Filling Mechanism: Lever Filler

Isn't the early 1930s' marbled grey-and-red design one of the prettiest of the decades? Something really rings our bell about the celluloid of this Waterman 3V. Better than that, this pen comes with a double-broad 14k gold nib. Click the headline for a close-up. It looks like a stub but writes like a fire hose with its exceedingly smooth tip. If you haven't noticed, yet, there is one major flaw to this pen. The lift-tab of the lever is missing. The only way to lift it enough to engage the filling system is to use a toothpick or a pin to get in there and lift it. The good news is that we just restored the pen with a fresh ink sac. No cracks, light wear from use. 10.7cm capped.

Here's a rare treat for you. Welcome to the Waterman 7 Yellow! These pens were especially easy to identify by the colorful ring around the top of the cap. The ring corresponded to a nib named for the color. Each color represented a different use case for the pen. Yellow was designated for left-handed writers and anyone wanting a lot of tipping and customization. We find it writes a smooth, wet medium line. Better yet, we love that it has enough flex to go to about 2mm wide! Click the headline for a close-up of the pen and nib. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. It has a fair amount of brassing on the pocket clip, cap band and lever box. Luckily, no cracks or significant wear to the orange rippled hard rubber has been discovered. 14.2cm capped.

We love finding vintage pen packaging. We just discovered this winter scene Waterman box with the pencil below inside of it. The matching Waterman 3V fountain pen was elsewhere in the collection, so we decided to put it all together. The vintage pen and pencil are in remarkably good condition. A little wear and marking from use, but no cracks or long scars. We restored the pen with a new ink sac. You will write a very nice semi-flex line from fine to 1mm wide with its 14k gold nib. The pencil remains in good working order and takes 1.1mm lead. The box is in pretty good condition. The name "Gerard J. Inguagiato" is beautifully written in pencil with a lovely cursive script. Gerard might have been a tween or teen at the time, as his name is repeated in the less confident hand of a younger person still mastering cursive. Click the headline for close-ups.

Waterman made a ton of pens in the 1940s that all looked very similar but gave them a ton of different names. We think this is the Waterman Stalwart, but you are welcome to correct us, if we are wrong. Blue flames shoot through its beautiful celluloid cap and barrel. No cracks mar this beauty, but you can see a deep scar made by the pocket clip to the right of the bottom of the clip. There are other signs of wear, and the section has lost all of its luster. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. Its 14k gold nib writes a nice fine, maybe fine-medium line with a little bounce. Not a true flex of any kind, you can get a touch of line variation from it. 12.2cm capped.

There is something especially attractive about this all-grey with gold trim Eversharp Skyline pen. It is an uncommon color combination, though not impossible to find. This one was restored before it came to us and has a very fresh ink sac. No cracks but a little brassing and some surface wear. The name "Evelyn Williams" is engraved on the side of the pen. Click the headline for close-ups. There are many Evelyn Williams in this world, and we doubt it was the pen of the famous British painter when she was a teenager. You will write a very smooth fine or extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib...depending on how you define the two nib sizes. 12.3cm capped.

Spring is almost here. Why not celebrate with this perky green Esterbrook SJ fountain pen? We restored it with a new ink sac. The cap and barrel are nearly perfect, except for the big chip missing from the top black cap jewel. Its fine-point steel Venus nib is a later replacement nib. We find it writes a little dry and closer to the extra-fine spectrum. 12cm capped.

We have featured many Esterbrook SJ fountain pens over the years, but this is our first with an Osmiroid nib. Osmiroid made a threaded nib assembly the same size as Esterbrook's. Osmiroid typically made nibs for calligraphers. As such, this nib is an extra-fine italic. You will write a surprisingly smooth extra-fine line with subtle line variation. We restored the vintage pen with a new ink sac. No cracks or deep scars on the pen. Justexpected wear from use. 12cm capped.

Adopt some the 1950s style with this Esterbrook CH "Purse Pen." Not quite turquoise, we love this vibrant pastel blue that is very cool, Daddy-O. Unlike so many of these pastel-line pens, there are no cracks! Our pen looks really sharp at writing distance, but a close inspection shows a lot of light surface wear from...likely being carried around in a purse. We installed a new ink sac. You will write a fairly smooth extra-fine line with its steel 1551 nib. There is a touch of feed back, but not bad for an Esterbrook 1000-series steel nib. 11.2cm capped.