All Pens and Ephemera

Its the one and only Parker 51, titan of the vintage pens. Certainly the best-selling vintage luxury pen of all time, this is the 1950s version with an aerometric squeeze-bar filler. Black with a gold-filled cap, it is a go-to crowd pleaser. The cap has a couple little dings and scratches from use. The hood and barrel of the pen likewise show wear from use. Nevertheless, the original "pliglass" ink sac still works great. You'll write a smooth medium line with its 14k gold nib. The blue diamond on the pocket clip indicates this might be an earlier cap or an older replacement clip for the pen. The barrel part of the pen was made a few years after the clip/cap. 13.8cm capped.

Dip into vintage pens with this smaller sized, and affordably priced, Sheaffer Balance from the 1930s. Truly one of the great pen designs, these pens are ideal workhorse pens. We restored this one with a new ink sac. One of the nice touches on its design is the ink-viewing window that lets you know when you are almost out of ink! Like any true writer that got daily use for years, this pen is heavily brassed and shows moderate wear from use. No cracks. You will write a nice fine line with its 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. The nib looks a little like a hawk's beak. It digs into the paper a little on the loops of ascenders and descenders of cursive letters. Slender but 13.3cm capped.

Premier New York sculptor James Cady Ewell created the bronze golfer on this desk base for Parker in 1927. It was known as "The Drive." This Parker Duofold desk set holds two senior-size pens. The two Duofold trumpets appear to be in good condition, as is the onyx base. A price sticker under the base reads that it is a Parker set that originally cost $53.50, which is nearly $1,000 in today's money. No model I.D. number. We restored two Duofold senior desk pens with new ink sacs. Click the headline for a close-up. The 14k gold nib on the black pen is a smooth stub that has lovely line variation. The lapis pen's Lucky Curve 14k nib is semi-flexible and writes extra-fine to almost 1mm wide! The base is about a foot long and 8 inches high. It weighs about 5 pounds and will cost extra to ship internationally.

Montegrappa is easily our favorite Italian luxury pen maker. The company is filled with master designers and artisans. Our Montegrappa Nazionale Flex fountain pen is a limited edition. Numbered 48 of 100, it is more than a pretty pen. It has a flexi 14k gold nib! You will write from extra fine to about 1mm wide. There is a little up-front pressure that gives quickly with a little pressure. It isn't a wet noodle, but you need to go gently on it until you learn to feel how it performs. We tested the pen with water, and its piston fills well. The color of the near mint condition pen is called "Indian Rainbow" and the trim is solid sterling silver. Comes with its original box, sealed bottle of blue ink and a pamphlet under the pad. 13.7cm capped.

I am surprised Sheaffer collectors don't seem to put more emphasis on hoarding Canadian-made pens. They seem a bit more difficult to find. We think this is a Sheaffer Craftsman, and we are certain it was made in Canada from the barrel and nib imprint. Click the headline for a close-up. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac and O-ring. Its 14k gold nib is a little springy and writes a smooth, wet medium line. The pen shows a little wear and brassing, but most of us do after 70-odd years. 13.3cm capped.

Social media excels at telling us we misidentify these pens as Sheaffer Craftsman pens. However, we're pretty sure that is what this is. We restored this lever-filler with a new ink sac. These pens came out in the mid- to late 1940s, and the war rationing was evident in this skinny cap band. This vintage pen was heavily used but remains free of cracks. It does have substantial wear and a really deep scratch on the cap, down and to the left of the pocket clip. The black color of the pen helps to hide the blemishes. You will write a wonderful extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. The nib sounds scratchy but writes surprisingly smoothly. Click the headline for a close-up. 12.7cm capped.

Rounding out our collection of Levenger Verona fountain pens is this purple model. We love how the acrylic undulates from light to dark purple. It is strongly suspected that these were made by Stipula in Italy. Our pen comes with a standard international converter, but it also takes like cartridges. Click the headline for close-ups. There is a two-tone 14k gold nib. You will write a nice broad line with it. It has just a touch of feedback. 13.8cm capped.

The late 1940s brought the invention of the Sheaffer TouchDown filler. This pen used pneumatics to fill a standard ink sac using a series of metal tubes and an O-ring seal in the tail of the pen. We love these simple filling systems. We think this pen is called a Sheaffer Craftsman, but we aren't sure. We restored it with a new ink sac and O-ring. Its gold-plated trim shows some brassing, but it isn't hideous. The read of the blue pen shows wear from use but no cracks or serious blemishes. You will write a firm, fine line with its two-tone 14k gold nib. It has a small hint of feedback. Click the headline for close-ups. 13cm capped.