Latest Pens, Pencils, and Ephemera

Carbon-fiber designs were hot during the early 2000s. Our Monteverde Invincia sports such a design, though we doubt it is real carbon fiber for the price it originally sold at. Our preowned pen looks good with only minor wear from use. You will write a smooth, fine, dry line with its steel nib. Click the headline for close-ups. Includes a standard international converter. 13.9cm capped.

Starting in the 1950s, Sheaffer began making cartridge-only pens with disposable plastic cartridges. Our Sheaffer Lady Skripsert was one such pen. It is quite attractive in its black-and-gold Tulle design. The cap and barrel only show a little wear from use, which is pretty good for a purse pen. The section shows more wear, and the nib is missing a fair amount of its gold plating. Click the headline for close-ups to see the extra-fine nib is just tweaked a little out of line. You'll write a very sharp extra-fine line with some scratch. The inkfeed seems a little out of alignment, and we couldn't slip it back into place without causing more damage. Sheaffer discontinued the slender cartridges for this pen, but the woman we got this from found a way to rig a standard international cartridge to fit. We left it in the pen as a demonstration to be reused. 13.7cm capped.

Black with platinum-plated trim...or is it rhodium plating...always looks sharp on a luxury pen. Our preowned luxury pen is a Pelikan Ductus. These handsome beauties were only made for a short while. For Pelikan aficionados it is an 800-size pen. Click the headline for a close-up of the unique design of its 18k gold nib. It is marked "B" for broad, but when we tested it, we thought it felt more like a buttery smooth medium with a little line variation. Also unique to this pen is that it is cartridge only. Unscrew the blind cap in the tail to reveal a cartridge carriage that hold two standard international size cartridges...no converters. The cap logo is a frosted, silvery mama pelican with one chick. 14.3cm capped.

In 1949, Sheaffer rolled out a whole new filling system called the TouchDown filler. We don't know the name of this model, but we know it is the Sheaffer TouchDown first year because that was the only year they made a wide-bodied version of this pen. We restored this handsome devil with a new ink sac and O-ring. No cracks mar this pen, but it shows some moderate wear from use. You'll find its two-tone 14k gold nib writes an extra-extra fine line. In fact, we are pretty sure Sheaffer would have called this an accounting nib! Those were their finest-point nibs. It is surprisingly smooth for something that pointy. 13.3cm capped.

Golden Walnut wood makes for a very handsome version of the Conklin All American. Conklin describes the accents as rose gold, but we think they look more like copper. Either way, it looks great. No scratches or cracks. Numbered 318 of 1898. It comes with its original boxes and heavily stained--but working--converter. Click the headline for a close-up. Its steel nib has a blackening that is slightly scratched. It is marked as a flexible nib, but it is a pretty stiff flex-er. You can get a fine to 1mm line out of it, but it is a little on the scratchy side. 14.5cm capped.

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.

Fill in your Montblanc Writer's Series with the year 2000's entry, the Montblanc Friedrich Schiller. More famous in Germany than the rest of the world, Schiller was a playwright who focused his themes around freedom. His best known play is "William Tell," the overture of which is more famous than the play. Pen collectors of a certain age know the overture as the theme song to "The Long Ranger." Our preowned luxury pen is number 7377 of 18000. Guaranteed authentic from a dedicated MB collector, this pen comes with its original booklet but no box. Only a couple of traces of minor wear. You will write a smooth medium line with its 18k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. This pen's filling system remains a smooth operating device. 13.4cm 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.