Fountain Pens with Nib Size: F

Harkening back to 1920s black hard rubber with "chasing" designs, this Waterman LeMan Opera fountain pen is a stunningly handsome modern luxury pen. The cap and barrel are in nearly perfect condition. The gold-plated trim has just a little schmutz and wear on the tail end. Click the headline for close-ups. Its two-tone 18k gold nib writes a nice fine-medium line. It is a soft nib that responds to light pressure, but this is not a conventional semi-flex nib. The thin 18k gold is easily sprung. The pen includes a box and papers. 14.4cm capped.

Pale blue makes for a handsome Esterbrook CA fountain pen. These were Esterbrook's cartridge-only pens. Unfortunately, there are no Esterbrook cartridges that are officially available. However, we've heard rumor that you can tweak a Sheaffer cartridge into working. No cracks mar the cap or barrel. You will see a little light surface wear, but, overall, the pen is in great shape. It comes with a steel 1551 nib that we find writes a fine-medium line with a little light feedback. 13.1cm capped.

Even people who aren't into lady's pens have to shout when they see this Parker Duofold. A streamlined model, it still looks really sharp today in its orange permanite cap and barrel with reblackened hard-rubber end caps. Only the tassie shows brassing. Overall, the pen does show some wear from use, annnnd there is a crack in the barrel threads. However, if you write with a light hand, it should be okay. We restored this pen with a new ink sac, button and pressure bar. It still has its Christmas-tree inkfeed. You will write a fine line with a little feedback using its 14k gold nib. 11.8cm capped.

The United Nations celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Food & Agriculture Organization in 1995 and its ongoing efforts to stamp out global hunger. Omas hired sculptor Gio Pomodoro to help design this luxury pen, and his signature is on the back of the cap, which you can see in the photo. Originally, all the proceeds from these pens were shared with the FAO. A total of 6,000 pens were made. We do not have the original box and papers for this pen. Although it is crack and deep-scratch free, it shows significant dull wear from heavy use. We flushed a lot of black ink out of the pen, and added more silicon grease to the inside barrel walls, but the piston filler is still fairly stiff to operate. You will write a nice fine line with its 18k gold nib that has a little feedback. Omas Paragon sized at 14cm capped.

As a luxury pen, the Parker Sonnet often gets overlooked. However, we dare anyone not to fall in love with the solid sterling silver Parker Sonnet Fougere. Feathered herringbone is the best way to describe the pattern in the silver. Classically elegant, the silver on this pen doesn't show a trace of wear, denting or scratching. Unfortunately, there is a ring of wear around the gold-filled cap band, as if it were rolling around inside a desk for a while. Otherwise, the pen is quite stunning. It comes with its original boxes and converter. You will write a smooth fine line from a high angle of attack on the paper and a scratchier medium with a lower angle of attack. Click the headline for a close-up of the two-tone 18k gold nib. 13.3cm capped.

Easily one of our favorite vintage pen designs of all time: the Parker Duofold Geometric! Who doesn't want a pen covered in flying toothbrushes?! Fully restored and ready for action, the fountain pen has a new ink sac. No cracks in the cap or barrel but significant brassing on the trim. You'll also find some wear from use and that the barrel is discolored a couple shades darker than the cap. You'll write a nearly buttery smooth fine line with the 14k gold nib. Cracks won't effect the performance of the nib, but there is a short sideways crack on each side of the nib just above where it enters the section. Click the headline for close ups. The matching pencil shows brassing and wear, but it is in good working order with spare 1.1mm leads.

Parker mastered marketing during the Great Depression. Instead of reducing the price of flagship Vacumatics and Duofolds, Parker Thrift Time pens were essentially Parker Duofolds with bargain-basement pricing. Barely even advertised, these pens were actually decent sellers at stationary and pen shops and helped keep Parker afloat during the darkest days of the Depression. On the collector market, they can be a little difficult to come by. Here is a fully restored green marble Parker Thrift Time with a still-working grey-marble pencil. Click the headline for close ups.

Metallic Turquoise is really stunning on this limited edition Kaweco Art Sport fountain pen. It is in like-new condition with minimal, if any, wear. These pens only use standard international cartridges, and this one comes with an unopened one in its barrel. Seemingly undipped or used, the steel nib does not appear to have ever seen ink. As such, we haven't dipped it and given it a spin. Included is a Kaweco tin that has space for two pens. Pen measures 10.5cm capped.