On Sale: Pens, Pencils, and Ephemera

Cartridge fillers are not a new phenomena in fountain pens. The first ones date back to around the turn of the 20th century. However, those early ones were not entirely practical and prone to their glass and clay cartridges breaking. On the American market, Waterman C/F pens introduced what we have come to know as the first cartridge pens with disposable plastic cartridges. These pens were Waterman's last hit in the 1950s and until the company was revitalized in the 1980s. This rare New Old Stock set is unused and pristine. From the "Fine Flex" chalk mark on the barrel of the pen to 4 unopened, still waxed shut original cartridges, this vintage pen belongs in a museum. Click the headline for close-ups. The steel nib doesn't feel flexi to us, but that is how it was advertised.

Here it is! One of the Granddaddies of Grail Pens: the Waterman Patrician. We've restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. What makes this pen really stand out to us is its black hard rubber (ebonite) cap and barrel. It has a little oxidation and moderate wear, but it isn't a mess of chocolate hazing, either. No cracks. Click the headline for close-ups. You'll write a nice, firm medium line with a little feedback with its original 14k gold Patrician nib. There's a little brassing on the cap band, and there's a slight bulge under the left-side of the clip (as you face it) where it attaches to the pen. The big golden Waterman's seal on the flat tail of the pen looks like a baseball with "Waterman's" written inside it. This is the big 'un. 13.9cm capped.

"Where did Robinson Crusoe go with Friday on Saturday night?" We can't get the old Max Morath song out of our head since photographing these Montblanc Daniel Defoe limited edition pens. This ballpoint version of the pen looks brand new and comes with all its complete boxes and papers. The resin body has lines that make it look a little like wood. The ballpoint refill still writes a nice blue line. The pen is dedicated to Daniel Defoe's novel "Robinson Crusoe." Guaranteed authentic.

We don't know the first thing about this brace of Cross mini pencils. They are very skinny and just about as wide as a tie clip pencil, but they don't have tie clips. The front writing instrument is made of solid sterling silver. It has some dents in the nose cone but it seems to work well. You twist the nose cone to advance or retract the lead that we think is .9mm. Its matching pencil is "1/30 10k Gold RGP." We think that mean Rolled Gold Plating. It works well, too, and there is much less damage or wear to the RGP pencil. Both measure 8.8cm.

Oh, Milord! You are going to love this great burgundy Omas Milord rollerball pen. It is still such a shame this great Italian penmaker went out of business several years ago. Our preowned luxury pen is in great working order and was given a brand new black, capless rollerball refill. The pen shows only light wear plus a little tarnish or brassing on the exterior trim. No cracks or any significant damage. Looks and works great. Comes with its original box and papers. 13.5cm capped.

Omas pens remain among the hottest writing instruments at the moment, especially since the original company went out of business several years ago. Their pencils are among the hardest to find of their writing instruments, as they didn't make as many. This burgundy Omas Milord pencil is a real treat that comes with its original box and papers. We think it is a .5mm lead pencil. Spare leads are under the cap, which unscrews...so don't try to yank it off. With the exception of a tiny bit of brassing on the cap bands, this pencil has only some light wear from use, which is difficult to see unless you examine it closely. Works well. The click action works with a side twist of the tail cap. 14cm.

Retro 51 Tornado Carbon Fiber pens really captured the masculine pen-culture vibe of the early 2000s, when carbon fiber was the hottest thing in men's fashion and design. Our pre-owned pen looks like new and it sports a brand new capless rollerball refill that is black. Extend and retract the the refill with a twist of its tail-end topper. You also get its original box and papers! 12.7cm.

Did you miss out on the orange Lamy AL-Star when it came out a couple years ago? Don't miss your opportunity to get one that looks like new. Our ballpoint model comes with its original box and working blue ballpoint refill. These are proprietary refills from Lamy. It has a really nice, solid click action. 13.8cm.