Latest Pens, Pencils, and Ephemera

You've always wanted a Parker Snakes pen from the turn of the last century, but the $10,000 price tag has scared you off. Well, here is a larger, modern version called the Danitrio Phantas I. Filling with a standard international converter (or cartridges), this pen has a two-tone steel nib. It is marked M for medium, but we find it writes more of a nice fine line. We don't believe the filigree has any precious metal, but we still like the red glass eyes of the serpents. Light wear from use. 14cm capped.

Going strictly on the nib, we're going to call this the Boston Safety Pen. There is no company branding on the cap or barrel. Yet, each has an matching imprint of a patent date of July 5, 1904. It looks like a later 1920s ring-top, but there is no lever. This appears to be a traditional eyedropper and not what we think of when we think of a safety pen. An additional imprint says "18 1/8." We think that means it is 18k gold filled at 1/8th thickness. There only appears to be brassing at the very edges. The ring top's top plate spins when the tassie is turned. You will write a nice fine to 1mm line with this semi-flex nib. The nib is a little stiff but flexes with gentle pressure. Click the headline for close-ups. 9.3cm capped.

Some pens get kinda beat up in the service of their writers. This Diplomat Attaché is structurally sound but has a pretty scratched up cap, as you see in the photo. The gold plating also is coming off the steel nib. Click the headline for photos. Otherwise, this is a normal fountain pen. It comes with a standard international converter and can use like cartridges. On like most fountain pens, this one requires a little pressure to write a smooth medium line. If you are a heavy-handed writer, this is likely better for you. 13.8cm capped.

Lookin' mighty fine from the 1950s, here comes a Sheaffer Admiral. Kindofa high rank for a base-line model of the famed Snorkel pens. Nevertheless, we love these pens and their Rube Goldberg overcomplicated filling systems. We restored this one with a new sac, point seal and O-ring. It fills well, but sometimes you have to give it an extra second to suck in the ink. When it comes to Snorkels, we prefer these 14k gold open nibs to the conical Triumph nibs. You will find this pen needs a little breaking in. It writes a very nice fine line with a little feedback, which we think with smooth out a bit with time the more you write with it. No cracks. Light wear. Click the headline for close-ups. 14.3cm capped.