Esterbrook
Pens and Ephemera

Esterbrook Dollar Pens were a fixture of the 1940s. Very affordable and easily customized with screw-in nib assemblies. This is one of the company's harder-to-find specialty nibs: the 2314-B Relief nib. It is a left-foot oblique nib made of steel. We find it writes very smoothly with some nice--but not dramatic--line variation. Nevertheless, the smoothness makes it fun to write with all day. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. No cracks or deep scratches mar this pen, but it does have a little wear from use. You will see this is one of the shorter versions of the Dollar Pen. Click the headline for close-ups. 11cm capped.

Enjoy a uniquely dark copper-colored Esterbrook SJ model fountain pen. Most of these are much brighter and more vibrant, but this classic Estie has a more earnest quality. No cracks or deep scratches, only light wear from use. Both of its circular black "jewels" are complete. We restored our vintage pen with a new ink sac. Another nice feature of this pen is its upgraded 9128 steel nib. You will write about as nice and smooth an extra-fine line as any Esterbrook steel nib can write. 12cm capped.

Joining springtime in an electrifying display of green is this mint-green Esterbrook J-model fountain pen. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. It remains youthful looking, as it has no cracks or deep scratches--just light wear from use. Holding fast is its pocket clip. Two "jewels" are complete on each end of the pen. You will write an extra-fine line with healthy feedback (not so much scratch but true feedback) with its upgrade 9550 nib. Of course, the beauty of these 1950s' Esterbrooks is that they have easy-to-replace nibs that screw in and out for more than 3 dozen point sizes. 12.8cm capped.

More rarities are on display with this Esterbrook Dollar Pen. Please note the three incised cap bands. Add on the rare 1314 left-foot oblique nib, and you have an interesting classic Estie. No cracks or deep scratches. The only cosmetic issue, other than light wear from use, is the pitting on the lever filler. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. The oblique nib on this one is very sharp and scratchy. Yet, it delivers nice line variation for a trade off. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.1cm capped.

When Esterbrook went from making Dollar Pens to J-model pens, it ran out of Dollar Pen caps and opted to use the new J-model caps on the remaining Dollar Pen barrels. It is difficult to tell the original ones from the repairmen who replaced broken Dollar Pen caps with J-caps. We found this pen this way, but that doesn't mean anything. What is interesting is the top jewel on the cap has 3 lines instead of the usual concentric circles. The color match is pretty close to perfect between the cap and barrel. We restored the pen with a new ink sac. You will this upgraded steel 9461 nib that is firm and very smooth as it writes a fine line. No cracks, deep imprint, some wear from use. 12.4cm capped.

In the 1940s, if you needed a cheap, reliable pen that was easily customized, you got yourself an Esterbrook Dollar Pen. We restored this black model with a new ink sac and new 1555 Gregg Shorthand nib. There are no cracks or deep scratches, but the early plastic cap on this pen has warped a bit. It can be difficult to get the cap on and off. You will write a nice fine line with its steel nib. There is a little feedback, but we wouldn't call this a scratchy pen...not compared to other Esterbrooks with the same nib. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.1cm capped.

The color match of this married Esterbrook J-model fountain pen looks better in the photo than in real life. The cap is a much deeper red than the barrel. The cap also looks pretty jankety. Nevertheless, there are no cracks and the cap is on tightly. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. We also gave it a new 1461 nib straight out of the box. You will write a firm, extra-fine line with a little feedback. Definitely not a museum piece, but a nice enough daily driver. 12.6cm capped.

Pastels dominated the 1950s' Technicolor landscape, and Esterbrook Purse Pens specialized in those soft colors. This robin's egg blue pen has a great cap and barrel with no cracks but some discoloration. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. The pocket clip is on nice and tight. Click the headline for close-ups. You will see there is a crack in the section near the nib. It is a short crack, and we think we've successfully sealed it with rubber cement. You will write a buttery smooth fine line with an upgraded steel 9556 nib. 11cm capped.