Filling Mechanism: Lever Filler

Sheaffer Craftsman or Sheaffer Admiral...in the mid-to late 1940s they were nearly identical pens. We think this is the Craftsman, but it is just as likely to be an Admiral. Either way, it is a handsome blue vintage pen that has been fully restored with a new ink sac. The barrel has a 350 imprint on it, which meant it originally sold for $3.50. The blue is darkened in some spots, which are more visible in real life than in the photo. The cool part about the pen is that its 14k gold nib has a little flex. You can go from a fine/extra-fine to about a .5mm line if you are slow and gentle. 12.9cm capped.

Social media excels at telling us we misidentify these pens as Sheaffer Craftsman pens. However, we're pretty sure that is what this is. We restored this lever-filler with a new ink sac. These pens came out in the mid- to late 1940s, and the war rationing was evident in this skinny cap band. This vintage pen was heavily used but remains free of cracks. It does have substantial wear and a really deep scratch on the cap, down and to the left of the pocket clip. The black color of the pen helps to hide the blemishes. You will write a wonderful extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. The nib sounds scratchy but writes surprisingly smoothly. Click the headline for a close-up. 12.7cm 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 nearly perfect with one small chip near the back edge of the base. The celluloid trumpet looks like a marriage of a black trumpet and a green marble one, and the gold plating looks good on the trumpet and the pen. We restored the pen with a new ink sac. The pen has the green art deco look not marbled. The section has a little chocolate hazing. This is a nice thick, larger pen. your will write a firm, medium line with its 14k gold manifold nib. There is a hint of feedback with the nib. Click the headline for close-ups. Pen is 21.4cm long. Base 10.5cm L X 9cm W X 12.5cm H.

Esterbrook J-model pens are fun to collect for all of the dozens of nibs the company sold. Overall, this is a standard black J-model. Remarkably, it still has a functional Esterbrook imprinted ink sac. More impressive is that it comes with an upgraded 2284 steel nib. This was intended as a "Signature Stub" nib. It has some gentle oblique and stub qualities, but, overall, it writes more like a double-broad nib. Take it easy on some corners, as it can dig in a little. However, the nib can be extremely smooth when you get it angled correctly. The cap and barrel have some wear from use but no cracks. 12.8cm capped.

Coral is one of the most sought-after colors in the world of vintage pens. We restored this junior-sized Wahl-Eversharp Gold Seal pen in coral with a new ink sac. The coral is a little discolored, which you can see in contrast to its matching pencil. The pen has a 14k gold "Signature" nib that unscrews and is marked as a medium. You will write a nice medium line that is both smooth and has a touch of feedback. No chips or cracks. Light brassing on the cap bands and lever. The pencil has some light brassing but is otherwise stunning. We think it works and will update after tracking down our 1.1mm lead. Pen measures 12.1cm capped.

It is always difficult to tell if a Esterbrook Transition is original or a repairman's special. Whatever our vintage pen is, it has nice matching colors. Click the headline for a close-up. We restore this pen with a new ink sac. You might want to pay special attention to the cap. It has a black-plastic jewel with 3 stripes, instead of the usual circles. Also, there is not "Esterbrook" on the pocket clip. No cracks. Tight clip. Light wear from use. You will write a broad line with a little feedback with its steel 2556 nib. 12.4cm capped.

It is nearly impossible to tell if the Esterbrook Transition pen is an authentic one or a repairman's marriage. We aren't sure, ourselves, but this pen does have a rarer cap with a three-banded black "jewel" on top and no "Esterbrook" written in the clip. We restored it with a new ink sac and new 1461 steel nib. Our vintage pen has some wear from use, but there are no cracks. The clip has a little jiggle, but it doesn't spin. You will write an extra-fine to fine line that is surprisingly smooth for a 1000-series nib. Mind you, that there is still a little feedback, but this isn't a bad nib by any means. 12.6cm capped.

Black hard-rubber Waterman 52s are quite common, but orange hard-rubber Waterman 52s aren't quite as ubiquitous. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac and a lot of polishing. The orange hard rubber looks fairly good in the photo, but there are still traces of the schmutz from aging and ink stains. You'll see the ball of the pocket clip is brassed, along with about 30% of the cap band, which gets a little worse as you work your way to the back of the cap. No cracks! Shallow barrel imprint is still legible. We think your favorite part will be the 14k gold nib. It is NOT a wet noodle, but you will write from a fine to about 2mm wide! The nib more than makes up for any brassing and discoloration. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.5cm capped.