All Pens and Ephemera

Easily confused with a Parker 51, this Parker 17 is actually a British model. Instead of a metal cap, such as the 51, this one has a plastic cap made of the same lovely green material as the barrel. It also sports a wider cap band and a tail jewel. You will see some scratches that were mostly made by the cap in its closed position. There is a tiny dimple in the wide cap band. The original pli-glass ink sac still works well. We get a kick out of how the sac protector instructs to squeeze the sac 5 times just to fill it. Early aerometric 51s were imprinted to squeeze 6 times and laters ones said to squeeze only 4 times. You will write a very smooth fine line with its 14k gold nib.

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.

History forever remembers the winners, but sometimes the losers have the more compelling story. That seems to be the case for the Eversharp Skyline and the Eversharp CA. The Skyline was Wahl-Eversharp's best-selling pen of all time. In an effort to be the first to bring ballpoint pens to market in the U.S., Eversharp CA pens looked just like the Skyline but featured the new and exciting technology of a ballpoint. "CA" represented the "Capillary Action" of the new ballpoint system. Unfortunately, Eversharp nearly went broke obtaining the rights to the first ballpoint refill and to get it to market in a mostly untested state. Once released, most of the pens failed to work as promised and Wahl-Eversharp lost their shirts on the lifetime warranty. This set is in good condition, though it has a little wear. The CA still has an original, nonfunctional, refill. The pencil still works well. A great curio for vintage pen collectors.

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.