Vintage Pens

Here's a chance to get a relative bargain on a fairly rare vintage pen. Look closely. Click the headline for close-ups. Notice anything unique about this oversized Sheaffer Lifetime flattop in black hard rubber? No white dot. No serial number on the 14k gold Lifetime nib. This pen was made before Sheaffer developed its famed white dot logo for Lifetime pens! And it was before Sheaffer lost an early lawsuit to black-market dealers of its pens because the Lifetime nibs had no serial number to track the pens. There is a fair amount of brassing on the trim. Also visible is a little triangle chip in the lip of the cap that some long-ago repair person super glued. A hairline crack sprouts out of the right side of the pocket clip mount. There are scratches and faded imprints. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. You will write a deliciously buttery smooth broad line with its early original 14k gold nib. 13.6cm capped.

Persian blue is one of our Sheaffer favorites. This Sheaffer Sentinel is an especially attractive vintage pen. The vacuum-fil filling system has been restored and works well. However, we are noticing an issue with it as it writes. The firm extra-fine 14k gold nib writes nicely, but it seems to deposit a little blob of ink every couple words. There is a dent on the right side of the cap, too. The rest of the pen looks fine with a little wear from use. This pen sports its White Dot on the tip of the blind cap! Really neat feature. 12.7cm capped.

The original Sheaffer Valiant came with a vacuum-fil filler system. The color is a rarer umber brown. There is a little light wear from use. There is no brassing, no cracks or deep scratches. You can see in the photo that the cap pushed a little of the softer barrel plastic back where it closes. This vintage pen was restored by the great Sherrell Tyree, who is a renowned Sheaffer expert. You will write a smooth fine-medium line with its two-tone 14k gold Triumph nib. Oh, and it has nice ink-view window clarity. Click the headline for close-ups. Wide bodied and 13.3cm capped.

We don't often get excited about ringtop fountain pens, but this Parker Lady Duofold is something else. It is pretty close to mint for a 100-year-old pen. Really crisp milling on the top of the cap and blind cap. Deep, sharp imprint that is kinda uncommon for Lady Duofolds. Our vintage pen has been fully restored with a new ink sac. The only real imperfection with the pen is that the cap is several shades lighter than the barrel. Yet, it has a raised cap band, which is often desired. Click the headline for close-ups. Its 14k gold nib writes a smooth fine line with a hint of feedback. It has a "Christmas tree" inkfeed. No brassing. 12cm capped.

How about a blast from the past with this Parker 20 eyedropper. Aside from being really old, it has many other reasons for being cool. Our favorite reason is the the bakelite barrel and hard rubber cap! How do we know it is bakelite? It says so right on the barrel imprint that is still pretty crisp. No cracks in the cap or barrel. Some mostly light wear from use for its age. There's brassing on the ball of the pocket clip. Click the headline for a close up of the 14k gold nib. It says "Parker / Lucky Curve / Pen / 2 / Made in U.S.A." There appears to be a crack running from the breather hole about halfway down the "k" in Parker. Be gentle with this nib, but it is flexi and goes from fine to about 1.5mm wide. 12.4cm capped.

Another West German Lamy Safari ballpoint has arrived. It doesn't look 40ish years old. In fact, there are only light traces of wear. Even its West German-made refill still seems to be working. Click the headline for close-ups. It is interesting that it has that little beige band around the top. 13.8cm capped.

If you are looking for a once-in-a-lifetime grail pen. A true grail-quest pen. This oversized Sheaffer Balance Demonstrator might be it. This beauty is something we have never seen before and likely something we will never see again. No cracks. No matter what your screen indicates, it has discolored to a pale yellow-green. The section jiggles a little. There a touch of brassing on the trim. Possibly a touch of krazing at the ends...could also just be the way things come together on the insides. We don't know if the 14k gold Secretary nib is original...but who cares. That nib alone is quite rare. It has a fresh ink sac. However, we'd never use it. It would be the centerpiece of our museum display...if we had a museum display. We dipped the nib, and it writes a nice medium line with light feedback. Click the headline for a close-up! 14.1cm capped.

Yeah. We get it. It feels weird to us, too. But, hear us out. Lamy Safari pens don't generally wind up being called vintage pens. We struggle with defining vintage all the time, as you'll know from our blog and magazine stories. Buuuut, this Charcoal colored fountain pen was made in "W. Germany." There hasn't been a West or East Germany in roughly 35 years. And this pen was probably made before reunification. Sooo, it ain't exactly new. It is gently used, sports some shallow surface scuffs and scratches and in good working order. The section doesn't have the slots for the modern "red" Lamy converter. This comes with a Lamy "black" converter. Click the headline for a close-up of the nib and W. Germany imprint. You will write a smooth broad line. Cap closure isn't very strong. 13.8cm capped.