Pre-Owned Pens

We love how Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" often gets swept into the children's books category when it is really a biting political satire for adults. Montblanc paid tribute to the great satirist in 2012 with a Writers Series pen best known as the Montblanc Jonathan Swift. Ours is in mint condition and has never been used. It comes with its book box and that is all. The pen is numbered 07675 of 12,800. You will likely write a fine line with its 18k gold nib, but we have not dipped it to verify. No sense messing up its New Old Stock status. Click the headline for a close-up.

In the 1980s, Sheaffer made a series of slender luxury pens to fit the times. This one is called the Sheaffer Fashion. We love its deep green with golden accents. It actually takes Cross rollerball refills, and we include one with your purchase. The cap and barrel have a brass construction underlying the green. It is a nice, durable writer. There is a little scratching on the nose cone of the pen. Otherwise it is in great shape. 13.7cm capped.

We often wonder if the authors of the Montblanc Writers Series pens would actually appreciate a pen being named after them. Would the surrealist author who railed against the corporate world really approve of the Montblanc Franz Kafka? We don't know, but we suspect that he would love a cockroach imprinted on a luxury nib made of rhodium-plated 18k gold. Montblanc pays tribute to the author of "The Metamorphosis" with this stunning wine-red, art deco-inspired fountain pen. The sterling silver accents really pop. Our pre-owned pen once belonged to the author Bill Adler Jr. who wrote the 1-million-copies-selling book "Outwitting Squirrels." He says he never filled the pen, and the pen certainly looks mint in its original box. The papers and outer box have gone missing. Guaranteed authentic. 14.8cm capped.

Perhaps the most prized fountain pen among Montblanc collectors is the Montblanc Hemingway. It is the first of the Writers Series pens and came out in 1992. Our pen is in like-new condition with no trace of wear. We suspect it was filled once, cleaned and left alone as a collectible. There is just the trace of black ink around the piston. The piston moves smoothly. Our pen comes with its book box, reply card and booklet. We do not have the outer box. Everything is in the photo. Click the headline for a close-up. Just in the case the pen is N.O.S., we didn't dip the 18k gold nib that looks like a fine point. Obtained from a dedicated Montblanc collector; guaranteed authentic. Based on the pen author Ernest Hemingway once owned. A nice tribute to the writer of "A Farewell to Arms," "The Sun Also Rises" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls." 13.3cm capped.

Sahara models of the Graf von Faber-Castell line really stand out for their color and design. The barrels are plastic with a barley design and texture. The ends are likely rhodium-plated. The writing experience is everything you expect from this German luxury brand. You will write a fine-medium line with its 18k gold nib. The fountain pen looks to be in excellent condition. Just some light wear from use, and it includes its converter. The rollerball pen is a little more worse for wear with brassing/pitting in the back of the top of the cap and nose cone. Original box and papers included. 13cm capped.

Carbon-fiber designs were hot during the early 2000s. Our Monteverde Invincia sports such a design, though we doubt it is real carbon fiber for the price it originally sold at. Our preowned pen looks good with only minor wear from use. You will write a smooth, fine, dry line with its steel nib. Click the headline for close-ups. Includes a standard international converter. 13.9cm capped.

Basic is best, sometimes. The simple magic of a Pelikan Souveran M200 is its ease of filling, attractive design and quality nib. We love the shimmering green design that reminds us of the Northern Lights. You'll find the piston operating smoothly. No cracks or significant wear, except for some spots the golden element of the nib is fading. Click the headline for close-ups. The Pelikan logo on the cap topper has a clean imprint of a mama pelican and two chicks nicely filled with gold. You will write a nice fine line with its nib, which does have a little feedback. 12.7cm capped.

Franz Kafka wrote surrealist fiction with stories such as "The Metamorphosis." Montblanc added Kafka to its Writer's Series in 2004. We love the deep-red celluloid of the cap and barrel. The sterling silver trim is really nice, too. Our preowned luxury pen is in excellent condition with minimal wear. Twist the tail cap of the pen to advance and retreat the working black refill. Guaranteed authentic. 14.5cm.