its nib the most! Smoothly write from extra fine to more than 1mm wide with its semi-flex properties! A very rare semi-flex nib. Notice that the Lifetime nib has a serial number? This might indicate it is an early replacement nib, as the original nib had no serial numbers. 13.6cm capped.

More rarities are on display with this Esterbrook Dollar Pen. Please note the three incised cap bands. Add on the rare 1314 left-foot oblique nib, and you have an interesting classic Estie. No cracks or deep scratches. The only cosmetic issue, other than light wear from use, is the pitting on the lever filler. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. The oblique nib on this one is very sharp and scratchy. Yet, it delivers nice line variation for a trade off. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.1cm capped.

When Esterbrook went from making Dollar Pens to J-model pens, it ran out of Dollar Pen caps and opted to use the new J-model caps on the remaining Dollar Pen barrels. It is difficult to tell the original ones from the repairmen who replaced broken Dollar Pen caps with J-caps. We found this pen this way, but that doesn't mean anything. What is interesting is the top jewel on the cap has 3 lines instead of the usual concentric circles. The color match is pretty close to perfect between the cap and barrel. We restored the pen with a new ink sac. You will this upgraded steel 9461 nib that is firm and very smooth as it writes a fine line. No cracks, deep imprint, some wear from use. 12.4cm capped.

In the 1940s, if you needed a cheap, reliable pen that was easily customized, you got yourself an Esterbrook Dollar Pen. We restored this black model with a new ink sac and new 1555 Gregg Shorthand nib. There are no cracks or deep scratches, but the early plastic cap on this pen has warped a bit. It can be difficult to get the cap on and off. You will write a nice fine line with its steel nib. There is a little feedback, but we wouldn't call this a scratchy pen...not compared to other Esterbrooks with the same nib. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.1cm capped.

The color match of this married Esterbrook J-model fountain pen looks better in the photo than in real life. The cap is a much deeper red than the barrel. The cap also looks pretty jankety. Nevertheless, there are no cracks and the cap is on tightly. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. We also gave it a new 1461 nib straight out of the box. You will write a firm, extra-fine line with a little feedback. Definitely not a museum piece, but a nice enough daily driver. 12.6cm capped.

What makes the Wahl-Eversharp Gold Seal fountain pen is it screw-in "Signature" nib system, which allowed customers to be certain they got the nib that was best for them. This lastest vintage pen, also known as a Decoband, comes with a 14k gold nib with an F marked on the inkfeed--indicating a fine point. However, when we dipped it, we found that with a little feedback it could write from an extra fine to just short of a millimeter. Fully restored with a new ink sac, this classic pen is ready for action. You can see some discoloration in the original black and pearl design. No cracks but some wear from use. Its matching pencil is in the same condition, working with a 1.1mm lead that is red! Pen measures 13.7cm capped.

Perfection in vintage pens is such an elusive target. This Wahl-Eversharp Gold Seal gets awfully close. Its "Brazilian Green" or "Bronze Green" finish is stunning without much, if any, discoloration. There is no brassing on the oversized fountain pen except for a tiny sliver on the edge of the lever. Fully restored, both the vintage pen and pencil work well. Under a bright light you can see some shallow scratches on the caps and barrels. You also can see some marks where the pen's cap rubs against the barrel when it closes. Very minor wear, but it didn't just roll off the assembly line. You will write a smooth extra-fine (or fine, depending on how you define extra-fine) line with its 14k gold nib that screws in and out of the pen. You will notice it is not a "Signature" nib, but it was likely a replacement nib the store that sold it used to customize the nib for the original owner. The pencil takes 1.1mm leads. Its biggest flaw is brassing on the nose cone. Pen measures 13.4cm capped.

Where to start?! Oversized, blue-on-blue lapis...a buttery smooth semi-flex nib! Admit it. You're already salivating over this Wahl-Eversharp Gold Seal/Decoband. It is one of the best vintage pens we have posted this year. Fully restored with a new ink sac, the fountain pen has few flaws. The barrel is clearly still blue, but it is three or four shades darker than the cap and pencil. The only brassing is on the ball of the pocket clip. No cracks nor scratches. The writing experience is second to none. It can be a buttery smooth extra-fine, but with just a little gentle pressure it can write a 1mm line. The pencil still works with a 1.1mm lead. It has a little brassing on the nose cone and pocket-clip ball. The lead only advances; you have to push it in to retract it. No eraser. Pen measures 13.55cm capped.