All Pens and Ephemera

Glittering blue acrylic swirls make this Levenger Verona fountain pen a real stunner. It looks almost like new with minimal wear. It comes complete with a standard international converter, but it also can use the same style cartridges. You will write a nice medium line with its two-tone 14k gold nib. Compared to the grey model of this pen below, the blue pen's nib is a little firmer with a touch of feedback. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.8cm capped.

Odds are pretty strong that these Levenger Verona fountain pens were made by Stipula in Italy. Its deep silvery-grey swirls reminds us of the stunning hour or so before a daylong summer thunderstorm over the suburbs of Chicago. Those were days where the air felt electrical and one's mind tingled with the proximity to raw nature and a desire to take the time to write a story, the scent of fresh rain mingling with the scent of an open bottle of ink. Our fair Verona looks almost new and sports a buttery smooth broad 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. It fills with an included standard international converter. 13.8cm capped.

GARAGE SALE OFFERING #3: The theme of this pairing is silver and broken clips. There is a sterling silver Tiffany (as in Breakfast at....) ballpoint pen and a likely silver plated Wahl-Eversharp pencil, also missing a clip. The pen has a black refill. We don't know how well the ballpoint actually works, and we aren't sure if the pencil works at all. Fix 'em. Melt 'em down. We don't care. It is a garage sale bargain. No returns. No refunds.

We think this was an early version of the Sheaffer Student Pens that would be better known as cartridge fillers in the 1960s-'80s. This one sports a TouchDown filler that was first introduced in 1949. We restored this 1960s' pen with a new ink sac and O-ring. You will write a medium line with its slightly scratchy steel nib. Click the headline for close-ups. Overall, the pen is in decent cosmetic condition. Only the top of the nib looks scratched up. 13cm capped.

Pelican birds carry their dinner in a pouch. Why should you carry Pelikan pens in a special pouch. We have a lovely leather pouch from Pelikan that claims to hold 2 pens. We would argue it might be better suited for one really big pen or two average pens. Looks like new and comes with its box.

Needing a quality pen that was also affordable to help get through the Great Depression, Parker developed the Challenger line. Our Parker Deluxe Challenger is a handsome green marble with the older Duofold-style button filler. It is an average sized pen with a small 14k gold nib. You will write a nice, firm fine line with it. A lower-tier pen they did some cheap plating over a steel clip. Most of the plating has worn away. No cracks, but the pen does have wear from use. Fully restored with a fresh ink sac. It is a nice vintage pen daily driver. 12.7cm capped.

Coral is one of the most sought-after colors in the world of vintage pens. We restored this junior-sized Wahl-Eversharp Gold Seal pen in coral with a new ink sac. The coral is a little discolored, which you can see in contrast to its matching pencil. The pen has a 14k gold "Signature" nib that unscrews and is marked as a medium. You will write a nice medium line that is both smooth and has a touch of feedback. No chips or cracks. Light brassing on the cap bands and lever. The pencil has some light brassing but is otherwise stunning. We think it works and will update after tracking down our 1.1mm lead. Pen measures 12.1cm capped.

Early Krone luxury pens harkened back to the Parker Duofold button filler. Our Krone Hyperbole is one of those pens, which we had fully restored with a new ink sac at Krone's factory. The nice thing about these preowned luxury pens is that Krone guarantees them for life. So when the sac finally gives out, just send it back to them for a free repair! We like how this model looks like old-fashioned hard candy. The silver trim is nice, too. You will write a nice medium line with a little feedback...even though the 18k gold nib is marked XF for extra fine. 11.7cm capped.