All Pens and Ephemera

You can't get much closer to perfection on the hard rubber cap and barrel on a rare Sheaffer 41 Autograph model pen than this. Its chasing and imprint are as crisp as the day it was made. Zero chocolate hazing. Its 41 imprint in the flat tail has orange paint or chalk in it, which apparently isn't original. Not a trace of brassing on its extra-wide gold-plated cap band, clip and lever. The ONLY flaw is the teeniest, tiniest little dimple a 25% turn to the left of the clip in the center of the cap band. That's it, and you'll miss it if you don't specifically look for it. Our vintage pen is fully restored with a new ink sac. It has a replacement 14k gold Lifetime nib without the serial number AND an original spear-point inkfeed. You will write a fine line with a little feedback, but we don't think most people will be making such a beautiful specimen a frequent writer. It is an impressive vintage pen, especially in this condition. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.5cm capped.

One doesn't often find stickered, New Old Stock Sheaffer pencils from the 1920s, but this Sheaffer GN is just that. Its original price sticker is on the flat end of the tail cap. It simply states "GN $4.50." Pull out the tail cap to reveal the hardened eraser and spare 1.1mm leads. The main lead still advances and retracts. The mechanism is a little stiff but still works. Only light wear is on the Green-Gold Filled pencil. Amazing for a museum piece or daily writing. 13cm.

Demonstrator pens are so much fun, as we love watching all of the internal parts of the pen operate. You'll have a good time with this modern classic Pelikan Souverän M250 Demonstrator. We've tried cleaning out all of its old red ink, but inks are especially stubborn in demonstrator pen. Nevertheless, this pen is in great working order and comes complete with its original leather pouch and box! No cracks and only light wear on the pen. You will notice what they say about German nibs is true. It is marked fine, but it writes closer to medium with a little feedback. Click the headline for a close-up. The logo on the cap is black with a golden mama pelican and two chicks. 12.4cm capped.

Classy, elegant, sophisticated. Dip pen fans will love this sterling silver repousse antique pen. We suspect it comes from around the turn of the 20th century. It could be older. The holder is marked "Sterling," but there is no formal branding. Ergo, we don't know who made it. There are a couple little marks on the pen, and one of the silver edges where the nib goes in has split just a teeny-tiny amount. We included a "new" Esterbrook Bronze Falcon 048 nib, which is NOS. You will write a firm, smooth line from extra-fine to about 1mm. This is semi-flex and far from a wet noodle. Click the headline for close-ups. Yes, our cat is holding the pen down for a nib close-up, and, no, he is not for sale with the pen. 18.5cm.

Grail pens such as this Waterman 0322 "Chased" pen from the early 1900s are intoxicatingly rare. What has become known as "repousse" in many pens Waterman called "chased" in its early turn-of-the-century catalogs. This taper cap with gold-filled overlay is a once-in-a-lifetime pen for us. Its 14k gold nib writes an extra-fine to 1mm flexi line, but the slender hard-rubber pen is so delicate, we don't really recommend writing with it much. Filling this eyedropper pen will be difficult as the section seems firmly screwed together and not wanting to separate. Engraved on the barrel cartouche are the initials E.H.L. You can see a couple bite marks on the end of the barrel and tip of the taper. Its biggest flaw is an upside-down "L" crack from the lip of the cap. Clear imprint on the taper cap. Overall, a very good vintage pen for its age. Click the headline for close-ups. 14.7cm capped.

The granddaddy of all pencils is here: Sheaffer Titan. This is what we like to call the lemon-lime jade version, as it features bright yellow swirls and flecks in the bright jade green celluloid. Our vintage pencil is in good working order. Twist the gold-filled crown on top to advance or retract the lead. As is the case with most of these, the crown is a bit dented around its edges. There's brassing on the ball and top of the pocket clip. Overall, the pencil looks great. No cracks or deep scratches. It fills with 1.1mm lead. There's a hardened eraser plugging up the space where we can hear spare leads rattling around. 13.2cm.

Tortoise shell pens are among the most sought in the Pelikan line, and here we have an even rarer .5mm pencil. It is a clicker in good working order. Pull off the clicker to reveal spare leads and a hardened eraser. Our pencil shows some wear from use but no cracks or deep scratches. The clicker logo plating is a little thin, showing a mama pelican with a single chick. 13.6cm

Bronze and black flecks glitter in the light of this Conklin Endura pencil. In great working order, you'll smoothly advance and retract the 1.1 lead with a twist of the tail piece. You can still see yellow accent paint in the rings around the celluloid. The imprint is still legible. There isn't much brassing. However, there are scratches on the nose cone and bite marks on the tail. Spare leads are under the tail cap. 12.2cm.