Vintage Pens

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.

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.

As ballpoints were gaining popularity in the 1950s for their no-mess filling and writing, Sheaffer got clever with its TouchDown filling system and upgraded it to have a "snorkel" that dipped in ink and never needed wiping down. Quite the feat of engineering, it was a brilliant and popular solution for people who preferred writing with fountain pens. This is the Sheaffer Sentinel model of that snorkel pen in the less-common color known as "buckskin beige." Our vintage pen has been fully restored with a new ink sac, point seal and O-ring. Aside from a little mark on the barrel and a hint of a dimple left of the pocket clip on the cap, this pen look pretty sharp. You will write a nice medium line with its two-tone 14k gold "Triumph" nib. 14.1cm capped.

We love the over-complexity of Sheaffer Snorkel pens. We replaced the O-ring, point seal and ink sac on this Sheaffer Sovereign fountain pen. We test drove this Rube-Goldberg of filling systems to make sure all was in order. There are no cracks or deep scratches on the cap or barrel. There is a little dimple just left of the pocket clip and a little flat dent on the top of the cap. You will write a firm, fine line with its two-tone, 14k gold nib. Classic mess-free filling in an age where competition against the ballpoints was fierce. A wonderful vintage pen. 14.1cm capped.

In the second quarter of 1942, the United States was getting its tail kicked pretty hard around the Pacific and U-boats were making a mess of our shipping efforts in the Atlantic. Nevertheless, this Parker Duofold was made and has persevered ever since. We found it in a well-cared for collection in good working order, so we didn't replace the diaphragm. Its blue-and-grey stripes really stand out as an art deco beauty. The pocket clip and clip ring are pretty chewed up, but the celluloid is in very good shape. Nice aluminum speedline filler. You will write a smooth medium line with its 14k gold nib. Slightly smaller and more slender than some Duofolds. 12.3cm capped.

Starting in the 1950s, Sheaffer began making cartridge-only pens with disposable plastic cartridges. Our Sheaffer Lady Skripsert was one such pen. It is quite attractive in its black-and-gold Tulle design. The cap and barrel only show a little wear from use, which is pretty good for a purse pen. The section shows more wear, and the nib is missing a fair amount of its gold plating. Click the headline for close-ups to see the extra-fine nib is just tweaked a little out of line. You'll write a very sharp extra-fine line with some scratch. The inkfeed seems a little out of alignment, and we couldn't slip it back into place without causing more damage. Sheaffer discontinued the slender cartridges for this pen, but the woman we got this from found a way to rig a standard international cartridge to fit. We left it in the pen as a demonstration to be reused. 13.7cm capped.

Sheaffer Balance pens can get a little confusing when you look at the imprints. This Sheaffer Balance has a 350 under the usual imprint, just like another pen we recently posted. However, our striated green version is a fully inch shorter than the striated golden brown. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. No cracks nor brassing. There's a tiny chip in the lip of the cap. You will write a dry, extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. The barrel has the name "Beatrice L. Best" imprinted on it. We don't know who she was, but she had a cool pen. 12.1cm capped.

Arguments might be had about whether this Sheaffer Balance comes with an extra-fine nib or an accountant nib. Whatever it is, no one will mistake this 14k gold nib for a fine, medium or broad. It is a sharp #3 nib that has a little feedback, too. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. No cracks nor brassing. But light wear from use. Long and slender, it looks good with Sheaffer's golden-brown striated design. Click the headline for close-ups. 14cm capped.