Filling Mechanism: Cartridge/Converter

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.

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.

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.

Harkening back to 1920s black hard rubber with "chasing" designs, this Waterman LeMan Opera fountain pen is a stunningly handsome modern luxury pen. The cap and barrel are in nearly perfect condition. The gold-plated trim has just a little schmutz and wear on the tail end. Click the headline for close-ups. Its two-tone 18k gold nib writes a nice fine-medium line. It is a soft nib that responds to light pressure, but this is not a conventional semi-flex nib. The thin 18k gold is easily sprung. The pen includes a box and papers. 14.4cm capped.

It is nice to find a Parker Sonnet with an 18k gold nib. We think most of them are plated steel these days. That would seem to date this pre-owned pen a little. Solidly built, this pen shows a some wear in places, but it is in great shape. It comes with a Parker converter, but it also can use Parker cartridges. Click the headline for close-ups. You will write a smooth broad line when you find the sweet spot. This pen also squeaks a little as it writes and can get a little scratchy outside of its sweet spot. 13.4cm 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.

You just can't overlook the stunning beauty of the green-and-quartz pebble design of this beautiful Franklin-Christoph 46 fountain pen. In near-mint condition it steals everyone's attention. The only think that might impress you more is that it has a 14k gold semi-flex nib. We think it was intended to be a full-flexi, but it feels firm fine when we write with it. You'll need to engage the flex with a little more intentionality. This oversized pen also includes its original standard international converter. No pocket clip on the cap. That is just how these came. 13.5cm capped. Click the headline for close-ups.

Celebrating Chinese New Year, this Cross 2015 Year of the Goat fountain pen is a real head turner. Using the Cross Sauvage platform, this preowned pen was coated in Moonlit Black Lacquer leaving the golden outline of a goat. We believe the pen to be new old stock. The slightly scuffed up and worn presentation box still hosts the original cartridges and unused converter. There isn't a trace of wear on the pen. The only thing missing is whatever was in a square space inside the box, in front of the pen. As we suspect it to be N.O.S., we didn't dip the 18k gold nib to try it. It appears to be either a fine or extra-fine. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.2cm capped.