All Pens and Ephemera

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.

Black ripples on orange hard rubber look fantastic on this Wahl-Eversharp Gold Seal fountain pen. Our vintage pen is fully restored with a new ink sac. We think people will be most interested in its semi-flex 14k gold nib. It has a couple of small dents, but it writes a nice fine line to 1mm wide. There's a little feedback, as many semi-flex nibs do. There is a tiny chip in the lip of the cap but no cracks. You will find some brassing on the trim. We aren't sure that is the original section. Be very careful putting the cap back on the pen. Sometimes you will engage the wrong threads and touch the nib to the cap, as the nib seems too long. Yet, there is one engagement point where the tip of the nib does not touch the cap. Pen measures 12cm capped.

French safety fillers are definitely something we know very little about. Click the headline for close-ups. This is a black, hard-rubber pen by the French company J.M. Paillard. It is the Semper model. Most of the chasing and imprint has been worn down. In the right light with magnification we can see the letters "LLARD" at the end of what would have been the imprint. The safety filler mechanism moves freely but doesn't lock. We couldn't test write with the 18k gold nib because it kept sliding back into the barrel. It seems flexible, but 18k nibs are notorious for being easy to "spring" or ruin. There is a really handsome brass after-market pocket clip on the cap. No cracks in the cap or barrel that we saw. Unrestored. Sold as is. 13.2cm capped.

Brilliant orange looks great on the modern Parker Duofold International pens. Based on the old "Big Reds" of the 1920s, these are every bit as good. Our preowned luxury pen only shows light wear on the pen and trim. No cracks, deep scratches or engravings. There is a little black schmutz in the barrel threads for the cap. You will write a nice, smooth medium line with its two-tone 18k gold nib. Included is a working Parker converter. Click the headline for close-ups. The International models were slightly thinner and shorter than the Centennial models. 13.1cm capped.

Here it is! The granddaddy of the Jade Parker Duofold Centennial fountain pen. The largest of the modern Duofold line is in nearly mint condition with little to no wear from use...except for possibly a light ring of wear around the center of the golden cap bands. Our preowned luxury pen comes with a working Parker converter. You will write a very smooth, wet fine-medium line with its two-toned 18k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. Our pen was made in the third quarter of 1996--the first year these pens in this color were made. The Centennials were the "oversized" version of the pen at 13.6cm capped. However, oversized might be overstating how big it is. It certainly isn't as fat as a Montblanc 149 or Pelikan 1000.

Jade isn't the rarest color in the modern Parker Duofold line, but it was only made from 1996 through 2001 and was not a big seller. Our jade Parker Duofold International is the more slender version of the pen and was made in the 2nd quarter of 1996, the first year of this design. Our preowned pen is in like-new condition with minimal, if any, wear. When we dipped its two-tone 18k gold nib, it wrote a very nice fine line on what we felt was the dry side. A Parker converter is included with the pen. 13.1cm capped.

The rebirth of the Parker Duofold in the late 1980s as a modern pen with a vintage look was absolute genius on the part of Parker. We especially love that they adapted the vintage pencil look for the modern ballpoint pen. Many colors have been made for the newest Duofold line in the past 35 years. However, one of the rarer, and more collectible, colors is this jade green. Only made for a short while, it wasn't very popular with customers at the time. Now, however, it is a special treat for modern Duofold collectors. Our preowned pen show a little wear from use. There is a 1mm hairline crack in celluloid near the pocket clip and a tiny chip missing not far from it where the celluloid meets the metal topper. The twist mechanism works smoothly. We just installed a new blue-gel refill. 13.1cm capped.

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.