All Pens and Ephemera

Discontinuance has made the Montblanc 147 Traveler one of the most popular luxury pens on the collector market. Better yet, this is an even more rare "Bordeaux" color. What made the 147 unique in the Montblanc catalog was that it is a cartridge-only luxury fountain pen. It ONLY takes standard international cartridges. The pen looks to be in near mint condition with only minimal wear. You will write a fairly smooth medium line with its two-tone 14k gold nib. But wait, there's more. It includes its special, custom leather case. The pen is about the same size as a 146 and measures about 14.5cm capped.

Big Reds dominate the discussion about Parker Duofolds, but we are partial to this jade green Parker Duofold Junior. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac and a new pressure bar. The cap looks good, but the barrel is heavily discolored. Some brassing is evident. Crisp imprint. Click the headline for close-ups. You will get semi-flex action out of its 14k gold nib. Just go slowly and gently. It normally writes an extra-fine line but you can get close to 1mm wide. It has a little scratch but not too distracting on smooth paper. 11.5cm capped.

Bright light gleams like the sun off the brilliant Wancher Dream Pen Rising Sun maki-e fountain pen. Our pen appears to be in mint or near-mint condition and never used. It doesn't show any staining from ink. We love the dragon winding its way down the pen. Click the headline for close-ups. Its 18k gold nib is marked "M" for medium. We have not dipped it, as we think this pen is new old stock. We wish we had the box and papers. Includes its original standard international converter. 15.5cm capped.

Parker cornered the market on orange pens in the 1920s and '30s. Orange Sheaffer pens are much less common to find. Our Sheaffer 5-30 is a long, slender beauty of a vintage pen, even if it has a fair amount of shallow bite marks in the tail end. Our pen is fully restored with a new ink sac. No cracks and minimal brassing. The pocket clip is the straight and flat type. Best of all, this pen has a semi-flex nib. You can write a normal fine line fairly easily, but with a little gentle practice you can write an extra-fine to roughly .75mm wide line. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.3cm capped.

Try finding a more Spring-friendly color scheme than the swirling pastels of this Wancher Shizuku Earth fountain pen. Instead of a traditional gold or steel nib, it uses a glass nib. However, it fills with an included converter...standard international. There doesn't appear to be a speck of ink on or in this pen, leading us to believe it is new old stock. No trace of wear either. It comes from the collection of best-selling author Bill Adler Jr. We think the tip of the glass nib is fine, yet, we haven't tried writing with it so as to not mess with its N.O.S. status. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.8cm capped.

We love the ease of the pneumatic filling of a Sheaffer Valiant TM. This vintage pen is better known as the thin model of the TouchDown filler. We replaced the O-rings and ink sac. This classic Sheaffer from the early 1950s shows a little wear from use but no cracks or deep scratches. Click the headline for close-ups. It comes with a conical "Triumph" nib. It is a two-tone 14k gold nib, and you will write a smooth, wet medium line with it. A great daily driver and an excellent addition to get started on using vintage pens. 13.6cm capped.

Another great vintage pen for beginners or people looking for affordable daily users. We think this is a Sheaffer Admiral TouchDown pen. It could be a marriage, as the cap is darker than the barrel by a shade or two. We restored it with a new ink sac and O-ring. The pen shows wear from past use, but it has no cracks or egregious blemishes. You will write a nice fine line with its two-tone 14k gold nib. It is a little dry but smooth writing. Click the headline for close-ups. 13cm capped.

If you are new to vintage pens, and you are looking for a great pen to experiment with, we highly recommend this Sheaffer TouchDown fountain pen from the 1950s. In addition to being fully restored with a new ink sac and O-ring, it is just a plain, good dependable writer. You will enjoy its smooth, 14k gold nib as it writes a standard fine line. Our vintage pen does show a little wear from use, but that means it has a bit of history and charm. It might even have a mismatched cap and barrel that fit perfectly together. BUT, we think it will show you the joy of vintage writing and pique your interest in a whole new rabbit hole to our crazy little hobby. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.4cm capped.