Esterbrook
Pens and Ephemera

Stickered New Old Stock pens remain a perennial favorite this Spring. Check out our Esterbrook M2 in blue. This vintage pen has a still working ink sac and comes with an Esterbrook box. The blue barrel has a bit of shop wear, but there are no cracks or deep scars. You will write a deliciously smooth fine line with its steel 1555 Gregg nib. It was originally intended for practitioners of the Gregg Shorthand method. The Gregg Shorthand Method was practices heavily by secretaries, stenographers and journalists in the 1950s. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.5cm capped.

New Old Stock pens are always fun, especially when they are 70 years old. We just discovered this Esterbrook M2 complete with its cap sticker and box. There is a little shop wear on the pen but nothing bad. No cracks in the cap. It comes with a still-working aerometric filler! We think someone might have used it once, as a little ink came out when we filled it with water. Its steel 1551 nib writes a nice fine line. 13.5cm capped.

Some pens fall into the grey area where naming them is concerned. Is this the Esterbrook CA Deluxe or Esterbrook Safari Deluxe? We aren't sure, but it is an attractive grey pen. It also is cartridge only...and they stopped making the cartridges for these nearly 70 years ago. Unfortunately, this one does not come with an old cartridge. It does come with an amazingly smooth medium nib made of steel. Once you find its sweet spot, you'll want to write all day with it. Click the headline for close-ups. The nib might be marked fine, but it is definitely a medium. There is only light wear to the cap and barrel, too. 12.7cm capped.

Spring is almost here. Why not celebrate with this perky green Esterbrook SJ fountain pen? We restored it with a new ink sac. The cap and barrel are nearly perfect, except for the big chip missing from the top black cap jewel. Its fine-point steel Venus nib is a later replacement nib. We find it writes a little dry and closer to the extra-fine spectrum. 12cm capped.

We have featured many Esterbrook SJ fountain pens over the years, but this is our first with an Osmiroid nib. Osmiroid made a threaded nib assembly the same size as Esterbrook's. Osmiroid typically made nibs for calligraphers. As such, this nib is an extra-fine italic. You will write a surprisingly smooth extra-fine line with subtle line variation. We restored the vintage pen with a new ink sac. No cracks or deep scars on the pen. Justexpected wear from use. 12cm capped.

If there was one pen that taught Americans how to write with a fountain pen, it was the Esterbrook J-model. Required by many high schools and professional schools in the 1950s, these vintage pens were attractive, easy to use, easy to customize and very affordable. We restored this J-model pen with a new ink sac. If you have a spare Esterbrook nib, these are easy to customize by simply unscrewing the old nib and screwing in a new one. Its steel 1555 Gregg was designed for practitioners of the Gregg Shorthand Method. Mostly stenographers, secretaries and journalists. You will find it is extra-fine with some feedback. No cracks or deep scratches. Staining to the barrel threads and the pocket clip isn't flush against the side of the cap. 12.7cm capped.

A ruby-red vintage pen is just what this holiday season needs. Our Esterbrook LJ has been fully restored with a new ink sac. It sports a steel 1555 Gregg nib, which meant the nib was originally for anyone who took shorthand. Think secretaries and journalists. This can be thought of as the long, slender version of the J-model pen. The cap and barrel have some wear from use, but there are no cracks or major scars. Nice, clean imprint. You will write a surprisingly smooth extra-fine line, if you have a light touch with this firm nib. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.8cm capped.

It is nearly impossible to tell if the Esterbrook Transition pen is an authentic one or a repairman's marriage. We aren't sure, ourselves, but this pen does have a rarer cap with a three-banded black "jewel" on top and no "Esterbrook" written in the clip. We restored it with a new ink sac and new 1461 steel nib. Our vintage pen has some wear from use, but there are no cracks. The clip has a little jiggle, but it doesn't spin. You will write an extra-fine to fine line that is surprisingly smooth for a 1000-series nib. Mind you, that there is still a little feedback, but this isn't a bad nib by any means. 12.6cm capped.