All Pens and Ephemera

Words such as legendary get thrown around far too loosely, but Babe Ruth was, unequivocally legendary. A gifted pitcher at the start of his career and a remarkable hitter for his entire career, there are few who have surpassed any of his stats. The Krone Babe Ruth fountain pen pays tribute to the Sultan of Swat in fitting fashion. Its display box is wrapped in flannel that looks like the Babe's New York Yankees uniform. The pen sports his likeness in sterling silver ripping a homer out of the stadium known as the House that Ruth built. A sliver of one of his actual bats is preserved in the "jewel" at the top of the pocket clip. New Old Stock, this pen was never inked or used. Numbered 8 of only 288. We aren't sure how or why but the included ink bottle is half empty. The velvet slip that holds the pen seems to have aged, hardened and cracked at its bottom. Everything else is perfect. Click the headline for close-ups.

Easily one of our favorite vintage pen designs of all time: the Parker Duofold Geometric! Who doesn't want a pen covered in flying toothbrushes?! Fully restored and ready for action, the fountain pen has a new ink sac. No cracks in the cap or barrel but significant brassing on the trim. You'll also find some wear from use and that the barrel is discolored a couple shades darker than the cap. You'll write a nearly buttery smooth fine line with the 14k gold nib. Cracks won't effect the performance of the nib, but there is a short sideways crack on each side of the nib just above where it enters the section. Click the headline for close ups. The matching pencil shows brassing and wear, but it is in good working order with spare 1.1mm leads.

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.

Finding "clean" lapis blue in vintage writing instruments is difficult in our modern age. The white flecks are nearly perfect in the blue barrel. It has a nice, deep, crisp imprint, too. There are no significant dents or scratches. A little brassing can be found. The pen works well. You can easily advance or retract the 1.1mm lead with a twist of the tail cap. Remove the golden tail topper to reveal the remains of the hardened eraser with spare leads below it. 13cm capped.

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.