Vintage Pens

Parker cornered the market on orange pens in the 1920s and '30s. Orange Sheaffer pens are much less common to find. Our Sheaffer 5-30 is a long, slender beauty of a vintage pen, even if it has a fair amount of shallow bite marks in the tail end. Our pen is fully restored with a new ink sac. No cracks and minimal brassing. The pocket clip is the straight and flat type. Best of all, this pen has a semi-flex nib. You can write a normal fine line fairly easily, but with a little gentle practice you can write an extra-fine to roughly .75mm wide line. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.3cm capped.

We love the ease of the pneumatic filling of a Sheaffer Valiant TM. This vintage pen is better known as the thin model of the TouchDown filler. We replaced the O-rings and ink sac. This classic Sheaffer from the early 1950s shows a little wear from use but no cracks or deep scratches. Click the headline for close-ups. It comes with a conical "Triumph" nib. It is a two-tone 14k gold nib, and you will write a smooth, wet medium line with it. A great daily driver and an excellent addition to get started on using vintage pens. 13.6cm capped.

Another great vintage pen for beginners or people looking for affordable daily users. We think this is a Sheaffer Admiral TouchDown pen. It could be a marriage, as the cap is darker than the barrel by a shade or two. We restored it with a new ink sac and O-ring. The pen shows wear from past use, but it has no cracks or egregious blemishes. You will write a nice fine line with its two-tone 14k gold nib. It is a little dry but smooth writing. Click the headline for close-ups. 13cm capped.

If you are new to vintage pens, and you are looking for a great pen to experiment with, we highly recommend this Sheaffer TouchDown fountain pen from the 1950s. In addition to being fully restored with a new ink sac and O-ring, it is just a plain, good dependable writer. You will enjoy its smooth, 14k gold nib as it writes a standard fine line. Our vintage pen does show a little wear from use, but that means it has a bit of history and charm. It might even have a mismatched cap and barrel that fit perfectly together. BUT, we think it will show you the joy of vintage writing and pique your interest in a whole new rabbit hole to our crazy little hobby. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.4cm capped.

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.

If you wanted to be the coolest guy or girl at the office in the 1920s, you'd have sported a bright orange Parker Duofold Jr (or senior) fountain pen. We restored this Junior model with a new ink sac. There are no cracks or deep scratches, but it does have a fair amount of brassing. Its biggest blemish is a large capital "H" etched or imprinted by hand nearly a century ago. You will write a smooth medium line with its 14k gold nib. Under the nib is a classic, original Christmas tree inkfeed. Pen measures 11.3cm capped.

Parker nibs that border on "wet noodle" are rare, but this little Parker Duofold Moderne (more commonly called the True Blue) has a stunner of a flexi nib. You will write from extra-fine to roughly 1mm wide with its easy-going 14k gold nib. Fully restored, this vintage pen comes with a fresh ink sac. No cracks nor deep scratches. Its biggest flaw is obviously the discoloring of the barrel and lower part of the cap. There's also a little brassing on the ball of the clip. However, that nib is second to none for hardcore Parker fans and those who love to write Spencerian script. 11.3cm capped.

Parker 51 fountain pens are the corner stone of any vintage pen collection. This is likely a married combination. While there are plenty of black 51s with gold-filled caps, as best we know the gold-filled caps with amber jewels only went with the cordovan-color pens. This pen is in great working order, but it has its share of wear and scratches. We restored it with a new diaphragm. Clearly this was someone's well-loved writing companion. You will write a very nice, smooth fine line with its 14k gold nib. This pen is 80 years old according to its 3rd quarter date code from 1944. 14.3cm capped.