Fountain Pens with Nib Size: F

At one point in yesteryear, there was no transnational travel more glamorous than the train route known as the Orient Express. Royalty and celebrity hobnobbed on its cars from Paris to Istanbul over an approximately 3-day run. It was considered "The train of kings and the king of trains." Our S.T. Dupont Orient Express pays tribute to that great locomotive. In like-new condition, we think this pen has only been dipped once or twice. Not a mark appears to have blemished the glittering blue cap and barrel. You'll write a very smooth fine line with its rhodium-plated 18k gold nib. Comes complete with its original boxes and most of its papers. (Not sure if it had a large square booklet or not.) Click the headline for close-ups. 15.2cm capped.

Due to their unique filling systems, Parker Vacumatics remain a perennial favorite for us. We restored this World War II era vintage pen with a new ink sac and really went to town wet-sanding it to restore its factory luster. No cracks. No brassing. No deep scratches. The only imperfection is an impression on the cap where the pocket clip dug into the celluloid. The blind cap aligns with the barrel about 99% of the way it should. You will write a wet, fine line with its 14k gold nib. The lighter your touch as a writer the less feedback you will feel. We can get it to be almost feedback free, but if you are more heavy handed you will feel a little more. Made in 1944, this one is a beaut that should work well for decades to come. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.8cm capped.

Here's a Sheaffer Triumph from the 1940s that you don't see in working order all that often. In the rarer carmine (red) design with the wide cap band these pens are notoriously tricky to restore. Happily for us...and for you...we had this one restored by the fabulous Sheaffer maven Sherrell Tyree. It is a Vacuum-Fil pen. Unscrew the tail's blind cap, pull back the blind cap as far as it goes and then dip the nib all the way in ink and push down on the blind cap all the way. The whole barrel fills with ink. Its conical nib is made of 14k gold and writes a really firm fine line. You can seem some light wear on the cap and barrel. A shallow barrel imprint. No cracks. A little brassing on the ball of the clip. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.2cm capped.

Need a tiger of a pen on your desk? Our preowned luxury Levenger Firenze fountain pen is a great. The model name pays tribute to the city of Florence in Italy. Made by Italian pen company Stipula for Levenger, this pen has a handsome amber base and black veins. The trim is solid sterling silver on the clip and cap band. No cracks or scratches, but it has some wear from use. The pen comes with a standard international converter; it uses like cartridges. You will love writing with its two-tone 18k gold nib. We find it writes a smooth, wet fine line. Click the headline for close-ups. A limited edition pen. 13.1cm capped.

We got this pen from a friend who loves to tinker. When we got this pen to sell, we said, "Wait a second, what's this Danitrio Brillante doing with a 14k gold Sailor nib?" Then we remembered where we got the pen. This preowned pen is a limited edition numbered 101 of 200. Given that the pen originally came with a steel nib, we think this wrong nib is an upgrade. Click the headline for a close-ups. The pen is otherwise in great shape with minimal wear. It comes with its original converter. You will write a fine line with a hint of feedback, which makes sense given it is stamped H-F. 14cm capped.

You've always wanted a Parker Snakes pen from the turn of the last century, but the $10,000 price tag has scared you off. Well, here is a larger, modern version called the Danitrio Phantas I. Filling with a standard international converter (or cartridges), this pen has a two-tone steel nib. It is marked M for medium, but we find it writes more of a nice fine line. We don't believe the filigree has any precious metal, but we still like the red glass eyes of the serpents. Light wear from use. 14cm capped.

The German luxury pen market is rather flooded, and Xezo is frequently overlooked. Nevertheless, this is a really handsome pen with platinum-plated trim and a mother-of-pearl design. It is numbered 204, but we don't know how many were made. You'll fine its two-tone steel nib writes a smooth line that we think is closer to medium, though the nib says it is a fine point. It comes with a Limited Edition box, although we aren't certain it is the correct box. It also comes with a converter and polishing cloth. Minimal wear from use. 14.4cm capped.

The original Sheaffer Valiant came with a vacuum-fil filler system. The color is a rarer umber brown. There is a little light wear from use. There is no brassing, no cracks or deep scratches. You can see in the photo that the cap pushed a little of the softer barrel plastic back where it closes. This vintage pen was restored by the great Sherrell Tyree, who is a renowned Sheaffer expert. You will write a smooth fine-medium line with its two-tone 14k gold Triumph nib. Oh, and it has nice ink-view window clarity. Click the headline for close-ups. Wide bodied and 13.3cm capped.