All Pens and Ephemera

Parker mastered marketing during the Great Depression. Instead of reducing the price of flagship Vacumatics and Duofolds, Parker Thrift Time pens were essentially Parker Duofolds with bargain-basement pricing. Barely even advertised, these pens were actually decent sellers at stationary and pen shops and helped keep Parker afloat during the darkest days of the Depression. On the collector market, they can be a little difficult to come by. Here is a fully restored green marble Parker Thrift Time with a still-working grey-marble pencil. Click the headline for close ups.

Parker Duofold pencils are remarkably made and engineered devices. Nearly 100 years after its manufacture, this black-and-pearl design still works great. Senior length, this pen is a great sample of these vintage pencils. It has some noticeable wear from use. The tail topper has a little denting from a drop and a few little dimples on its side. Traces of brassing can be seen. It writes well with a 1.1mm lead that advances smoothly with a twist of the tail topper. 14cm capped.

You just can't overlook the stunning beauty of the green-and-quartz pebble design of this beautiful Franklin-Christoph 46 fountain pen. In near-mint condition it steals everyone's attention. The only think that might impress you more is that it has a 14k gold semi-flex nib. We think it was intended to be a full-flexi, but it feels firm fine when we write with it. You'll need to engage the flex with a little more intentionality. This oversized pen also includes its original standard international converter. No pocket clip on the cap. That is just how these came. 13.5cm capped. Click the headline for close-ups.

American-made luxury pens are a rare treat in modern manufacturing, but this Cross Townsend rollerball pen was a staple of the 1990s. Gold-plated sophistication makes this pre-owned pen a must. Our pen shows some wear from use, but there are no dents, cracks or engravings. The cap has a tight snap closure. We include a free refill with this classic pen. 15cm capped.

Metallic Turquoise is really stunning on this limited edition Kaweco Art Sport fountain pen. It is in like-new condition with minimal, if any, wear. These pens only use standard international cartridges, and this one comes with an unopened one in its barrel. Seemingly undipped or used, the steel nib does not appear to have ever seen ink. As such, we haven't dipped it and given it a spin. Included is a Kaweco tin that has space for two pens. Pen measures 10.5cm capped.

Genius squared! That is what this modern Conklin Mark Twain fountain pen is. The first wave of genius was resurrecting the Conklin brand and Crescent filler, which is what this pen is. The second wave of genius was from the guy we got this from who replaced the modern nib and feed with a vintage Conklin Endura nib and feed! The feed doesn't fit properly in a technical sense, but it still works. It is just a little too long. You will write a firm medium line with a hint of feedback. This color pattern is called "peanut butter." The pen is in great working order, and looks like it is in mint condition, excluding its nib alteration. Comes with original box and papers. 14cm capped.

In the 1930s, Conklin and Sheaffer each developed a piston filling mechanism that required just a single stroke piston with a gasket on it to create vacuum pressure to fill a pen's entire barrel with ink. It was a revolutionary design. Conklin called its pen the Conklin Nozac. Some of the pens were imprinted with an ingenious gimmick of a word gauge to show how many words were left in the pen before a refill. This limited edition recreation of that pen is a beautiful, oversized masterpiece. Tiny silver flecks look like stars in the night sky of this translucent blue and amber fountain pen. Numbered only 110 of 898, the word gauge purports to hold 7 million words per refill. We have not tested that gauge's accuracy, but we did test fill it with water and it works well. The insides are a little stained from past blue ink. You will write a smooth medium line with its 18k gold nib. Minimal wear. Complete with boxes and papers. Click the headline for a close up. 14.8cm capped.

For as handsome as this moss green-grey vintage pen is, it features some of the weaknesses of 1940s Waterman manufacturing. Our Waterman 2 has a crack in the top of the cap and in the lip of the cap. Its pocket clip spins freely. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. You'll find nice Canadian Waterman imprints. Click the headline for a close-up of the 14k gold nib. When you find the sweet spot on the nib, you will write a smooth broad line. It gets a little scratchy when you lose the sweet spot. Oh, and its inkfeed is a modern replacement feed. 12.8cm capped.