All Pens and Ephemera

The Sheaffer Snorkel enthusiast in us wants to call this a Sheaffer Valiant, but sometimes the earlier Sheaffer TouchDown pens are different from the later snorks. We restored this elegant vintage pen with a new ink sac and O-ring. No cracks mar its surfaces, but there are a couple little nicks that the gleaming black helps hide. You will write a very nice fine line with its firm "Triumph" nib made of two-tone 14k gold. Class up your daily work routine with this classic pen.

Sheaffer Cadet? Sheaffer Admiral? We never fully grasped the naming conventions for the Sheaffer TouchDown pens before they switched to Snorkels. Yet, a rose by any other name...we can still restore. We replaced the ink sac and O-ring in this vintage pen, and now it works great. You will write a dry extra-fine line with its two-tone, 14k gold Feather Touch nib. The pen looks great on a passing glance. Yet a close inspection will show it has many scratches and a little discoloration. No cracks. No brassing. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.9cm capped.

There's a Van Gogh "Starry Night" quality to this Sailor 1911 fountain pen in a lapis-like blue. It looks to be almost new, but we know it has been used, as we flushed some old ink out. A Sailor converter is included. Click the headline for close-ups. You will see its 14k gold nib is marked "H-M" for hard medium...no flex. As it is a Japanese nib, it writes finer than an American or European medium nib. There is a little feedback from the rigidity. 14cm capped.

Imagine sitting in storage since 1950. That is exactly what this New Old Stock Parker 51 pen-and-pencil set has done! Complete with its original box and stickers, this vintage pen shows no sign of use. Its pliglass ink sac is spotlessly clean. A black hood and barrel with a "50" date code in the imprint, gleam, and the lustraloy cap is dent free. The nib is made of 14k gold. The sticker on the pen indicates it has a fine point. We did not dip it to try, given the pen shows no other trace of use. The pencil seems to have come from a later date given it is a shiny steel and sports a black jewel. Still, it is stickered and seemingly unused. Its twist-advance mechanism uses a 9mm lead.

One of the advantages of a luxury pen by Waterman is its brass-barrel construction. Way more rugged than the "precious resin" of a Montblanc, the still-elegant Waterman Carene can remain true under a lot more stress and pressure. Click the headline for close-ups and see a couple of chips in the finish of the "amber-shimmer" lacquer coating. There also might be some seepage around the nib. In spite of these issues, this pen is ready for plenty more writing. You will write a nice fine line with its 18k gold nib. Included is a standard international converter. 14.5cm capped.

Easily mistaken for a Parker Challenger Deluxe, this appears to be a large Parker Thrift Time pen...or possibly another Depression era vintage pen from Parker. We restored it with a new ink ink sac. We find it to be a really handsome pen with some wear from use back in the day. No cracks but heavy brassing on the pocket clip. You will write a nice, wet medium line with some feedback using its 14k gold nib. These pens helped sustain Parker during the Great Depression when most people couldn't afford their premium Vacumatics. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.9cm capped.

If you like a preowned luxury pen with nice girth and a smooth 1mm stub nib, you are going to love this Aurora Talentum fountain pen. Golden trim and a brick-red cap and barrel make a handsome combination. Only light wear can be seen on the pen. It is way more fun to focus on its dynamic 14k gold nib. Included with the pen is its Aurora converter. We believe these also take Parker converters and cartridges, in case you can't fine Aurora ones. 13.6cm capped.

Perfectly plated two-tone 14k gold arrow nibs on Parker Vacumatics are difficult to find. Click the headline to witness a really beautiful nib up close. You'll write a wet medium line with a little feedback. Our Parker Vacumatic Major is a nice pen in its entirety. Made in the third quarter of 1942, who knows what action this vintage pen might have seen. Yet, we suspect it mostly saw a well protected desk given its lack of cracks or deep scratches. Just some general light wear from use. It was engraved with the name John D. Parks. Decent barrel clarity. It was recently restored before we obtained it. It comes with a 1947 version of the pencil that comes preloaded with a 1.1mm lead. It is a little more worn. Pen measures 13.5cm capped.