All Pens and Ephemera

A Duofold or not a Duofold? That is the question. Buuuut, a Duofold by any other name is still a Duofold. Sorry to get so Shakespearian on you as we sort out this classic Parker desk pen. It looks just like a Parker Duofold desk pen, but the imprint doesn't call it a Duofold, only "Geo. S. Parker—PARKER—Made in U.S.A." Either way, it has a beautiful black-and-pearl design with comparatively little discoloration. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. You fill it with a button filler, as with any other Duofold. Click the headline for a close-up. You will write a nice extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. The barrel and taper have wear from use but no cracks nor any deep scratches. The taper looks a little warped. Its golden taper ring is misshapen. The ring has the potential for falling off while refilling. This vintage pen is more of a junior size width. 18.6cm. Base is missing.

New Old Stock pencils from the 1940s that still have their original price sticker are always a treat. However, this poor Wahl-Eversharp 161-R Skyline pencil has a big crack near its clicker button. Our pencil still works great. The 1.1mm lead advance smoothly with a click, a still-rare early feature and advancement on mechanical pencils at that time. Under the button is a new, hardened old eraser and spare leads. The gold plating looks good. The only problem is that damned crack. 13.3cm.

Celebrate the first 100 years of Parker pens with this 1988 Parker Duofold Centennial fountain pen. This burgundy marbled wonder has the original top "jewel," which is the gold-plated 1888-1988 Parker Centennial logo. Click the headline for a close-up. You can see the pen was put into circulation by a ring of wear around the tail and some corrosion on the section bands just behind the nib. Otherwise the pen is in very good condition and ready for way more writing. Its two-tone 14k gold nib writes a nice medium line. Also included is the original, slightly stained but working, Parker converter. 13.5cm capped.

Marine green is a desirable and less common design on the 1930s Sheaffer Balance line. Even rarer are the Sheaffer Autograph models! Sheaffer Autograph pencils have a solid 14k gold pocket clip and an extra-wide solid 14k gold band around the cap. Typically, those wide bands were engraved. This vintage pencil has no such engraving! Better, yet, it is in great working order. Twist the tail cap to advance or retract the 1.1mm lead. Pull of the tail cap to access the remains of an eraser and spare leads beneath it. Unfortunately, this pencil isn't perfect. To the right of the cap band are some dots deeply cut into the celluloid, that also has a 1/2-inch of flat spot, possibly where someone tried to polish the dots out. The remainder of the pencil has some blemishes, especially near the top of the tail cap with a bite mark and a few lines/scratches imprinted. Believe it or not, you really don't see it well unless you go looking for it, but, nevertheless, it is there. 13.2cm.

In the early 2000s, Pelikan established an annual line of M620 Souverän pens with designs inspired by the great cities of the world. This fountain pen is the Pelikan Stockholm. We feel it is one of the nicest pens of the series, as we are addicted to blue pens. With the exception of a little corrosion on the ring around the section nearest the nib, the pen is in excellent condition without much trace of wear. Its piston works smoothly to refill it. The really cool part about this preowned pen is that it has a custom medium stub nib. It is smooth while delivering some nice line variation. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.2cm capped.

Don't you ever stop and wonder what things a pen has written about in its lifetime? What did this 1945 Parker Vacumatic communicate? A return from war? Announcing the start of a family in the Baby Boom? Reconnecting old lovers? The start of a new business? Maybe all of the above. We restored this lovely vintage pen with a new diaphragm. It has some light wear from use, but there are no cracks or egregious blemishes. You will write a relatively smooth extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib and a hint of feedback. Click the headline for close-ups. The blue enamel diamond meant this pen had a warranty for the life of the original owner. 12.9cm capped.

Diamond-cut wavy lines weave over pinstripes on this New Old Stock Eversharp No. 25 pencil. In mint condition since the early to mid-1920s, this sophisticated pencil looks amazing with its gold-fill completely intact. Unscrew the tail column topper to reveal spare 1.1mm leads. Our vintage pencil remains in great working order. 13.2cm.

One of Montblanc's biggest successes with limited edition pens is the Montblanc Imperial Dragon! This Dragon is New Old Stock! Advance the white filling piston, and you won't see a trace of ink. Complete with its original boxes and papers, this preowned luxury pen has never been used. Click the headline for close-ups of the pen and 18k gold nib with a Dragon imprint. It appears to be a medium-point nib, but we didn't dip it to write with it. Aside from some stubborn tarnish, this pen is perfect. Unfortunately, the lights for our camera didn't pick up the ruby eyes of this lux beauty. Numbered 3157 of 5000. Guaranteed authentic. 14.5cm capped.