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Pens and Ephemera

Since the dawn of wet ink, people have been looking for ways to keep their supply of it safe while traveling. We are thinking that some time in the 1940s or '50s, when aluminum became more available, the folks at "Stephen's" created this special metal case for a bottle of ink. Both ends screw together to create a protective shell for a glass bottle of ink. We do not have the original bottle, but we found this included bottle that fits better than most. Click the headline for close ups. There is a dent in the top under the name "Stephens." The rest of the casing shows wear from use.

Bonjour! Meet an impressive vintage pen from France. This is the Gold Starry 237. It is an oversized safety filler from either the 19-teens or '20s. The seals on this pen are long gone, and it will leak all over the place if you try to fill it. However, we fixed its advance and retract mechanism with a little Yankee ingenuity. It definitely wasn't how it was done at the factory, but it works. You can twist the tail knob to advance or retract its large 18k gold nib. You can still write with this pen on a dip. It writes a medium line, if you don't gently engage its semi-flex super powers. However you can get a fine to nearly 1mm wide line, if you are careful and slow. We believe the accessory pocket clip to be made of sterline silver, though it is not marked silver. Aside from a little chip in the lip of the cap, this pen is in great cosmetic condition. Click the headline for close-ups. 12cm capped.

Paul E. Wirt pens were the most popular of the late 1800s. They continued on into the 20th century, and this is a Wirt ringtop from the 1920s. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. We also worked to de-oxidize the chocolate hazing. We didn't get it back to perfect black, but it nice and the chasing is clearly visible. You will write a really nice, smooth extra-fine to fine line. It has a tiny bit of flex, but we wouldn't call it a semi-flex nib. No cracks or deep scratches. 11cm capped.

New Old Stock pens are always fun, even it they are from a lower tier. This Venus fountain pen bares a distinct resemblance to the Parker 51. Certainly, the hooded nib was all the rage. Unlike a 51, this pen is a lever-filler, and we just replaced the ink sac. You will see a little wear on the pen from rattling around an old drawer or box for the past 70 years or so. As it is N.O.S., we haven't dipped or written with it. Its matching ballpoint pen has a click top to engage the non-working vintage refill. Just under the clip is the refill release. A fun early ballpoint pen. Too bad they don't make these refills, any more.

We aren't really sure how old this delicate little inkwell is. It holds roughly 10mL of ink and was likely from the era of dip pens. Some sort of water corrosion has gotten under the glass topper of the lid and obscured parts of the picture of a building secured within it. The gold plating around the lid structure is mostly gone, but the glass remains in good condition. A nice little curio for thems that likes 'em.

Nearly mint parts for French Safety Fillers don't come around every day. We have an incomplete pen with this Gold Starry No. 257. There is the cap, barrel, inner part and a tail piece that is not closed on either end. No nib or feed or other missing parts. Sold as is, no returns.

We don't get many Onoto de la Rue pens on this site. This old black hard rubber pen is a bit of a mystery. We think this vintage pen has an early version of the plunger vacuum filler...similar to what Sheaffer began using in its Vac-fil technology. Our pen is unrestored and not working to fill the pen. No cracks nor deep scratches. Lots of wear from use. The pin strips on the cap and barrel are mostly gone. The two decorative bands on this pen are solid 18k gold. We dipped the 14k gold nib and found it just barely counts as a semi-flex nib working from extra fine to about broad. Don't smush the slip cap on too hard because you will break the slightly too long nib. Click the headline for close-ups. 14.5cm capped.

Hardcore Pelikan collectors, today's your lucky day! Here is a genuinely limited edition Pelikan that is off-catalog from the standard Pelikan fare. The Swiss watch company called Chronoswiss contracted with Pelikan to make a limited edition run of 999 company-themed pens for its very high-end clientele. Thus the Cronoswiss Styloscope pen was born. Our preowned luxury pen is new old stock and complete with all of its boxes and papers. Not only do you get a leather carrying case and mini pad of paper. You get not one but two 18k gold nibs! The nib installed in the pen is a medium point, and the spare nib is an Oblique Broad! The pen has sterling silver trim and is numbered 725 of 999. It is basically the same size as a Pelikan 800. Click the headline for close-ups.