Vintage Pens

There's nothing like writing with a junior-sized Sheaffer Lifetime. Possibly a little overlooked, these are fantastic pens with great nibs. Yes, the nibs are firm, but they also are smooth. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. It shows some wear from use and some brassing on the pocket clip and cap band. However, it remains a solid pen nearly 100 years after it was made. You will write a smooth, wet fine to extra-fine line with its thick 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. The nib photo shows a hairline crack in the nib from the section through the second 6 in the serial number and into the U of U.S.A. on the imprint. The nib seems stable and still writes well. The pen measures 11.2cm capped.

We don't know the model name for this black-hard rubber Wahl pen, but it is a very nice example of the company's 1920s manufacturing. The pattern is still crisp and there is minimal brassing. We couldn't get it open, but it does still have a working ink sac inside it. There is a little chocolate hazing overall with some larger spots of it on the cap. You will write a dry, extra-fine line with a little feedback...but the 18k gold nib also flexes just a little to give you about a half millimeter of line variation. Long and slender. 13cm capped.

New Old Stock pens are always fun, even it they are from a lower tier. This Venus fountain pen bares a distinct resemblance to the Parker 51. Certainly, the hooded nib was all the rage. Unlike a 51, this pen is a lever-filler, and we just replaced the ink sac. You will see a little wear on the pen from rattling around an old drawer or box for the past 70 years or so. As it is N.O.S., we haven't dipped or written with it. Its matching ballpoint pen has a click top to engage the non-working vintage refill. Just under the clip is the refill release. A fun early ballpoint pen. Too bad they don't make these refills, any more.

Golden Pearl is always one of our favorite Parker Vacumatic colors. This Parker Vacumatic Debutant set looks stunning. The vintage pen is fully restored with a new diaphragm, and the cap and barrel sport minimal wear from use. No brassing, but the barrel is a bit ambered. The dating on this set is great, as it was made on the cusp of 1939. The barrel imprint on the pen says 1st quarter 1939. The two-tone 14k gold nib sports a 1938 date. And the working clicker pencil has a Q4 1938 date code. You will write a nice medium line with the nib, by the way. Remember, the Debutants are the smallest of the Vac models. Pen measures 12cm capped.

Nearly mint parts for French Safety Fillers don't come around every day. We have an incomplete pen with this Gold Starry No. 257. There is the cap, barrel, inner part and a tail piece that is not closed on either end. No nib or feed or other missing parts. Sold as is, no returns.

Conklin broke their own mold by releasing the stunning Endura line of pens and pencils in the mid-1920s. Our Conklin Endura is an early variant, as it is made of orange hard rubber with a woodgrain design. There is some wear from us and brassing on the cap band and trim. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. No cracks. You will write a juicy broad line with its 14k gold nib. A fun user for any vintage pen fan. 12.2cm capped.

We don't get many Onoto de la Rue pens on this site. This old black hard rubber pen is a bit of a mystery. We think this vintage pen has an early version of the plunger vacuum filler...similar to what Sheaffer began using in its Vac-fil technology. Our pen is unrestored and not working to fill the pen. No cracks nor deep scratches. Lots of wear from use. The pin strips on the cap and barrel are mostly gone. The two decorative bands on this pen are solid 18k gold. We dipped the 14k gold nib and found it just barely counts as a semi-flex nib working from extra fine to about broad. Don't smush the slip cap on too hard because you will break the slightly too long nib. Click the headline for close-ups. 14.5cm capped.

Almost perfect but not quite. There are a couple little dimples in the gold-plated cap band of this oversized ebony-and-pearl Sheaffer Balance Lifetime. It is a stunningly handsome pen that is actually made with abalone shell flakes, not pearl. No cracks or deep scratches. No brassing. Looks amazing. It also feels great in your hand, if you have larger hands. You will write a very nice, smooth fine line with its two-tone 14k gold nib. It is a firm nib, so you will feel the paper under your pen, but we don't think it is scratchy. There is ambering in the ink viewing window. Still, it is an amazing vintage pen. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.9cm capped.