All Pens and Ephemera

It is fun to see a resurrected brand try to resurrect another brand. Our modern Esterbrook Accutron pays tribute to the classic watch called the Bulova Accutron. It was an early battery-powered watch. Critical to its operation was a little tuning fork, which serves as a logo to Bulova...and this fountain pen...to this day. You can see it on both the box and the nib. Our preowned pen is in like-new condition with minimal if any wear. Ours comes with its original box and papers. We gave it a replacement standard international converter. You will write a nice medium line with its golden or gold-plated steel nib. 15cm capped.

We love the over-complexity of Sheaffer Snorkel pens. We replaced the O-ring, point seal and ink sac on this Sheaffer Sovereign fountain pen. We test drove this Rube-Goldberg of filling systems to make sure all was in order. There are no cracks or deep scratches on the cap or barrel. There is a little dimple just left of the pocket clip and a little flat dent on the top of the cap. You will write a firm, fine line with its two-tone, 14k gold nib. Classic mess-free filling in an age where competition against the ballpoints was fierce. A wonderful vintage pen. 14.1cm capped.

Sahara models of the Graf von Faber-Castell line really stand out for their color and design. The barrels are plastic with a barley design and texture. The ends are likely rhodium-plated. The writing experience is everything you expect from this German luxury brand. You will write a fine-medium line with its 18k gold nib. The fountain pen looks to be in excellent condition. Just some light wear from use, and it includes its converter. The rollerball pen is a little more worse for wear with brassing/pitting in the back of the top of the cap and nose cone. Original box and papers included. 13cm capped.

Fountain pens that used disposable ink cartridges were clearly the wave of the future, and in 1958 the Sheaffer 500 Skripsert was released to develop the brand's growing collection of cartridge-only models. Our vintage pen looks fantastic with minimal wear. The sage green was a staple color from the Snorkel line of the time. We think this pen has a 14k gold nib, but it isn't marked as such. The only mark on it is M9. Until now, we only thought Sheaffer's nib numbers from that era topped out at 6. It writes a medium line with a touch of feedback. It only takes cartridges. The good news is that modern cartridges still fit this pen. 13.6cm capped.

Esterbrook Pushmaster pencils were a great early repeater that first came out in 1937. This copper-colored Esterbrook PJ likely came out in the 1950s. The click-activated lead-advance mechanism works well. This vintage pencil comes loaded with some spare 1.1mm lead. There's a little wear from use but nothing too hideous. 12.3cm.

Silver and gold. Silver and gold. I might be too early for Christmas songs, but love Pelikan Souveran M1000 fountain pens with vermeil caps! Vermeil, to the uninitiated, is a solid sterling silver coated in gold. The pen is absolutely perfect, except for 2 pits in the backside of the pen that look like tooth marks. No dents, no cracks, no deep scratches. Surface wear at worst for the rest of the cap and barrel. Its piston works smoothly to fill the pen. Even more smooth is the divine two-tone broad-point 18k gold nib. Sheer heaven for writing. We don't know if it came with this box originally, but we found them together with a full bottle of black ink. The cap logo has a mama pelican in gold with two chicks on a black background. 14.6cm capped.

In the second quarter of 1942, the United States was getting its tail kicked pretty hard around the Pacific and U-boats were making a mess of our shipping efforts in the Atlantic. Nevertheless, this Parker Duofold was made and has persevered ever since. We found it in a well-cared for collection in good working order, so we didn't replace the diaphragm. Its blue-and-grey stripes really stand out as an art deco beauty. The pocket clip and clip ring are pretty chewed up, but the celluloid is in very good shape. Nice aluminum speedline filler. You will write a smooth medium line with its 14k gold nib. Slightly smaller and more slender than some Duofolds. 12.3cm capped.

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.