All Pens and Ephemera

The invention of wireless communication in 1895 revolutionized the world. Guglielmo Marconi is generally credited with inventing the radio, and in 1995 the Omas Marconi fountain pen celebrated the 100th anniversary of that incredible achievement. Our pre-owned luxury pen is designed with rings symbolizing radio waves, and the pocket clip represents the transmitting key. Fill this pen with the smooth moving piston activated by a blind cap in the tail. The pen was a user that shows a little wear but no cracks or significant scratches. You will write a very smooth medium-fine line with its 18k gold nib. Unfortunately, we do not have the original boxes or papers. 13.7cm capped.

Click the headline for the close-ups. Enlarge the nib photo. Notice how the two-tone 18k gold nib says "OM"? In theory, this means the pen has an oblique medium nib. However, we don't notice any oblique action in the nib. It mostly feels like a lightly scratchy fine point. Overall, this Pelikan Souveran M400 is in excellent condition with only minor wear from use. No cracks or significant scratches. Its piston filler moves smoothly. It is a little bit older than it looks. You can see the top jewel logo etched in green: a mama pelican with two chicks. 12.5cm capped.

Swiss pen maker Caran D'Ache makes luxury pens with such precision, it is remarkable. Our Caran D'Ache Laque Noir is New Old Stock and still in its original box. Never used, this pen comes with golden trim and a beautiful Chinese lacquer finish. "M" on the 18k gold nib indicates it is a medium point. However, to preserve its NOS integrity, we have not dipped it to see how it writes. A clean converter is in the pen. We love the sword clip, which is always a nice touch. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.5cm capped.

Lapis perfection is nearly impossible to find, but we have found it in this Parker Lady Duofold. Our vintage pen looks like it just came off the assembly line. The blue is vibrant, and the little white flecks are white. The imprint start crisp on top and gets shallow toward the bottom...a factory issue not wear. If you can call it a flaw, the only trouble might be that the barrel under the cap is a slightly deeper shade of blue...but we would argue it isn't discoloration. We restored it with a new ink ink sac. No cracks, no scratches, minimal--if any--wear. No brassing. You will write a smooth medium line with its 14k gold nib and original "Christmas tree" inkfeed. Click the headline for close ups. Slender. 11.3cm capped.

If we aren't mistaken, the Visconti Ragtime fountain pen was their first commercially available pen. This one seems extra unique to us, as we haven't seen this light-brown pearl and black design before. We've seen green ones and yellow ones. This preowned pen looks almost brand new, and its piston still works well. It is pretty obvious its box is pretty beat up, but the pen is great. Only gently used, just a touch of old blue ink came out when we flushed it. You will write a very smooth fine line with its 18k gold nib. However, it feels as if it might be more of a medium once you break it in with some daily use. Assuming you don't want to keep it as a museum piece. 14.3cm capped.

One of the most successful pens of modern Waterman is the Waterman Carene Deluxe. We love these preowned luxury pens. The dynamic styling and excellent writing characteristics make it a real winner. The "Deluxe" means it has a silver-plated cap. The cap combines handsomely with the blue barrel. The cap looks great without any dents or scratches, but the barrel shows some light wear. Included is a Schmidt standard international converter. You will write a very smooth fine line with its 18k gold nib. Great for dressing up and daily writing. 14.5cm capped.

The color match of this married Esterbrook J-model fountain pen looks better in the photo than in real life. The cap is a much deeper red than the barrel. The cap also looks pretty jankety. Nevertheless, there are no cracks and the cap is on tightly. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. We also gave it a new 1461 nib straight out of the box. You will write a firm, extra-fine line with a little feedback. Definitely not a museum piece, but a nice enough daily driver. 12.6cm capped.

Few bridges in Europe are as famous as Florence, Italy's, Ponte Vecchio. It has spanned the Arno River since Medieval times and is famous today for its incredible shops. Early Visconti decided to pay homage to it with this Visconti Ponte Vecchio fountain pen. We love the way the oranges and blues pop in the light. Our preowned luxury pen comes from Visconti's rise to fame. It comes with its worn leather box and papers. Gently used, it still looks like new. You will love the way its smooth 18k gold nib lays down a medium line. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.2cm capped.