All Pens and Ephemera

Almost perfect but not quite. There are a couple little dimples in the gold-plated cap band of this oversized ebony-and-pearl Sheaffer Balance Lifetime. It is a stunningly handsome pen that is actually made with abalone shell flakes, not pearl. No cracks or deep scratches. No brassing. Looks amazing. It also feels great in your hand, if you have larger hands. You will write a very nice, smooth fine line with its two-tone 14k gold nib. It is a firm nib, so you will feel the paper under your pen, but we don't think it is scratchy. There is ambering in the ink viewing window. Still, it is an amazing vintage pen. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.9cm capped.

Our Palmer Method Woodgrain pen was undoubtedly sold by or for the school of handwriting also known as the Palmer Method. We have not previously seen a Palmer Method pen that didn't have some other branding on it. We strongly suspect that this pen was made by the Wahl-Eversharp company, but there are no markings to verify that beyond the shadow of a doubt. It just has similar design touches. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. No cracks or deep scratches. There is brassing on the cap bands and lever. You will write a razor-sharp extra-fine line that can flex out to about 1mm. This 14k gold nib is on the stiff side for a semi-flex nib. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.3cm capped.

Levenger teamed up with Sheaffer to make a new series of pens for the Connaisseur line. Each color of the line was named for one of the most famous seas on the planet. This is the Sheaffer Levenger Connaisseur Mediterranean. It is a handsome sapphire blue with gold-plated trim. Our preowned pen takes modern Sheaffer cartridges and short converters. Unfortunately, we haven't any for this pen. No cracks or serious problems. Only light wear from use. You will write a very nice extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. 14cm capped.

The Mediterranean Sea is the theme for this joint collaboration of the Sheaffer Levenger Connaisseur ballpoint pen. Our ballpoint pen is in good working order with a working blue refill. The tail cap and barrel have some wear from use but no cracks or deep scratches. Twist the tail cap back and forth to advance and retract the refill. 13.7cm.

Levenger teamed up with Sheaffer to make a new series of pens for the Connaisseur line. Each color of the line was named for one of the most famous seas on the planet. This is the Sheaffer Levenger Connaisseur Aegean. It is a handsome emerald green with gold-plated trim. Our preowned pen will come with a new rollerball refill. No cracks or serious problems. Only light wear from use. 14cm capped.

The 1920s were THE decade for amazing semi-flex nibs. This Swan Mabie Todd 142/1 fountain pen has a fantastic semi-flex nib made of 14k gold. Not a wet noodle, this vintage pen still writes a great extra-fine to 1mm wide line. No cracks or chips. However, the chocolate hazing is obvious, as is the wear on the chasing of the black hard rubber. It does not appear this pen ever had a pocket clip. Initials are engraved in the wide cap band. We restored the pen with a new ink sac. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.9cm capped.

Montblanc Starwalker pens broke the luxury pen company's usual mold for daily use pens. We especially love these rubberized models with platinum plated trim. Our preowned pen still looks almost new and feels fresh, without any tackiness to the feel. The only possible flaw to the pen is the engraved "M. Olson" on the pocket clip. We installed a brand-new rollerball refill in blue. One great feature to this pen is that the pocket clip also screws on to the tail to minimize wear. 14cm capped.

Leboeuf invented the celluloid pen. Prior to this company from Springfield, Mass., pens were only made from hard rubber, metal or glass. Celluloid broadened the spectrum of colors and shapes pens could take. Our Leboeuf Unbreakable is actually quite breakable, but it also is an interesting piece of vintage pen history. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. This is a standard-size pen, not one of the hyper-expensive oversized pens. Unfortunately, the section has tons of scars and damage from past repairs. Click the headline for close-ups. You will write a slightly varied line with its small-stub point 14k gold nib. It is a smooth writer, but we don't think it has any tipping. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.4cm capped.