All Pens and Ephemera

As ballpoints were gaining popularity in the 1950s for their no-mess filling and writing, Sheaffer got clever with its TouchDown filling system and upgraded it to have a "snorkel" that dipped in ink and never needed wiping down. Quite the feat of engineering, it was a brilliant and popular solution for people who preferred writing with fountain pens. This is the Sheaffer Sentinel model of that snorkel pen in the less-common color known as "buckskin beige." Our vintage pen has been fully restored with a new ink sac, point seal and O-ring. Aside from a little mark on the barrel and a hint of a dimple left of the pocket clip on the cap, this pen look pretty sharp. You will write a nice medium line with its two-tone 14k gold "Triumph" nib. 14.1cm capped.

It is fun to see a resurrected brand try to resurrect another brand. Our modern Esterbrook Accutron pays tribute to the classic watch called the Bulova Accutron. It was an early battery-powered watch. Critical to its operation was a little tuning fork, which serves as a logo to Bulova...and this fountain pen...to this day. You can see it on both the box and the nib. Our preowned pen is in like-new condition with minimal if any wear. Ours comes with its original box and papers. We gave it a replacement standard international converter. You will write a nice medium line with its golden or gold-plated steel nib. 15cm capped.

We love the over-complexity of Sheaffer Snorkel pens. We replaced the O-ring, point seal and ink sac on this Sheaffer Sovereign fountain pen. We test drove this Rube-Goldberg of filling systems to make sure all was in order. There are no cracks or deep scratches on the cap or barrel. There is a little dimple just left of the pocket clip and a little flat dent on the top of the cap. You will write a firm, fine line with its two-tone, 14k gold nib. Classic mess-free filling in an age where competition against the ballpoints was fierce. A wonderful vintage pen. 14.1cm capped.

Sahara models of the Graf von Faber-Castell line really stand out for their color and design. The barrels are plastic with a barley design and texture. The ends are likely rhodium-plated. The writing experience is everything you expect from this German luxury brand. You will write a fine-medium line with its 18k gold nib. The fountain pen looks to be in excellent condition. Just some light wear from use, and it includes its converter. The rollerball pen is a little more worse for wear with brassing/pitting in the back of the top of the cap and nose cone. Original box and papers included. 13cm capped.

Esterbrook Pushmaster pencils were a great early repeater that first came out in 1937. This copper-colored Esterbrook PJ likely came out in the 1950s. The click-activated lead-advance mechanism works well. This vintage pencil comes loaded with some spare 1.1mm lead. There's a little wear from use but nothing too hideous. 12.3cm.

In the second quarter of 1942, the United States was getting its tail kicked pretty hard around the Pacific and U-boats were making a mess of our shipping efforts in the Atlantic. Nevertheless, this Parker Duofold was made and has persevered ever since. We found it in a well-cared for collection in good working order, so we didn't replace the diaphragm. Its blue-and-grey stripes really stand out as an art deco beauty. The pocket clip and clip ring are pretty chewed up, but the celluloid is in very good shape. Nice aluminum speedline filler. You will write a smooth medium line with its 14k gold nib. Slightly smaller and more slender than some Duofolds. 12.3cm capped.

Carbon-fiber designs were hot during the early 2000s. Our Monteverde Invincia sports such a design, though we doubt it is real carbon fiber for the price it originally sold at. Our preowned pen looks good with only minor wear from use. You will write a smooth, fine, dry line with its steel nib. Click the headline for close-ups. Includes a standard international converter. 13.9cm capped.

Starting in the 1950s, Sheaffer began making cartridge-only pens with disposable plastic cartridges. Our Sheaffer Lady Skripsert was one such pen. It is quite attractive in its black-and-gold Tulle design. The cap and barrel only show a little wear from use, which is pretty good for a purse pen. The section shows more wear, and the nib is missing a fair amount of its gold plating. Click the headline for close-ups to see the extra-fine nib is just tweaked a little out of line. You'll write a very sharp extra-fine line with some scratch. The inkfeed seems a little out of alignment, and we couldn't slip it back into place without causing more damage. Sheaffer discontinued the slender cartridges for this pen, but the woman we got this from found a way to rig a standard international cartridge to fit. We left it in the pen as a demonstration to be reused. 13.7cm capped.