Conklin
Pens and Ephemera

It was exciting to see the return of the Conklin pen company, especially when they released their modern Crescent filling "Mark Twain" fountain pens. Our cream-colored Conklin Mark Twain ballpoint pen is the complementing model to the fountain pen. Our's is an early one that was numbered 149 of 1000. It is in excellent condition with minimal wear. You twist the tail cap to advance and retract the working black Parker-style refill. We find it has a nice width to help minimize hand cramp. 14.4cm capped.

Alright you Spencarians and other flex writers! Behold the very flexi Conklin 3NL. It starts at a wet extra-fine and flexes up to 2mm! It is not a wet noodle, but what resistance is there will only help you stay a little slower and steadier. Did we mention that it is extremely smooth, too? We restored this incredible vintage pen with a new ink sac. No cracks, minimal scratching or any other blemishing. Crisp chasing. Its imprint is a little faded but legible. If it helps you date it, there is only an imprint on one side of the crescent filler. Its one helluva pen. 13.8cm capped.

Lapis lazuli looks like moonlight glinting off the ocean on this stunning blue Conklin Endura Senior. A classic from Toledo, Ohio, this vintage pen has been fully restored with a new ink sac. No cracks, no brassing...only minimal wear, this pen belongs in a museum. We did not repaint the orange trim rings, and, as far as we know, it is original paint. Its original 14k gold nib writes a very firm, fine line that leans closer to extra fine. Click the headline for a great close-up photo. Its oversized zen makes for easier gripping. A phenomenal pen for use or display. 13.4cm capped.

Vintage pen fans should go gaga over our Conklin #2 in gold-filled filigree. We restored this stunner of a classic crescent-filler with a new ink sac. Yet, its exterior needed no restoration. Marked "14kt * 1/5", the gold-filled exterior is nearly perfect with a floral pattern and only the lightest of wear. No cracks or marks in the black hard rubber, either. You'll only find chocolate hazing in the spaces between the filigree. Its safety ring is whole and slides around the pen easily. If that isn't enough to get you excited, it has a flexi (but not wet noodle) nib that writes an extra-fine line to just over 1mm. Not bad for a century-old 14k gold nib. It has a little feedback. No brassing on the clip. 12.8cm capped.

It took us a while to track down some answers for this pen. We finally discovered, courtesy of David Isaacson's inimitable website, that this was an unnamed model Conklin pen. He calls it the Conklin Sub Endura, as it was neither a Symetrik nor an Endura. It was meant as a lesser model for those who couldn't afford Conklin's higher end pens. While he had seen many of these pens in the past, he had only seen this maroon-and-pearl-grey pen once before. Ours is fully restored with a new ink sac. No cracks and minimal wear. Its only real problem is brassing on the cap bands. Write a nice fine line with a hint of flex with this original 14k gold nib. 13cm capped.

Conklin Endura pens were among the best of the 1920s. Our standard-size vintage pen sports a stunning, shimmering bronze-and-black marbling with yellow-painted rings at either end of the pen. We are pretty sure the yellow is original factory paint. We restored the pen with a fresh ink sac. The gold-plated trim shows about 3% brassing on the cap band and 10% to 15% brassing on the pocket clip. The imprint is clean and clear. Bite marks mar the tail a bit, and there is some light general wear on the rest of the pen. No cracks, but there is a tiny chip in the lip of the cap. Its original 14k gold nib writes a smooth, wet medium line that sings a little as it writes. 12.3cm capped.