All Pens and Ephemera

Montegrappa Extra 1930 is a confusing name for a pen, as it made many decades after 1930. Nevertheless, it was made with all of the elegance of that decade's luxury design. Montegrappa is easily our favorite Italian pen manufacturer. It uses the most beautiful of celluloids, solid precious metal trim and its nibs are soooo damned smooth. This preowned luxury pen sports a "green marble" design and sterling silver trim. It was gently used and looks like it is in mint condition on a passing glance. Yet, a very close inspection reveals some wear to the celluloid where it rattled around a desk drawer for a little while. However, you really need to look closely to see it. You will write a delightfully smooth medium line with its 18k gold nib. Oddly, we don't see the gold purity stamp on the nib, but these pens all came with 18k gold nibs to the best of our knowledge. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.8cm capped.

Have you ever seen the shimmering tendrils of plasma in the night sky known as the Northern or Southern Lights? It is a fantastic scene, with the most common color being green ribbons that stretch across the sky. Some German designers took inspiration from these rare events to create the Pelikan Polar Lights fountain pen. Also designated an M640, it is a delightful limited edition pen. We find it to be a little larger than a standard M600, and it has more bowed middle in its design, instead of a straight barrel. Our pen is in great working order and seems to have seen minimal use. It looks almost mint. You will write a very smooth fine line, although the rhodium-plated 18k gold nib is listed as a medium. Includes its original box a papers. 13.6cm capped.

Attaining a space-age look, the Cross Verve looks like it is going 100mph while standing still. We like its metallic blue, too. Click the headline for close-ups. There's a little wear on this preowned pen but nothing serious. We get a kick out of its spring-loaded clip that doesn't look like a clip until you pinch the top of it. Clearly, there was a little influence from 1940s and '50s nib designs for its nib. It writes a nice fine line, even though it is marked "M" for medium. Included is an original Cross converter. It also uses Cross cartridges. 14.6cm capped.

Remember when everyone was soooo worked up about the year 2000? The late 1990s were loaded with all kinds of items to commemorate the new millennium. It was kinda fun and exciting. Italian penmaker Delta got in on the act with the Delta Y2K. Its frosted silver and "champagne" gold cap and barrel were undoubtedly signifying the party of a lifetime. Unfortunately, this pen didn't hold up as well as we'd have hoped. Heavily worn and pitted from use and time, it is still a functional reminder of those heady days. You'll write a slightly scratchy extra-fine line with its two-tone steel nib. Click the headline for close-ups. 14cm capped.

We've seen a lot of cool desk pens in our day, and we really love this frosted-brown-glass pelican made for an Eversharp Doric desk pen. It looks even more impressive with back lighting as the bird looks as if it is standing on rippling water. The glass is perfect without any cracks or chips. There is a very small crack in the celluloid trumpet's bottom, and the gold plating polished off the trim of both the trumpet and pen. We restored the pen with a new ink sac and J-bar. The very tip of the taper has been broken off. The section has a little chocolate hazing. This is a nice thick, larger pen. We love its smooth, fine-point 14k gold nib. It isn't an original Doric nib, but it an Eversharp replacement from a decade later. Click the headline for close-ups. Pen is 20.2cm long. Base 10.5cm L X 9cm W X 12.5cm H.

Who says pens need to be serious all the time. Some can be serious fun! Take our Hechter Travel Pen for example. It is like writing with an entire safari in Africa. As far as quality goes, it is just a basic fountain pen with a steel nib. It comes with a converter, too. The clip seems to have heavy brassing, and the pen has some wear. There is a little crack in the lip of the cap. Do NOT post the cap on the tail. You will write a fine line with a little feedback. 14cm capped.

Italian pen manufacturer Visconti began making tributes to the great painters of Europe. This is a Visconti Rembrandt in an ivory color. One of the neat innovations with this pen is a magnetic cap closure. Fill it with the included Schmidt standard international converter. You also can use like cartridges. Barely used, this pen only has light wear. Click the headline for close-ups. You'll write a wet medium line with its steel nib. There's a bit of feedback but nothing too bad. 14cm capped.

We love finding Parker Vacumatics that are still in close-to-new condition. This vintage pen still has a light-yellow barrel clarity! It is no longer that green-yellow from right off the line, but it is still pretty good. No cracks, minimal--if any--brassing. We restored this pen with a new diaphragm. The biggest "flaw" is that its pocket clip spins, even though it is securely on the pen. The blue diamond was Parker's indicator that this pen was guaranteed for the life of its first owner. You will write an extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. There is a little feedback, but this is a pretty good XF writer. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.8cm capped.