All Pens and Ephemera

Some pens fall into the grey area where naming them is concerned. Is this the Esterbrook CA Deluxe or Esterbrook Safari Deluxe? We aren't sure, but it is an attractive grey pen. It also is cartridge only...and they stopped making the cartridges for these nearly 70 years ago. Unfortunately, this one does not come with an old cartridge. It does come with an amazingly smooth medium nib made of steel. Once you find its sweet spot, you'll want to write all day with it. Click the headline for close-ups. The nib might be marked fine, but it is definitely a medium. There is only light wear to the cap and barrel, too. 12.7cm capped.

Fit enough for pharaoh, this limited edition Cross Townsend Lapis Lazuli uses the same lapis quarry as the ancient Egyptians! We love these gold-flecked beauties. Showing minimal wear to the cap and barrel, you will find this preowned luxury pen to be stunning. Click the headline for a close-up. You will write a wet, medium line with its two-tone 18k gold nib that was mistakenly marked "F" for fine. A Cross converter is included with the pen. Unfortunately, we no longer have the boxes or papers. 15cm capped.

It came as a surprise to us to learn that there is a huge difference between the original Rotring 600 fountain pens, such as this one, and the poorly made modern ones. These original ones were very well constructed. There are no cracks or problems with the metal. The cap snaps tightly, and the worst you can say about this pen is that it has a little wear from use. It comes with standard international converter. You will write a firm, dry extra-fine line with its steel nib. There's a little feedback, but not much. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.7cm capped.

Oversized carmine Sheaffer Premiers are a real treat when they have fully restored Vacuum-Fil systems. We had the great Sherrell Tyree restore this exceedingly handsome vintage pen. No cracks, no deep scratches, minimal brassing. This pen is a beaut with only minor wear from use. We've filled it and written with it to make sure it is working well. You will write a very nice extra-fine line with its two-tone 14k gold nib. A treasure for any Sheaffer collector and lover of vintage writing instruments. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.7cm capped.

The modern Waterman pen company began to find its groove again in the 1980s and '90s. Sales began to return from oblivion with pens such as this Waterman Laureat. Our attractive blue-marble preowned pen shows a little wear from use, but it is in pretty good cosmetic shape. Only the steel nib shows any obvious wear, as its gold plating is coming off in places. Click the headline for close-ups. You will write a nice fine line with the nib, even though it is marked "M" for medium. The original standard international converter is included. 13cm capped.

Isn't the early 1930s' marbled grey-and-red design one of the prettiest of the decades? Something really rings our bell about the celluloid of this Waterman 3V. Better than that, this pen comes with a double-broad 14k gold nib. Click the headline for a close-up. It looks like a stub but writes like a fire hose with its exceedingly smooth tip. If you haven't noticed, yet, there is one major flaw to this pen. The lift-tab of the lever is missing. The only way to lift it enough to engage the filling system is to use a toothpick or a pin to get in there and lift it. The good news is that we just restored the pen with a fresh ink sac. No cracks, light wear from use. 10.7cm capped.

Here's a rare treat for you. Welcome to the Waterman 7 Yellow! These pens were especially easy to identify by the colorful ring around the top of the cap. The ring corresponded to a nib named for the color. Each color represented a different use case for the pen. Yellow was designated for left-handed writers and anyone wanting a lot of tipping and customization. We find it writes a smooth, wet medium line. Better yet, we love that it has enough flex to go to about 2mm wide! Click the headline for a close-up of the pen and nib. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. It has a fair amount of brassing on the pocket clip, cap band and lever box. Luckily, no cracks or significant wear to the orange rippled hard rubber has been discovered. 14.2cm capped.

Waterman Phileas pens became one of the most famous entry-level fountain pens of the 1990s and early 2000s. Our preowned pen was someone's well loved daily driver. It has light to moderate wear on the cap and barrel. No cracks or glaring scars. We installed a new standard international converter. You will write a extra-fine line with a little feedback, using its two-tone steel nib. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.5cm capped.