Vintage Pens

Here's one from the waaaay-back machine: a Parker 25 1/2! This is an oversized eyedropper from some time after the turn of the 20th century! Best of all, it is free of cracks. Sure. It has scratches, wear, faded imprints and some chocolate hazing but who doesn't after 110 years or more? You can see the original Lucky Curve imprint, though it is shallow/faded. The 25 1/2 tail imprint required magnification for us to read it. Click the headline for a close-up of the very early 14k gold Parker #5 nib! It is a great semi-flex that goes from fine to 2mm wide. We soaked out a lot of old ink, but it seems the old ink has sealed the eyedropper shut for now. We didn't want to force it and ruin such an amazing piece of history. 14.1cm capped.

Cartridge fillers are not a new phenomena in fountain pens. The first ones date back to around the turn of the 20th century. However, those early ones were not entirely practical and prone to their glass and clay cartridges breaking. On the American market, Waterman C/F pens introduced what we have come to know as the first cartridge pens with disposable plastic cartridges. These pens were Waterman's last hit in the 1950s and until the company was revitalized in the 1980s. This rare New Old Stock set is unused and pristine. From the "Fine Flex" chalk mark on the barrel of the pen to 4 unopened, still waxed shut original cartridges, this vintage pen belongs in a museum. Click the headline for close-ups. The steel nib doesn't feel flexi to us, but that is how it was advertised.

Can you spot what makes this Esterbrook Dollar Pen so special? Need to click the headline for a close-up? Need a clue? Look more closely at the bottom of the cap. 3 incised cap bands! This is one of the rarer features to be found on an Esterbrook Dollar Pen. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac, and it is in great working order. The cap is crack-free with minimal wear. Unfortunately, there's a scar the wraps a quarter of the way around the barrel between the threads and lever. You can see it in the photo. Unlike most 1551 nibs, we find this one to be an insanely smooth, wet medium writer. The pen itself is the long-skinny version of the pen. Were it the J-series, it would be an LJ, but we aren't sure of the Dollar Pen designation. 12.1cm capped.

Enjoy the spark of green life this dead of winter with our jade green senior Parker Duofold. Its vibrant color will remind you of lush, warm days ahead. The cap is nearly perfect, but you can see the barrel is dealing with some discoloration. However, compared to many jade Duofolds, this handsome devil is doing alright. Click the headline for close-ups of the cap and barrel, as well as the 14k gold nib! You will write a firm fine line with a bit of drag. Not really feedback as much as a slightly slowing sensation as you write. We did not install a new ink sac, in hopes of helping this pen not to discolor further. However, we can install one for you, if you want. It has a nice "Christmas Tree" inkfeed, too. 13.9cm capped.

Almost Perfect...but not quite. We adore this lapis blue Parker Duofold Senior set. Its blue is breath-taking, especially in the light. However, the barrel is likely about 2 shades darker than the blue of the cap. Click the headline for a close up. The white is still very white in the barrel and cap. The blue is just a couple shades darker. You can clearly see the imprint. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. No cracks or deep scratches in the barrel. There is a scratch you can see on the section near the nib. No brassing on the pen. The 14k gold nib is paired with an original "Christmas tree" ink feed. You will write a very firm, dry fine line with a little feedback. However, it feels to us if this nib just needs some breaking in from use. The more you write with it, the wetter and smoother it will likely get. The matching pencil is lighter in the barrel but it seems to have seen much more use with brassing and some dimples in the metal trim.

Here it is! One of the Granddaddies of Grail Pens: the Waterman Patrician. We've restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. What makes this pen really stand out to us is its black hard rubber (ebonite) cap and barrel. It has a little oxidation and moderate wear, but it isn't a mess of chocolate hazing, either. No cracks. Click the headline for close-ups. You'll write a nice, firm medium line with a little feedback with its original 14k gold Patrician nib. There's a little brassing on the cap band, and there's a slight bulge under the left-side of the clip (as you face it) where it attaches to the pen. The big golden Waterman's seal on the flat tail of the pen looks like a baseball with "Waterman's" written inside it. This is the big 'un. 13.9cm capped.

Parker advanced the efficiency and ease of using fountain pens when it created the Lucky Curve inkfeed. This is an early Parker Lucky Curve button filler from the very early 20th century. Click the headline for close-ups of the pen and nib. Notice the pen still has a slip cap and significant chocolate hazing of the black hard rubber (ebonite). We have not attempted to restore this pen. Notice how the threads of the blind cap by the button are missing. We feel that this rare older pen is likely too fragile to properly disassemble and put back together. Its 14k gold nib is a beautiful number 2 size that writes a very smooth medium line with a little flex. It also appears to have an early inkfeed. The pocket clip is an aftermarket clip made by the Rexall pharmacies. Slender and 14.1cm capped.

You can't get much closer to perfection on the hard rubber cap and barrel on a rare Sheaffer 41 Autograph model pen than this. Its chasing and imprint are as crisp as the day it was made. Zero chocolate hazing. Its 41 imprint in the flat tail has orange paint or chalk in it, which apparently isn't original. Not a trace of brassing on its extra-wide gold-plated cap band, clip and lever. The ONLY flaw is the teeniest, tiniest little dimple a 25% turn to the left of the clip in the center of the cap band. That's it, and you'll miss it if you don't specifically look for it. Our vintage pen is fully restored with a new ink sac. It has a replacement 14k gold Lifetime nib without the serial number AND an original spear-point inkfeed. You will write a fine line with a little feedback, but we don't think most people will be making such a beautiful specimen a frequent writer. It is an impressive vintage pen, especially in this condition. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.5cm capped.