Filling Mechanism: Lever Filler

Do you love buttery smooth broad nibs made of 14k gold? Do you have larger hands that enjoy a light-weight pen with girth? Then, the oversized Sheaffer Balance Lifetime is probably for you. Great for signing ceremonies or everyday writing this is an amazing vintage pen. We restored it with a new ink sac. No cracks or brassing. A little wear from past use. The nib is missing some of its silvery plating. Click the headline for close-ups. 14.2cm capped.

Another Sheaffer Balance Lifetime has graced our vintage pens pages. This one is the standard size model. It is as long as the Oversized model, but it is thinner. Definitely not a junior-sized model. We restored it with a new ink sac. The sleek black pen shows some wear from use but minimal brassing and no cracks. You will write a firm, wet medium line with its 14k gold nib. It has a touch of feedback. A quintessential black pen for any collector. 14.4cm capped.

Surviving World War II in England was no easy task, but this Conway Stewart No. 286 seemed to manage. We restored it with a new ink sac and manage to blacken the black hard rubber cap topper and section a little. They still show a little chocolate hazing, but we knocked it down a little. The trim is mostly brassed, showing little of the gold plating, but let's see how much gold-plating you retain during the blitz. ;) Click the headline for close ups. Be careful with the tab at the end of the lever as you lift it. The lever is very snug in the slot. Slowly and gently lift it up. The tab bends too easily to last forever. The 14k gold nib is a little wavy but it writes well. It flexes from fine to about 1mm. The vintage pen is 12.6cm capped.

Here's a chance to get a relative bargain on a fairly rare vintage pen. Look closely. Click the headline for close-ups. Notice anything unique about this oversized Sheaffer Lifetime flattop in black hard rubber? No white dot. No serial number on the 14k gold Lifetime nib. This pen was made before Sheaffer developed its famed white dot logo for Lifetime pens! And it was before Sheaffer lost an early lawsuit to black-market dealers of its pens because the Lifetime nibs had no serial number to track the pens. There is a fair amount of brassing on the trim. Also visible is a little triangle chip in the lip of the cap that some long-ago repair person super glued. A hairline crack sprouts out of the right side of the pocket clip mount. There are scratches and faded imprints. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. You will write a deliciously buttery smooth broad line with its early original 14k gold nib. 13.6cm capped.

If you are looking for a once-in-a-lifetime grail pen. A true grail-quest pen. This oversized Sheaffer Balance Demonstrator might be it. This beauty is something we have never seen before and likely something we will never see again. No cracks. No matter what your screen indicates, it has discolored to a pale yellow-green. The section jiggles a little. There a touch of brassing on the trim. Possibly a touch of krazing at the ends...could also just be the way things come together on the insides. We don't know if the 14k gold Secretary nib is original...but who cares. That nib alone is quite rare. It has a fresh ink sac. However, we'd never use it. It would be the centerpiece of our museum display...if we had a museum display. We dipped the nib, and it writes a nice medium line with light feedback. Click the headline for a close-up! 14.1cm capped.

Carter's Pens are always a vintage pen lover's treat. When we first discovered this pen in the bottom of a box, we were pretty psyched. As we cleaned and polished it, it became obvious that this pen came from 3 different models of pens. The rounded tail of an oversized Carter's Pen is made of plastic. The squared cap with an orange ring and fine pinstriping is definitely a Carter's Pen cap that is made of hard rubber. And when we got a layer of schmutz off the 14k gold nib, it turned out to be a large Conklin Crescent nib. Oh well. It is still a nice pen. We restored it with a new ink sac. You will write a smooth, wet medium line with its gold nib. Heavy brassing on the cap trim and a crack in the lip of the cap. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.6cm capped.

We love giving vintage pens a second chance. This Wahl-Eversharp Gregg has a little bit of a banana bow in it from having once been left in the sun. Nevertheless, we restored it with a new ink sac. Its insides are a bit rusty and it shows plenty of wear. It ain't gonna win any best-in-show awards, but it remains a good daily driver. The thing we find especially fascinating about this pen is its enamel "Gregg" emblem for the top cap jewel and a somewhat rarish 14k gold nib that reads "Gregg" instead of Wahl or Eversharp. To the casual observer, it is easily mistaken for a Wahl-Eversharp Symphony. Click the headline for a close-up. It writes a smooth medium line when you find it sweet spot. It gets a little scratchy outside of its sweet spot. 13.3cm 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.