Vintage Pens

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.

Pastels dominated the 1950s' Technicolor landscape, and Esterbrook Purse Pens specialized in those soft colors. This robin's egg blue pen has a great cap and barrel with no cracks but some discoloration. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. The pocket clip is on nice and tight. Click the headline for close-ups. You will see there is a crack in the section near the nib. It is a short crack, and we think we've successfully sealed it with rubber cement. You will write a buttery smooth fine line with an upgraded steel 9556 nib. 11cm capped.

We've been making Parker grail pen dreams come true all month. This offering is a 1941 Parker 51 with a sterling silver cap. Yes, it is an elusive first-year pen in dove grey. It is about as minty fresh as a 80-year-old pen can get. No dents or dings in the cap. Minimal wear on the body. The imprint on these double-jewel first year pens is on the tail cap and is crisp and easy to read. The vacumatic filler has been restored with a working diaphragm. You will write a slightly scratchy extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. We don't really count it as a flaw, but you'll see the hood is lighter than the rest of the pen...a product of age. No aluminum jewels, unfortunately.

It has been a little while since we've had a midnight blue Parker 51. The gold-filled cap nicely accents it. Fill it with the easy-peasy aerometric filler that is so good that the original sac is still good! Now, it needs to be established that this pen was somebody's favorite and heavily used. Click the headline for a close-up. There are many marks (no cracks) on the section and barrel, and there are little dimples all around the cap. You will write a fine line with the 14k gold nib that is also a little scratchy. 14cm capped.

Here it is! The grail pen of all grail pens...a factory fresh 1928 Parker Duofold Senior set in mandarin yellow! Fully restored with a new ink sac, this pen looks as close to new as a 96-year-old pen can. Click the headline for close-ups. Check out the milling on the end caps. So crisp. The imprint is deep and crisp, too. Original nib and "Christmas tree" inkfeed, of course. No cracks or scars. No brassing. This is pretty much as good as it gets. The pencil is in good working order, with just one little blemish on the golden crown of the tail. Pen measures 13.9cm 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.

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.

We think that this is the short-lived Imperial fountain pen made in Nassau, NY. The cap band is imprinted with the Imperial name, much like the very rare Parker Vacumatic pens with a "Vacumatic" engraved in the cap band. We think the trim might be plated-silver that is brassing. A good ink sac has been installed. We love the blue-and-grey design. It comes with an "Imperial" imprinted 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. You will see the bottom side of the nib is cracked in the photo. You will write a semi-flex line that grows from extra-fine to about 1mm wide. It is a big scratchy. 13.3cm capped.