Vintage Pens

Cashing in on the enormous success of its Parker 51, Parker decided to create a more affordable version of the pen to reach even more customers. This pen is the Parker 21. One of the biggest differences between them is that the 21 has a steel nib, and the 51 has a gold nib. Our vintage pen is in good working order, complete with a working original pli-glass ink sac. Its nib is more of a fine-medium that has a little feedback at the tops and bottoms of letters. You should be able to see a big crack in the barrel where it threads to the section. Don't grip it too hard or use to much pressure, as you will get it to wiggle in your hand a bit. Click the headline for a close-up. 13.4cm capped.

Not every vintage pen is going to be the belle of the ball. Today's Parker Duofold from 1942 seems to have been somebody's loyal workhorse. A great deal of the cap band is heavily brassed. There's a hairline crack in the cap lip running up under the cap band. The pen shows overall wear, and the 14k gold nib looks a little wonky. Click the headline for close-ups. HOWEVER, we restored it with a new diaphragm, and it writes surprisingly well. You'll find it is a wet medium with a touch of feedback. It actually writes much better than it looks. Perfect for a daily driver that doesn't mind another ding or two. 13.2cm capped.

Get in a festive mood with an emerald pearl Parker Vacumatic Maxima fountain pen. We restored this vintage pen with a new diaphragm. It is a beautiful writing instrument with no cracks or deep scratches. There are a few faded bite marks on the blind cap. The double-jeweled cap end are also emerald green stripes like the cap and barrel. No brassing on the gold filled trim. The two-toned 14k gold nib is excellent with most of its original platinum plating. You will write a smooth extra-fine to fine line. The celluloid's see-through barrel is ambered, but you can still see through it a little. 13.4cm capped.

Click the headlines for close-ups. You are going to want to see this one as closely as you can. A stunning emerald pearl celluloid still has decent clarity on this Parker Vacumatic. We believe it is called the Slender model, before they were named Debutantes. It has a crisp 1936 date code. Double jewels that are the same as the emerald pearl celluloid. We restored this vintage pen with a new diaphragm. It works well, but we had to shave a little off the aluminum lockdown filler to prevent it from getting stuck inside the pen. No cracks blemish this pen, but it does have a teeny little chip in the lip of the cap. Some signs of wear where the clip dug into the cap and light wear from use. It looks museum quality at a glance but a close inspection might keep it out of a museum. You will write a smooth extra-fine line with its still two-tone 14k gold nib. 12.1cm capped.

Among the more sought after features on Esterbrook Dollar Pens are the incised cap bands, such as the ones seen on this copper-colored model. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac and are happy to say it is free of cracks. However, that does not mean it is free of cosmetic flaws. Click the headline for a close-up. There's a little divot that you can see is missing from the tail end. Plus, there is general wear all over the cap and barrel. Its chrome parts lack their original luster and we couldn't get them to buff back up to a good shine. One of the highlights is this pen's upgraded 2668 nib, which writes a very smooth fine line. 12.1cm capped.

It is difficult, in this day and age, to imagine a time when wealthy, sophisticated young ladies were brought on to the more genteel dating scene as debutantes. Nevertheless, it wasn't that long ago. This Parker Vacumatic Debutante set was made in 1938 and intended for young women of class and culture. Fully restored with a new diaphragm the fountain pen is in good working order. There are no cracks, and its grey pearl design is lovely with nickel trim. The barrel has ambered and is difficult to see through. We think this is a replacement filler unit, as it is plastic instead of aluminum. The nib is a little tarnished, but we also think it still has a shadow of its two-tone look. You will write a nice extra-fine line with a touch of feedback. We can polish it for you, but that will guarantee it is a monotone 14k gold nib. The matching pencil still works and clicks to advance lead. 11.7cm capped.

In our not-so humble opinion, the Wahl-Eversharp Doric was one of the most attractive art deco pens ever made. Sadly, many of them are decomposing through a process many call krazing. Wahl-Eversharp might have mastered design, but they hadn't, yet, perfected the formula for celluloid. Happily enough, this ruby red pen and pencil show no signs of krazing! They do show a fair amount of wear from use, but there are no cracks and the pen has been fully restored with a new ink sac. Click the headline for a close-up. You will write a very smooth, slightly dry fine line with its 14k gold nib. The pencil is an early clicker that still works. The nose cone is heavily brassed, as such we are hesitant to polish the clicker in the tail. Junior sized instruments. Pen measures 11.9cm capped.

What makes the Wahl-Eversharp Gold Seal fountain pen is it screw-in "Signature" nib system, which allowed customers to be certain they got the nib that was best for them. This lastest vintage pen, also known as a Decoband, comes with a 14k gold nib with an F marked on the inkfeed--indicating a fine point. However, when we dipped it, we found that with a little feedback it could write from an extra fine to just short of a millimeter. Fully restored with a new ink sac, this classic pen is ready for action. You can see some discoloration in the original black and pearl design. No cracks but some wear from use. Its matching pencil is in the same condition, working with a 1.1mm lead that is red! Pen measures 13.7cm capped.