All Pens and Ephemera

We love that moment when we pour cream into our coffee and watch it swirl about until it is fully integrated with the rich, dark nectar of the morning. This Levenger True Writer fountain pen seems to capture that split second in time. It also appears to be made from a slightly different material as most True Writer pens. The gunmetal trim looks nice, plus it comes with a box. If you love smooth-writing broad-point steel nibs, you are going to love our juicy friend on this preowned pen. Comes with a converter and uses standard international cartridges. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.8cm capped.

Seemingly borrowing a touch of the Visconti Devina design, the Levenger Facet fountain pen has a lovely blue facetted twist. Light blue streaks shoot through the midnight blue cap and barrel like a comet. You fill this pen with an included converter or standard international cartridges. Click the headline for close-ups. We find the two-tone 18k gold nib looks a little messed up on its top side, but it still writes a really smooth broad line. It has a few hard starts on certain angles, but not all. It is lighter weight than it looks to us. Nice wider grip for all-day writing. 14cm capped.

Need a tiger of a pen on your desk? Our preowned luxury Levenger Firenze fountain pen is a great. The model name pays tribute to the city of Florence in Italy. Made by Italian pen company Stipula for Levenger, this pen has a handsome amber base and black veins. The trim is solid sterling silver on the clip and cap band. No cracks or scratches, but it has some wear from use. The pen comes with a standard international converter; it uses like cartridges. You will love writing with its two-tone 18k gold nib. We find it writes a smooth, wet fine line. Click the headline for close-ups. A limited edition pen. 13.1cm capped.

Graceful, feminine lines are the hallmark of this Levenger Fountain Pen. We love its fire-engine red cap and barrel. Gunmetal grey trim adds a little toughness to her visage. This pen's steel nib is marked "F" for fine, but we find it writes more of an extra-fine line with feedback. Includes a non-original converter, and it also uses standard international cartridges. Minimal wear from use. No cracks or deep scratches. Click the headline for close-ups. 14.1cm capped.

Blue cracked ice has to be one of these most beautiful pen designs we've ever seen. Click the headline for close-ups. Our Conway Stewart 84 looks new old stock! No cracks. No scratches. No brassing. Crisp imprint. Wowzers! We restored it with a new ink sac. The 14k gold nib writes almost like a stub. We're calling it more of a medium for now, but it has line variation. It also has some feedback. A little on the short side, we say good thing come in small packages. A stunning vintage pen! 12cm capped.

Surviving World War II in England was no easy task, but this Conway Stewart No. 286 seemed to manage. We restored it with a new ink sac and manage to blacken the black hard rubber cap topper and section a little. They still show a little chocolate hazing, but we knocked it down a little. The trim is mostly brassed, showing little of the gold plating, but let's see how much gold-plating you retain during the blitz. ;) Click the headline for close ups. Be careful with the tab at the end of the lever as you lift it. The lever is very snug in the slot. Slowly and gently lift it up. The tab bends too easily to last forever. The 14k gold nib is a little wavy but it writes well. It flexes from fine to about 1mm. The vintage pen is 12.6cm capped.

Karas Kustoms Vertex pens are a bold acrylic addition to the world of fountain pens. Black veins flow through red and orange flames in the cap and barrel. The snap cap is super strong. Only minimal wear will be found on the pen. You fill it with an included converter, but it also accepts standard international cartridges. Click the headline for close-ups. Its steel nib has a great design, and it writes a nice broad line with a little feedback. You'll see the nib is marked double broad, but we never got it quite that thick. nice wider grip and light weight. 13.2cm capped.

Every now and again we are faced with an inky mystery. Today that mystery is this De La Rue Everybody's Stylo 800/60. The imprint is shallow but clear enough to read. At first we thought it was a pencil, but its "lead" turned out to be an Ink-O-Graph-style tube without the pin in it to regulate ink flow. Even more confusing is that we don't see how it opens to refill it with ink. As such, the pen is unrestored. Nevertheless, the mottled orange hard rubber design is still stunning with no cracks and only light wear from history and past use. Perhaps this is a steal for someone who knows it better. 11.6cm capped.