Filling Mechanism: Lever Filler

You can't get much closer to perfection on the hard rubber cap and barrel on a rare Sheaffer 41 Autograph model pen than this. Its chasing and imprint are as crisp as the day it was made. Zero chocolate hazing. Its 41 imprint in the flat tail has orange paint or chalk in it, which apparently isn't original. Not a trace of brassing on its extra-wide gold-plated cap band, clip and lever. The ONLY flaw is the teeniest, tiniest little dimple a 25% turn to the left of the clip in the center of the cap band. That's it, and you'll miss it if you don't specifically look for it. Our vintage pen is fully restored with a new ink sac. It has a replacement 14k gold Lifetime nib without the serial number AND an original spear-point inkfeed. You will write a fine line with a little feedback, but we don't think most people will be making such a beautiful specimen a frequent writer. It is an impressive vintage pen, especially in this condition. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.5cm capped.

Every now and again we post a pen that makes us ask, "Why aren't we hoarding this just for ourselves?" This Waterman 56 is just flat-out amazing. One of the larger Waterman sizes, this one has a perfect ripple pattern on "red" (i.e. orange) hard rubber. The cap and barrel are flawless. Unfortunately, there's brassing on the cap band, but the rest of the vintage pen is remarkable. We restored it with a new ink sac. You will write a sumptuously smooth...oh, yes, full-on buttery smooth...medium line with its 14k gold nib. Click the headline for a close-up. It says manifold, but the smoothness of the nib doesn't make it feel too rigid. 14cm capped.

Sheaffer Lifetime Balance pens are among our favorite vintage pens. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. This pen is fantastic. It has great color, maybe only 15% discoloration or so. No cracks. It has some light wear that was polished out, but you can still see a ring around the tail where the cap posted. There's a little brassing on the ball of the clip. Engraved on the side of the pen barrel is "Geo H Barnhart." You will write a smooth, fine line with its 14k two-tone gold nib. The matching pencil has a little more wear, but it has a complicated work habit. The pencil works when you work the mechanism by hand with the tail cap removed. Yet, the tail cap doesn't seem to grip tight enough to advance and retract the 1.1mm lead. At the same time, the cap holds tightly enough to keep from falling off. Spare leads are under the hardened eraser.

Sheaffer Demonstrator pens from the 1920s and '30s turn up so rarely, this might be your one chance in a lifetime to get this pen. You can see the cut outs made into the barrel of this rare vintage pen. Sheaffer Dealers and pen reps would have these pens to showcase how a Sheaffer pen works on the inside. You can see this pen has been fully restored with a new ink sac. It is great to see this pen working through the filling and recapping cycles. The trim shows a little brassing, and there is some light wear on this pen. You will write a medium line with its 14k gold Lifetime nib. It has an early 1930s inkfeed.

Vintage Waterman pens are highly desirable to begin with, but when you add decorative gold-plated trim and a factory oblique nib from the 1920s, there is so much more to love. Our vintage pen is a Waterman 56 that is fully restored with a new ink sac. It was reblackened by its previous owner, and it looks almost new out of the factory. No cracks or scratches. Its 56 still has a little orange left in it. Crisp imprint and chasing. Its pocket clip is marked "18k Filled Clip-Cap." It also sports a unique secondary imprint: "National / Live Stock Producer." You will write with some nice bounce on its 14k gold OBLIQUE nib. The nib has a crisp edge for specialized writing and might take a little getting used to, if you do not normally use oblique nibs. 14cm capped.

A brace of woodgrain Wahl desk pens is ideal for the person with the rare 2-pen desk base that is missing its pens. We restored each with a new ink sac, and we are stunned at how minimal their wear is. No cracks, no chips, no scratches! The gold-plated trim rings and levers have some corrosion or gunk or brassing that won't polish out for us. Click their headline for a closer look at the whole pens and the nibs. The more vibrant, front desk pen comes with a 14k gold "Wahl Signature Pen" nib that writes a fine-medium line nicely with a little feedback. The duller-finished back pen sports a "Wahl 6 14k" nib that writes a blissfully smooth wet medium-broad line. The back pen measures 22cm and the front pen measures 21.8cm.