All Pens and Ephemera

One doesn't often find stickered, New Old Stock Sheaffer pencils from the 1920s, but this Sheaffer GN is just that. Its original price sticker is on the flat end of the tail cap. It simply states "GN $4.50." Pull out the tail cap to reveal the hardened eraser and spare 1.1mm leads. The main lead still advances and retracts. The mechanism is a little stiff but still works. Only light wear is on the Green-Gold Filled pencil. Amazing for a museum piece or daily writing. 13cm.

Demonstrator pens are so much fun, as we love watching all of the internal parts of the pen operate. You'll have a good time with this modern classic Pelikan Souverän M250 Demonstrator. We've tried cleaning out all of its old red ink, but inks are especially stubborn in demonstrator pen. Nevertheless, this pen is in great working order and comes complete with its original leather pouch and box! No cracks and only light wear on the pen. You will notice what they say about German nibs is true. It is marked fine, but it writes closer to medium with a little feedback. Click the headline for a close-up. The logo on the cap is black with a golden mama pelican and two chicks. 12.4cm capped.

Classy, elegant, sophisticated. Dip pen fans will love this sterling silver repousse antique pen. We suspect it comes from around the turn of the 20th century. It could be older. The holder is marked "Sterling," but there is no formal branding. Ergo, we don't know who made it. There are a couple little marks on the pen, and one of the silver edges where the nib goes in has split just a teeny-tiny amount. We included a "new" Esterbrook Bronze Falcon 048 nib, which is NOS. You will write a firm, smooth line from extra-fine to about 1mm. This is semi-flex and far from a wet noodle. Click the headline for close-ups. Yes, our cat is holding the pen down for a nib close-up, and, no, he is not for sale with the pen. 18.5cm.

Grail pens such as this Waterman 0322 "Chased" pen from the early 1900s are intoxicatingly rare. What has become known as "repousse" in many pens Waterman called "chased" in its early turn-of-the-century catalogs. This taper cap with gold-filled overlay is a once-in-a-lifetime pen for us. Its 14k gold nib writes an extra-fine to 1mm flexi line, but the slender hard-rubber pen is so delicate, we don't really recommend writing with it much. Filling this eyedropper pen will be difficult as the section seems firmly screwed together and not wanting to separate. Engraved on the barrel cartouche are the initials E.H.L. You can see a couple bite marks on the end of the barrel and tip of the taper. Its biggest flaw is an upside-down "L" crack from the lip of the cap. Clear imprint on the taper cap. Overall, a very good vintage pen for its age. Click the headline for close-ups. 14.7cm capped.

The granddaddy of all pencils is here: Sheaffer Titan. This is what we like to call the lemon-lime jade version, as it features bright yellow swirls and flecks in the bright jade green celluloid. Our vintage pencil is in good working order. Twist the gold-filled crown on top to advance or retract the lead. As is the case with most of these, the crown is a bit dented around its edges. There's brassing on the ball and top of the pocket clip. Overall, the pencil looks great. No cracks or deep scratches. It fills with 1.1mm lead. There's a hardened eraser plugging up the space where we can hear spare leads rattling around. 13.2cm.

Almost perfect but not quite. Check out the beautiful pearl-and-black celluloid on this Canadian Parker Duofold Jr. set. You can see some traces of the brown discoloration that got started in this vintage pen, but it isn't nearly as bad as most of these pens that I've seen. The inside of this cap is so clean, we're not sure the pen was ever used. It has been restored with a new ink sac. No cracks, major blemishes or brassing. Light wear if any. Click the headline to see a close-up of the original 14k gold nib. You can barely see it in the photo but there is a hairline crack just to the right or top of the "B" in the photo and it works its way up to the top bar of the "E" in "Pen." You will write a smooth medium line. Its matching pencil has perfect color but much more wear, and it doesn't work.

Tortoise shell pens are among the most sought in the Pelikan line, and here we have an even rarer .5mm pencil. It is a clicker in good working order. Pull off the clicker to reveal spare leads and a hardened eraser. Our pencil shows some wear from use but no cracks or deep scratches. The clicker logo plating is a little thin, showing a mama pelican with a single chick. 13.6cm

Bronze and black flecks glitter in the light of this Conklin Endura pencil. In great working order, you'll smoothly advance and retract the 1.1 lead with a twist of the tail piece. You can still see yellow accent paint in the rings around the celluloid. The imprint is still legible. There isn't much brassing. However, there are scratches on the nose cone and bite marks on the tail. Spare leads are under the tail cap. 12.2cm.