Pre-Owned Pens

We've always been a sucker for blue pens...especially Pelikans. Like Mary Poppins, they are practically perfect in every way. This is the Pelikan Souveran M600. It has some light wear from use, but it was clearly well loved. We lubed up the piston for smooth filling action. It had some very determined-to-remain blue ink in it, but we think got it...or at least most of it...out. You will enjoy the smooth two-toned 14k gold medium-point nib. The 600 series typically fits medium-sized hands to larger hands that aren't likely oversized hands. Comes with its box. The logo is a frosted gold pelican and two chicks on a black background. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.2cm capped.

Turn this Stipula I Castoni fountain pen under a light, and you will see not just a simple black-and-amber pattern but amber flecks that change hues as the light catches them from different angles. The color design on this preowned pen is called the Occhio di Gatto or "Cat's Eye." It might be difficult to see in the photo, but the stone on the pocket clip is very sparkly. Our pen was gently used, as there is little evidence of wear. You will write a smooth medium line with its 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. Under the original box's pad is the pen's original converter, still sealed in plastic. 13.7cm capped.

All mysteries are revealed with a good demonstrator pen. This Sailor 1911 leaves little to the imagination. It is really fun to write with and fill. The fact that it has an M-S ("music") nib made of 14k gold could make this your very favorite preowned pen. In truth, we find this nib to be buttery smooth, but it writes more like a double broad. Its thick tipping does not give it a ton of line variation. Our luxury pen has minimal wear and there are only a couple traces of blue ink trapped in the inner cap. 13.5cm capped.

Krone kicks it up a notch with the Krone Va-Va Voom fountain pen. Curvy with silver-plated trim, it is an attractive addition to your preowned luxury pen collection. Turquoise and amber flecks pop against the milk-chai color of the cap and barrel. It looks as if it were barely ever used. It drips a little after you first fill it, then it holds its ink. After you fill it, we recommend bleeding a couple drops back out and wait for the drips to stop and then wipe it down. It seems to hold ink well after that. Complete with its box and papers. Click the headline for close ups. Its two-tone 18k gold nib writes a smooth medium line. 12.8cm capped.

If we lived in a world in which one could only have one fountain pen, the Pelikan Souveran M800 would be the one for us. Well built, always reliable, holds a ton of ink, large but not oversized. Perfect. Our preowned luxury pen is a great daily driver and it looks great with only a little light wear from use. This one sports the two-tone 18kt gold nib. It is marked fine point, but it writes closer to a medium, as most German pens do. We tuned this one a bit, and it is mostly smooth. You might find that it squeaks a little as it writes. 14.1cm capped.

It is possible that we've never seen a more handsome marbled pen than this Krone Boulder Thunderbird. The red cap and barrel has brilliant red flashes and gorgeous grey veins that are more remarkable than any photo can show. No cracks and only minor wear. The cap ring and pocket clip are silver plated. You fill the pen with a piston knob under the blind cap. Its 18k gold nib writes a wet medium line with a little feedback. The nib imprint says it is an F for fine, but it doesn't write like that. Comes with its original box. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.7cm capped.

Elegant enough for a night at the opera, our Waterman LeMan Opera rollerball pen borrows heavily from 1920s Waterman design sensibilities. We especially love the wavy chasing pattern around the cap and barrel. Our pen looks almost like new and comes with its original box. We would say the pen is mint, except for a rogue wear spot on the bottom ring around the tail of the barrel. Also included is a new Waterman refill. 14cm capped.

There's a Van Gogh "Starry Night" quality to this Sailor 1911 fountain pen in a lapis-like blue. It looks to be almost new, but we know it has been used, as we flushed some old ink out. A Sailor converter is included. Click the headline for close-ups. You will see its 14k gold nib is marked "H-M" for hard medium...no flex. As it is a Japanese nib, it writes finer than an American or European medium nib. There is a little feedback from the rigidity. 14cm capped.