Filling Mechanism: Piston Filler

We love how Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" often gets swept into the children's books category when it is really a biting political satire for adults. Montblanc paid tribute to the great satirist in 2012 with a Writers Series pen best known as the Montblanc Jonathan Swift. Ours is in mint condition and has never been used. It comes with its book box and that is all. The pen is numbered 07675 of 12,800. You will likely write a fine line with its 18k gold nib, but we have not dipped it to verify. No sense messing up its New Old Stock status. Click the headline for a close-up.

We often wonder if the authors of the Montblanc Writers Series pens would actually appreciate a pen being named after them. Would the surrealist author who railed against the corporate world really approve of the Montblanc Franz Kafka? We don't know, but we suspect that he would love a cockroach imprinted on a luxury nib made of rhodium-plated 18k gold. Montblanc pays tribute to the author of "The Metamorphosis" with this stunning wine-red, art deco-inspired fountain pen. The sterling silver accents really pop. Our pre-owned pen once belonged to the author Bill Adler Jr. who wrote the 1-million-copies-selling book "Outwitting Squirrels." He says he never filled the pen, and the pen certainly looks mint in its original box. The papers and outer box have gone missing. Guaranteed authentic. 14.8cm capped.

Perhaps the most prized fountain pen among Montblanc collectors is the Montblanc Hemingway. It is the first of the Writers Series pens and came out in 1992. Our pen is in like-new condition with no trace of wear. We suspect it was filled once, cleaned and left alone as a collectible. There is just the trace of black ink around the piston. The piston moves smoothly. Our pen comes with its book box, reply card and booklet. We do not have the outer box. Everything is in the photo. Click the headline for a close-up. Just in the case the pen is N.O.S., we didn't dip the 18k gold nib that looks like a fine point. Obtained from a dedicated Montblanc collector; guaranteed authentic. Based on the pen author Ernest Hemingway once owned. A nice tribute to the writer of "A Farewell to Arms," "The Sun Also Rises" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls." 13.3cm capped.

Basic is best, sometimes. The simple magic of a Pelikan Souveran M200 is its ease of filling, attractive design and quality nib. We love the shimmering green design that reminds us of the Northern Lights. You'll find the piston operating smoothly. No cracks or significant wear, except for some spots the golden element of the nib is fading. Click the headline for close-ups. The Pelikan logo on the cap topper has a clean imprint of a mama pelican and two chicks nicely filled with gold. You will write a nice fine line with its nib, which does have a little feedback. 12.7cm capped.

We fell in love with the malachite cap on this limited edition Montblanc Czar Nikolai II the minute we laid eyes on it. Such beautiful contrast, too, with the vermeil barrel and accents. Our preowned luxury pen is in excellent condition with only the lightest traces of wear. Its piston operates smoothly. It has its serial number and "metal2" on the clip band. Guaranteed authentic from a dedicated collector. You will write a nice fine line with a little feedback. Click the headline for close ups. This is the larger LeGrand size model. 14.2cm capped.

Italian artisans resurrected the lost are of orange-hard-rubber pens with woodgrain designs when developing the Stipula Novecento fountain pen. Sterling silver accents turn this pen from simply functional to a functional work of art. The piston filler is a little stiff but still works well. We restored the finish by removing all the chocolate hazing. The finish about 98% haze free and looking really sharp. You will write a fine line with its two-tone 18k gold nib. It has a little feedback. A delightful preowned luxury pen that can be a real highlight for any collection. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.9cm capped.

Blue-and-orange "Saffron" designs in the Omas Paragon never get old. We love the rich, almost granite-like quality of the celluloid's patterns. Our pre-owned luxury pen is in good working order with no cracks or deep scratches. Only a little wear from use. The piston is a little stiff but works well. You will find the 18k gold nib is marked medium and writes more of a drier fine line. We thinks it needs some breaking in from use. It sat unused for too long and needs a little TLC. A 1997 imprint is in the barrel, just behind the section. 14cm capped.

Hardcore Pelikan collectors, today's your lucky day! Here is a genuinely limited edition Pelikan that is off-catalog from the standard Pelikan fare. The Swiss watch company called Chronoswiss contracted with Pelikan to make a limited edition run of 999 company-themed pens for its very high-end clientele. Thus the Cronoswiss Styloscope pen was born. Our preowned luxury pen is new old stock and complete with all of its boxes and papers. Not only do you get a leather carrying case and mini pad of paper. You get not one but two 18k gold nibs! The nib installed in the pen is a medium point, and the spare nib is an Oblique Broad! The pen has sterling silver trim and is numbered 725 of 999. It is basically the same size as a Pelikan 800. Click the headline for close-ups.