Pre-Owned Pens

It is easy to get excited about this Montblanc Alexandre Dumas 3-Set because it is still sealed in the box! Click the headline to see the unopened seals. Coming from the collection of a dedicated Montblanc enthusiast, it is guaranteed authentic — originally purchased at the late Art Brown's pen shop in New York City. As you can see by the seals this was the updated edition with the correct signatures. Dumas, hopefully, should need no introduction. He was the French inventor of the modern historical novel with classics such as "The Three Musketeers" and "The Count of Monte Cristo." The set includes a ballpoint, pencil and medium-nibbed fountain pen.

Celebrating its 150th birthday, Pelikan released a special black-and-silver pen. It designated it the Pelikan D730. Twist the tail cap to advance and retract the black Parker-style ballpoint. Unfortunately, there are two dimples in the silver tail cap, just under the unengraved name plate. 12.5cm.

Our eyes about popped out of our heads when we saw that TWISBI Ecos in transparent orange were limited editions now getting more than $230 on a famed auction site that shall not be named. We offer one such pen here that has been cleaned and readied for a new home. Only light wear on the pen and no internal staining. Click the headline for a close-up to see its "B" steel nib. You will find it to be a surprisingly smooth nib that sings a little as it glide along the page. 13.9cm capped.

The roaring '20s were such a fantastic time for automobile racing. The technology was evolving quickly and no race course was too dangerous. Italy's 1000 Miglia (1000-mile Race) was a huge international challenge, tempting the world's greatest drivers to its inaugural run in 1927. The Montegrappa 1000 Miglia fountain pen pays tribute to the 70th anniversary of this first race. Its sterling silver overlay features etched images of the adventure. The racing red celluloid is stunning in the light. We do not believe this pen has been used. It remains in pristine condition. Click the headline for close-ups. Unfortunately, the faux-leather box looks as if it has just raced for 1,000 miles. This faux leather looked great when new and was quite popular with Waterman, too, but it erodes badly with time. Complete box and papers.

Matte orange is both attractive and rare in the Aurora Ipsilon line. Plus, there's the tactile bonus of a lightly textured finish. This set includes both the fountain pen and ballpoint. The fountain pen comes with an Aurora/Parker-style converter. You can also feed it both companies' ink cartridges. There's light wear and a light mark where the cap posts. You can see its steel nib is marked F for fine, but we find it writes closer to extra-fine with a little feedback. Writing is a simple click away with the ballpoint. You'll get it with a super smooth blue gel refill made by Parker.

Aurora Ipsilon pens turn to classic vintage pen design for a look that is very appealing. It would be difficult to say this modern pre-owned pen wasn't a little inspired by the mandarin yellow of vintage Parker Duofolds. Nevertheless, this fountain pen looks stunning with very little, if any, wear. You fill the pen with an included Parker-style converter or Aurora or Parker ink cartridges. Its matching ballpoint pen is a click-cap style using Parker ballpoint refills. It currently has a working blue refill. The click the headline to see the golden nib of the fountain pen. You will write more of an extra-fine line than the fine marked on the nib. If you have written with a lot of pens you might understand what we mean when we say this nib is neither scratchy nor smooth. It rests somewhere between the two on the smoother side.

Around the early 2000s, Montblanc created a series of really neat designs for its Classique line of pens. Our favorite was this Montblanc Doué Black & White. It has an incredible art deco vibe. This preowned luxury pen is in great working order, and it comes with a working black refill and its original box. This pen has seen some wear and use over the years, but we don't think anyone will notice it at writing distance. No cracks, dents or deep scratches. Guaranteed authentic.

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.