Vintage Pens

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 2nd gen Charcoal colored rollerball 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. It has a dried vintage black refill marked W. Germany. However, we include a new refill, too. 13.8cm 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 2nd gen Charcoal colored ballpoint 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 and in good working order. It has a working black refill in it...but it, too, is marked W. Germany. Don't count on it being too full. 13.8cm retracted.

Carter's Pens are always a vintage pen lover's treat. When we first discovered this pen in the bottom of a box, we were pretty psyched. As we cleaned and polished it, it became obvious that this pen came from 3 different models of pens. The rounded tail of an oversized Carter's Pen is made of plastic. The squared cap with an orange ring and fine pinstriping is definitely a Carter's Pen cap that is made of hard rubber. And when we got a layer of schmutz off the 14k gold nib, it turned out to be a large Conklin Crescent nib. Oh well. It is still a nice pen. We restored it with a new ink sac. You will write a smooth, wet medium line with its gold nib. Heavy brassing on the cap trim and a crack in the lip of the cap. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.6cm capped.

We love giving vintage pens a second chance. This Wahl-Eversharp Gregg has a little bit of a banana bow in it from having once been left in the sun. Nevertheless, we restored it with a new ink sac. Its insides are a bit rusty and it shows plenty of wear. It ain't gonna win any best-in-show awards, but it remains a good daily driver. The thing we find especially fascinating about this pen is its enamel "Gregg" emblem for the top cap jewel and a somewhat rarish 14k gold nib that reads "Gregg" instead of Wahl or Eversharp. To the casual observer, it is easily mistaken for a Wahl-Eversharp Symphony. Click the headline for a close-up. It writes a smooth medium line when you find it sweet spot. It gets a little scratchy outside of its sweet spot. 13.3cm capped.

Its the one and only Parker 51, titan of the vintage pens. Certainly the best-selling vintage luxury pen of all time, this is the 1950s version with an aerometric squeeze-bar filler. Black with a gold-filled cap, it is a go-to crowd pleaser. The cap has a couple little dings and scratches from use. The hood and barrel of the pen likewise show wear from use. Nevertheless, the original "pliglass" ink sac still works great. You'll write a smooth medium line with its 14k gold nib. The blue diamond on the pocket clip indicates this might be an earlier cap or an older replacement clip for the pen. The barrel part of the pen was made a few years after the clip/cap. 13.8cm capped.

Premier New York sculptor James Cady Ewell created the bronze golfer on this desk base for Parker in 1927. It was known as "The Drive." This Parker Duofold desk set holds two senior-size pens. The two Duofold trumpets appear to be in good condition, as is the onyx base. A price sticker under the base reads that it is a Parker set that originally cost $53.50, which is nearly $1,000 in today's money. No model I.D. number. We restored two Duofold senior desk pens with new ink sacs. Click the headline for a close-up. The 14k gold nib on the black pen is a smooth stub that has lovely line variation. The lapis pen's Lucky Curve 14k nib is semi-flexible and writes extra-fine to almost 1mm wide! The base is about a foot long and 8 inches high. It weighs about 5 pounds and will cost extra to ship internationally.

The late 1940s brought the invention of the Sheaffer TouchDown filler. This pen used pneumatics to fill a standard ink sac using a series of metal tubes and an O-ring seal in the tail of the pen. We love these simple filling systems. We think this pen is called a Sheaffer Craftsman, but we aren't sure. We restored it with a new ink sac and O-ring. Its gold-plated trim shows some brassing, but it isn't hideous. The read of the blue pen shows wear from use but no cracks or serious blemishes. You will write a firm, fine line with its two-tone 14k gold nib. It has a small hint of feedback. Click the headline for close-ups. 13cm capped.

GARAGE SALE ITEM 8: Ever say to yourself, "I need to pour out a dirty bag of third tier pens and parts and just revel in the joy of it all?" Well, then, my friend, today is your lucky, lucky day. There's nothing special in here. It is literally a dirty bag of parts. If you ever wanted some cheap old pens to tear apart to learn how to do pen restoration, this is ideal. No Refunds. No Returns.