All Pens and Ephemera

Looking like it just danced out of the souvenir shop in Emerald City from "The Wizard of Oz" is this stunning Technicolor green Bexley Gemstone fountain pen. At least we think the model name is "Gemstone;" we aren't certain. Borrowing a bit from the Waterman 100-Year Pen in design, it is an absolute knock-out. It shows some light wear from past use, but it is generally pretty amazing. Better yet, you'll write a buttery smooth medium line with its two-tone 14k gold nib. Included is a standard international converter. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.9cm capped.

Due to their unique filling systems, Parker Vacumatics remain a perennial favorite for us. We restored this World War II era vintage pen with a new ink sac and really went to town wet-sanding it to restore its factory luster. No cracks. No brassing. No deep scratches. The only imperfection is an impression on the cap where the pocket clip dug into the celluloid. The blind cap aligns with the barrel about 99% of the way it should. You will write a wet, fine line with its 14k gold nib. The lighter your touch as a writer the less feedback you will feel. We can get it to be almost feedback free, but if you are more heavy handed you will feel a little more. Made in 1944, this one is a beaut that should work well for decades to come. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.8cm capped.

New Old Stock fans, rejoice. Check out this still-stickered Sheaffer Admiral from the 1940s! We restored this chocolate-brown beauty with a new ink sac. The rest is as it was and has always been. There is definitely some shop wear from rattling around for nearly 80 years, but there isn't any egregious damage. The ink-view window is still its factory fresh yellow-green clarity. You will write a nice, smooth fine line with its two-tone 14k gold "Feather Touch" nib. The sticker says it is a medium, but it only seems to write something we think is closer to a fine on a dip. Its matching pencil also is stickered. Similar light shop wear as the pen. Works perfectly. Includes spare .9mm leads. The eraser has hardened and shows a little use. Click the headline for close-ups.

Made in America, the Bexley Imperial is a bold, oversized fountain pen. We like the brown swirl weaving through the pearlescent blue acrylic. Our preowned luxury pen is in excellent condition with minimal wear. You fill it with a standard international cartridge or converter. Our pen includes the converter. You will write a smooth, wet broad line with its two-tone steel nib. In spite of an "M" marked on the nib for medium, we feel confident in calling it a broad line. The nib sings a little as you write. 15.2cm capped.

As always, the craftsmen and women of Italy come through with panache. Our Delta Signatore 365 is a masterpiece with its marmalade pearl essence in a pebble formation in the barrel. The cap band appears to be vermeil...sterling silver plated with gold. In almost new condition, it has minimal wear. Comes complete with its box and papers. We had to write with this beauty before putting it up for sale. It writes a nice medium line with a touch of feedback. There seems to be a quirk with its inkfeed, as the ink sometimes stalls in the converter. You need to manipulate the converter to get it flowing again. Yet, it writes a fair amount once you do this. 14.4cm capped.

Glittering yellow dust swirls through the black acrylic of this really stunning Karas Kustoms Vertex fountain pen. Unlike other Vertex pens that we've seen, this one has an amber "jewel" in the top of the pen. We aren't sure if that is from the factory or a former owner's bedazzling. Sporting minimal wear, this preowned pen comes with a standard international converter. You will write a firm extra-fine line with its steel nib. It does have some feedback, as most extra-fine nibs seem to have. 13.5cm capped.

A strong argument can be made that the Sheaffer PFM was the very pinnacle of Sheaffer pen design and manufacture. Released in the late 1950s and continued into the mid-'60s, it was elegance, innovation and performance wrapped into one pen. Our Sheaffer PFM-I in kelly green is the base model with a palladium-silver inlaid nib and chrome trim. We restored this one with a new ink sac and snorkel. The point seal and O-ring look and perform as if they were recently replaced before we got the pen. No cracks. A little wear from past use. You will write a smooth, firm medium line. When we dipped this pen, it started as a fine-point nib, but the more we wrote with it, the more it turned to a medium. 13.7cm capped.

Suddenly playing catch-up to Parker with its transparent barrels, Waterman developed its own see-through barrel pen. The Waterman Ink-Vue was introduced in the mid-1930s. This is an insanely rare demonstrator model of that classic vintage pen! It has some ambering, but it is in really amazing condition. Crisp imprints. No cracks in the main cap or barrel. It appears the inner cap has some fractals. In truth, it is mostly a bulb filler, only it has a cover over the rubber bulb and a lever system pumps the bulb. This pen is so rare and delicate, we've left the petrified original bulb in it. Click the headline for close-ups. The name Val Steiniger is engraved on the tail of the barrel. We don't expect you to write with this museum piece, but its 14k gold nib has a little flex and feedback. 12.8cm capped.