All Pens and Ephemera

Every desk could use a classic rocker blotter to complete the look of a fountain pen lifestyle. This wooden blotter shows a little wear from use. You unscrew the knob to access and replace the blue blotter paper held within. It has a little ink staining from use but still has a long life of blotting ahead of it. 4 1/4 inches wide by 2 1/8th inches tall.

Artistry such as that of this Namiki Impressions Emerald fountain pen cannot be captured in a photo. You must handle this pen for yourself to get lost in the pools of emerald light captured in the cap and barrel of this exquisite pre-owned pen. Such depth and dimension. Hints of sapphire blue radiate in the light, as you turn the pen slowly to enjoy its sparkling essence. Oh, yeah. You can even write with it, too! The pen only shows the lightest of wear from use. It comes with a box and converter. You also may use Namiki or Pilot cartridges on it. You will write a firm medium line with its 14k gold nib. The rigidity provides gentle feedback. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.5cm capped.

Omas Milord pens are typically known for being smaller. The box for this pre-owned luxury pen states it is an Omas Milord Coccobolo rollerball pen, but it is massive like an Omas Paragon, measuring nearly 15cm long and very girthy. (That's a technical term.) Oh, yeah. And it is beautiful! Part of the Essential Woods collection, the coccobolo wood is a rich, warm brown. The pen features sterling silver accents. Its heft makes it a smooth-flowing writer that cruises along like a 1950s Cadillac. Flaws, it has few. Just a little wear on the cap band and section. Successfully protecting the pen, the leather sleeve is heavily worn, and the interior of the presentation box is starting to peel away. This pen comes with a working blue Schmidt 8127 refill. 14.7cm capped.

Keep it simple. Sometimes that is the best advice. Who needs an expensive luxury pen when a smooth-writing basic Sheaffer Agio will do? Elegant with black and golden trim, you can still impress at work and enjoy the fountain pen experience anywhere you go. Our preowned pen comes with a smooth golden alloy nib. It is marked "M" for medium, but we find it writes closer to a fine line. It fills with Sheaffer cartridges and converters, but it comes with neither. Slender and 13cm capped.

Here it is! The grail pen of all grail pens...a factory fresh 1928 Parker Duofold Senior set in mandarin yellow! Fully restored with a new ink sac, this pen looks as close to new as a 96-year-old pen can. Click the headline for close-ups. Check out the milling on the end caps. So crisp. The imprint is deep and crisp, too. Original nib and "Christmas tree" inkfeed, of course. No cracks or scars. No brassing. This is pretty much as good as it gets. The pencil is in good working order, with just one little blemish on the golden crown of the tail. Pen measures 13.9cm capped.

Montegrappa Extra 1930 is a confusing name for a pen, as it made many decades after 1930. Nevertheless, it was made with all of the elegance of that decade's luxury design. Montegrappa is easily our favorite Italian pen manufacturer. It uses the most beautiful of celluloids, solid precious metal trim and its nibs are soooo damned smooth. This preowned luxury pen sports a "green marble" design and sterling silver trim. It was gently used and looks like it is in mint condition on a passing glance. Yet, a very close inspection reveals some wear to the celluloid where it rattled around a desk drawer for a little while. However, you really need to look closely to see it. You will write a delightfully smooth medium line with its 18k gold nib. Oddly, we don't see the gold purity stamp on the nib, but these pens all came with 18k gold nibs to the best of our knowledge. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.8cm capped.

Have you ever seen the shimmering tendrils of plasma in the night sky known as the Northern or Southern Lights? It is a fantastic scene, with the most common color being green ribbons that stretch across the sky. Some German designers took inspiration from these rare events to create the Pelikan Polar Lights fountain pen. Also designated an M640, it is a delightful limited edition pen. We find it to be a little larger than a standard M600, and it has more bowed middle in its design, instead of a straight barrel. Our pen is in great working order and seems to have seen minimal use. It looks almost mint. You will write a very smooth fine line, although the rhodium-plated 18k gold nib is listed as a medium. Includes its original box a papers. 13.6cm capped.

Attaining a space-age look, the Cross Verve looks like it is going 100mph while standing still. We like its metallic blue, too. Click the headline for close-ups. There's a little wear on this preowned pen but nothing serious. We get a kick out of its spring-loaded clip that doesn't look like a clip until you pinch the top of it. Clearly, there was a little influence from 1940s and '50s nib designs for its nib. It writes a nice fine line, even though it is marked "M" for medium. Included is an original Cross converter. It also uses Cross cartridges. 14.6cm capped.