All Pens and Ephemera

We have often pondered if the "Great Characters" series by Montblanc was a slightly derisive title for a series of pens based on real people and not fictional characters in a book or movie. However, I think most people would define Andy Warhol as one of the great characters of pop culture, no matter how you define it. Our Montblanc Andy Warhol rollerball pen is in like-new condition and complete with all of its original boxes and papers. Featured on the cap are Warhol's famous Campbell's soup cans. This pen comes with a working blue refill. Not all the boxes are featured in this image.

The United Nations celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Food & Agriculture Organization in 1995 and its ongoing efforts to stamp out global hunger. Omas hired sculptor Gio Pomodoro to help design this luxury pen, and his signature is on the back of the cap, which you can see in the photo. Originally, all the proceeds from these pens were shared with the FAO. A total of 6,000 pens were made. We do not have the original box and papers for this pen. Although it is crack and deep-scratch free, it shows significant dull wear from heavy use. We flushed a lot of black ink out of the pen, and added more silicon grease to the inside barrel walls, but the piston filler is still fairly stiff to operate. You will write a nice fine line with its 18k gold nib that has a little feedback. Omas Paragon sized at 14cm capped.

As a luxury pen, the Parker Sonnet often gets overlooked. However, we dare anyone not to fall in love with the solid sterling silver Parker Sonnet Fougere. Feathered herringbone is the best way to describe the pattern in the silver. Classically elegant, the silver on this pen doesn't show a trace of wear, denting or scratching. Unfortunately, there is a ring of wear around the gold-filled cap band, as if it were rolling around inside a desk for a while. Otherwise, the pen is quite stunning. It comes with its original boxes and converter. You will write a smooth fine line from a high angle of attack on the paper and a scratchier medium with a lower angle of attack. Click the headline for a close-up of the two-tone 18k gold nib. 13.3cm capped.

The 1990s saw Waterman return to luxury pen making. One of their first hits was the Waterman Exclusive. This pen is made of solid brass and is decorated in a burgundy lacquer. It comes its original converter and its original boxes. You will write a smooth medium line with its 18k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. There is a little wear where the cap posted on the pen. The lacquer is a little bumpy near the clip of the cap. And you can see in the nib photo that the section trim is a little spotted and scratched. 14.2cm capped.

Words such as legendary get thrown around far too loosely, but Babe Ruth was, unequivocally legendary. A gifted pitcher at the start of his career and a remarkable hitter for his entire career, there are few who have surpassed any of his stats. The Krone Babe Ruth fountain pen pays tribute to the Sultan of Swat in fitting fashion. Its display box is wrapped in flannel that looks like the Babe's New York Yankees uniform. The pen sports his likeness in sterling silver ripping a homer out of the stadium known as the House that Ruth built. A sliver of one of his actual bats is preserved in the "jewel" at the top of the pocket clip. New Old Stock, this pen was never inked or used. Numbered 8 of only 288. We aren't sure how or why but the included ink bottle is half empty. The velvet slip that holds the pen seems to have aged, hardened and cracked at its bottom. Everything else is perfect. Click the headline for close-ups.

Easily one of our favorite vintage pen designs of all time: the Parker Duofold Geometric! Who doesn't want a pen covered in flying toothbrushes?! Fully restored and ready for action, the fountain pen has a new ink sac. No cracks in the cap or barrel but significant brassing on the trim. You'll also find some wear from use and that the barrel is discolored a couple shades darker than the cap. You'll write a nearly buttery smooth fine line with the 14k gold nib. Cracks won't effect the performance of the nib, but there is a short sideways crack on each side of the nib just above where it enters the section. Click the headline for close ups. The matching pencil shows brassing and wear, but it is in good working order with spare 1.1mm leads.

Parker mastered marketing during the Great Depression. Instead of reducing the price of flagship Vacumatics and Duofolds, Parker Thrift Time pens were essentially Parker Duofolds with bargain-basement pricing. Barely even advertised, these pens were actually decent sellers at stationary and pen shops and helped keep Parker afloat during the darkest days of the Depression. On the collector market, they can be a little difficult to come by. Here is a fully restored green marble Parker Thrift Time with a still-working grey-marble pencil. Click the headline for close ups.

It seems a misnomer that Parker Duofold Jr. pencils are called juniors. They are about the same length as the seniors, just a little thinner. There's only one little dimple in the golden tail topper. The rest of the vintage pencil shows a little wear from use and brassing. The tail-twist mechanism works great, advancing and retracting the 1.1mm lead. There's a spare lead but no eraser under the tail topper. 13cm.