All Pens and Ephemera

The Sheaffer Valiant Snorkel was first released in 1952, and you know you have a first-year model when this beautiful 14k gold snorkel comes out from under the nib. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac, O-ring and point seal. It has seen its share of action, as you can see some cracks and impressions on the burgundy plastic cap and barrel. It is imprinted with the name "F. Stanfield." You will write a fine line with its two-tone 14k gold Triumph conical nib. It digs into the paper a little if you are heavy handed and/or sometimes at the tops and bottoms of letters. 14.2cm capped.

He has been called the father of modern American literature, and it is amazing how well the work of Samuel Clemens holds up today. In 2010 he was honored with the Montblanc Mark Twain fountain pen from its Writers Series. The cap of this stunning luxury pen resembles the smoke stack of a paddlewheel riverboat he worked on, while the knot imprinted on the 18k gold nib represents the depths he would call out to alert the captain of the Mississippi River's depth. Our pen appears to be New Old Stock in mint condition. From the collection of top-selling author Bill Adler Jr., whose book "Outwitting Squirrels" would likely have tickled Mr. Clemen's fancy, Mr. Adler asserts he never filled this pristine pen. It comes with its original book box but not the papers or outer box.

We love how Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" often gets swept into the children's books category when it is really a biting political satire for adults. Montblanc paid tribute to the great satirist in 2012 with a Writers Series pen best known as the Montblanc Jonathan Swift. Ours is in mint condition and has never been used. It comes with its book box and that is all. The pen is numbered 07675 of 12,800. You will likely write a fine line with its 18k gold nib, but we have not dipped it to verify. No sense messing up its New Old Stock status. Click the headline for a close-up.

In the 1980s, Sheaffer made a series of slender luxury pens to fit the times. This one is called the Sheaffer Fashion. We love its deep green with golden accents. It actually takes Cross rollerball refills, and we include one with your purchase. The cap and barrel have a brass construction underlying the green. It is a nice, durable writer. There is a little scratching on the nose cone of the pen. Otherwise it is in great shape. 13.7cm capped.

Prepare for classic adventure with the Montblanc Jules Verne fountain pen. An homage to the French author who gave us "Around the World in 80 Days," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth," this pen has a nautical vibe from his early submarine. The fine guilloche work under the blue enamel makes the cap and barrel look as if it has capture the ocean in miniature. Its 18k gold nib is plated in rhodium and features the image of an old diving helmet. Click the headline for close-ups. This pen remains in unused mint condition from the modern million-selling author Bill Adler Jr. The pen comes just with its book box, no papers. Guaranteed authentic.

The business uniform of the 1950s was a grey-flannel suit. This handsome Sheaffer Admiral would have matched one nicely. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac, O-ring and point seal. Its only flaws are doozies. There is a nasty crack on each side of the loose pocket clip. Click the headline for close-ups. We showed the worst crack in the main photo. However, the pen works great. It is marked an F2, but we find it to write more of a smooth extra fine. 14.2cm capped.

We often wonder if the authors of the Montblanc Writers Series pens would actually appreciate a pen being named after them. Would the surrealist author who railed against the corporate world really approve of the Montblanc Franz Kafka? We don't know, but we suspect that he would love a cockroach imprinted on a luxury nib made of rhodium-plated 18k gold. Montblanc pays tribute to the author of "The Metamorphosis" with this stunning wine-red, art deco-inspired fountain pen. The sterling silver accents really pop. Our pre-owned pen once belonged to the author Bill Adler Jr. who wrote the 1-million-copies-selling book "Outwitting Squirrels." He says he never filled the pen, and the pen certainly looks mint in its original box. The papers and outer box have gone missing. Guaranteed authentic. 14.8cm capped.

Sheaffer Statesman fountain pens were part of the 1950s blast of snorkel pens. We restored this vintage pen with a new O-ring, point seal and ink sac. What makes these a little different is the "palladium silver" Triumph nib. We find it firmer than the gold conical nibs. Ours writes a dry, extra-fine line with a little feedback. There are no cracks or brassing. Some light wear from use. Its snorkel sticks out a little farther than we would like, but it works well. Pen measures 14.2cm capped.