All Pens and Ephemera

Stately luxury is the theme of this Cartier Gordon fountain pen. Plated in palladium and gold there is a dash of art deco design. A preowned pen, close inspection shows lots of light wear from use but no dents or deep scratches. You will write a nice, fine-medium line with its two-tone 18k gold nib. There is a hint of feedback, but it isn't bad. Our pen comes with a working standard international converter, but it isn't the original Cartier converter. A little heftier than most pens, it measures 14.2cm capped.

Alexander Dumas gave us such great stories as "The Three Musketeers," "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Corsican Brothers." Mont Blanc pays tribute to the great French author with the limited edition Writer's Series Montblanc Alexandre Dumas fountain pen. It is a fitting tribute with a marble and gold look, a sword on the pocket clip and a fleur du lis on its 18k gold nib. This pen has the correct signature on the cap and an engraving for "Wm. P. Kinney," too. The pen works well with its piston filler. The price is heavily discounted on account of the engraved cap. You'll write a smooth, juicy medium line that some might contend borders on broad. Sorry we don't have the original box and papers. Numbered "16126/20000 N." 13.5cm capped.

The famed Parker Duofold got a fresh makeover in art deco with a Vacumatic filler in the 1930s. Our Parker Duo-Vac, as they are sometimes called, has been fully restored with a new diaphragm. This vintage pen was made in Canada. There are no cracks. It has some wear from use and heavy brassing on the pocket clip. One of the greater features is that it has a semi-flexible 14k gold nib. You will write an extra-extra fine line to nearly 1mm wide. The matching twist-action pencil has the same amount of wear and lots of brassing. Engraved "H. M. Stockder", it is actually an American-made model. There's a hardened eraser under the cap and a .9mm lead loaded in the pencil. Works well.

There's nothing like a little scandal to get a pen collector's heart aflutter. This ballpoint version of the Writer's Series Montblanc Alexandre Dumas has the wrong autograph! A mistake at the factory Alexandre's son's autograph on the pen. Given they had the same name, it was an honest mistake. Nevertheless, Montblanc recalled these pens to be replaced with the correct signature. This one, clearly, never got back into Montblanc's hands. It is in great shape, too, with only light wear from use. Twist the tail cap to extend or retract the ballpoint refill. Our refill works and writes a nice blue line. Pen is numbered 08664 of 16000. 13cm.

Write like an Egyptian. Que the Bangles' hit song. Limited editions are not exactly commonplace in the world of Cross pens. This Cross Townsend is particularly special because it sports a lapis lazuli finish made from the same lapis mines used by the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Our preowned luxury pen is in excellent condition. Under a bright light upon very close examination, you can find two scuffs to its finish. HOWEVER, you have to look really, really hard. Otherwise, they are very easy to miss. There is a tiny bit of the metal nose cone's edging that has been eaten away at the very tip, too. We installed a brand new blue Cross rollerball refill, which you can see still has its wax-seal ball. Click the headline for a close-up. 14.9cm capped.

Among the epic failures of the golden era of vintage pen is the story of the Eversharp Symphony. Designed to replace the wildly popular Eversharp Skyline, this Eversharp Symphony is a handsome pen. We love the dark-blue barrel paired with the chrome and gold-plated cap. Unfortunately for Wahl-Eversharp, its Symphony never quite caught on with the writing public. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. The barrel has some moderate wear but no cracks or nasty scars. No dents mar the cap. You will write a really wet medim--some might call it broad. It has some feedback but not hideous. 14.1cm capped.

We've got a fun mystery for vintage Parker Pen collectors. What is this pen? It looks like a streamlined senior Parker Duofold. Yet, it also has the Parker Televisor pattern in burgundy. Of course, we don't think they made Televisor pens this large. No barrel imprint. We found it in this box from Parker in the UK. However, it might not be its original box. We don't know. We do know it has been fully restored with a new ink sac. Click the headline for a close-up. You'll see the nib is ever-so-slightly bent to the left. However, it is fairly smooth and writes like a firehose. 13cm capped.

Germany is a tough market for luxury pens, and it is a shame that Faber-Castell often gets overlooked. This is their Graf von Faber Castell fountain pen. Sterling silver plates its cap, section and tail end. Pernambuco wood handsomely furnishes the barrel. Its two-tone 18k gold nib writes a smooth medium line. However, we think it will write even better after you've used it for a little while. On our brief testing, it had the occasional hard start and random hint of feedback. Yet, the longer we wrote with it, the more these ticks in its behavior went away. No dents or scratches. Includes a standard international converter. 13.7cm capped.