All Pens and Ephemera

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.

Like waves fighting with the tide, the limited edition Pelikan Souveran Blue O' Blue fountain pen looks like a stunning force of nature. Our preowned luxury pen is nearly perfect with minimal--if any--wear. Its piston operates smoothly, too. Click the headline for close-ups. You will write a very nice fine line with its two-tone 18k gold nib. The logo on top of the cap features a frosted-gold field with a shiny mama pelican with a single chick. 14.1cm capped.

Mandarin yellow Parker Duofold Juniors are not the most common of colors. Yet, streamlined versions are even more difficult to find. Our vintage pen was fully restored with a new sac several years ago. The photo doesn't showcase the nuance of the colors in the cap and barrel. The of the cap is a couple of shades lighter than the barrel. However, the barrel is inconsistent with some spots darker or lighter than others. The imprint is fairly well worn. No cracks. Minimal, if any, brassing. You will write a buttery smooth, wet fine line with its 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. 11.5cm capped.

Smoky blue makes for an elegantly dynamic barrel on our Pelikan Souveran M200 fountain pen. Aside from a little light wear from use, our preowned pen is in excellent condition. Its piston works smoothly, though it is a little reluctant to give up some stubborn green ink. You will write a very nice extra-fine line with its golden alloy nib--even though it is marked "F" for fine. As long as you don't write with any pressure, there is no feedback. The black logo on top of the pen features a golden mama pelican with two chicks. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.5cm capped.

If there was one pen that taught Americans how to write with a fountain pen, it was the Esterbrook J-model. Required by many high schools and professional schools in the 1950s, these vintage pens were attractive, easy to use, easy to customize and very affordable. We restored this J-model pen with a new ink sac. If you have a spare Esterbrook nib, these are easy to customize by simply unscrewing the old nib and screwing in a new one. Its steel 1555 Gregg was designed for practitioners of the Gregg Shorthand Method. Mostly stenographers, secretaries and journalists. You will find it is extra-fine with some feedback. No cracks or deep scratches. Staining to the barrel threads and the pocket clip isn't flush against the side of the cap. 12.7cm capped.

Black ripples on orange hard rubber look fantastic on this Wahl-Eversharp Gold Seal fountain pen. Our vintage pen is fully restored with a new ink sac. We think people will be most interested in its semi-flex 14k gold nib. It has a couple of small dents, but it writes a nice fine line to 1mm wide. There's a little feedback, as many semi-flex nibs do. There is a tiny chip in the lip of the cap but no cracks. You will find some brassing on the trim. We aren't sure that is the original section. Be very careful putting the cap back on the pen. Sometimes you will engage the wrong threads and touch the nib to the cap, as the nib seems too long. Yet, there is one engagement point where the tip of the nib does not touch the cap. Pen measures 12cm capped.

French safety fillers are definitely something we know very little about. Click the headline for close-ups. This is a black, hard-rubber pen by the French company J.M. Paillard. It is the Semper model. Most of the chasing and imprint has been worn down. In the right light with magnification we can see the letters "LLARD" at the end of what would have been the imprint. The safety filler mechanism moves freely but doesn't lock. We couldn't test write with the 18k gold nib because it kept sliding back into the barrel. It seems flexible, but 18k nibs are notorious for being easy to "spring" or ruin. There is a really handsome brass after-market pocket clip on the cap. No cracks in the cap or barrel that we saw. Unrestored. Sold as is. 13.2cm capped.

Brilliant orange looks great on the modern Parker Duofold International pens. Based on the old "Big Reds" of the 1920s, these are every bit as good. Our preowned luxury pen only shows light wear on the pen and trim. No cracks, deep scratches or engravings. There is a little black schmutz in the barrel threads for the cap. You will write a nice, smooth medium line with its two-tone 18k gold nib. Included is a working Parker converter. Click the headline for close-ups. The International models were slightly thinner and shorter than the Centennial models. 13.1cm capped.