All Pens and Ephemera

If you are looking for a bargain on a Parker Duofold Senior pencil, please take a closer look. Nearly 100 years old, this orange permanite beast is still working well. Twist the tail cap to advance and retract its 1.1mm lead. Click the headline to see easily that it is more than a little flawed. The pencil got dropped years ago on its twist top crown, denting it down on one side. Plus, its permanite outer shell has a bad crack under the pocket clip. 14.1cm.

Celebrating Chinese New Year, this Cross 2015 Year of the Goat fountain pen is a real head turner. Using the Cross Sauvage platform, this preowned pen was coated in Moonlit Black Lacquer leaving the golden outline of a goat. We believe the pen to be new old stock. The slightly scuffed up and worn presentation box still hosts the original cartridges and unused converter. There isn't a trace of wear on the pen. The only thing missing is whatever was in a square space inside the box, in front of the pen. As we suspect it to be N.O.S., we didn't dip the 18k gold nib to try it. It appears to be either a fine or extra-fine. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.2cm capped.

Enjoy more than a little class and sophistication when you write by using this Cartier Diabolo rollerball pen. It is a classic black pen with gold-plated trim, which all comes together with its stunning blue topper. Writing is smooth and easy with the large 8126 capless rollerball refill. We include a new black refill with this pen. You might see a little light wear if you look hard enough, but no one will notice it at arm's length. 14.2cm capped.

Pineider is another of the great Italian pen makers that we don't feature often enough. Our preowned luxury pen is in mint condition. It is the limited edition Pineider Back to the Future. Numbered 76 of 949, this isn't the Marty McFly "Back to the Future" you might be thinking of. This special edition focuses on Italy in the year 1949, as the nation emerged from the destruction of World War II--a time of rebuilding, it was leading the way in fashion, art and culture. The futuristic design of the pen is based on the concept of an Egyptian reed stylus made of modern carbographite. You fill the pen with a piston. It writes with a stunning 1.3mm stub nib made of 14k gold. Also included are its original box and a handsome coffee table back by designer and film director Pier Luigi Pizzi as he looks back on that golden age. The photos are lush and classic. However, the text of the book is in Italian. Click the headline for a close-up of the nib. Pen 14.7cm capped.

We search far and wide for all the latest and greatest pens. Today we are very excited to showcase a gigantic pen from India's Ranga Pen Company. We don't know the model name, but we do know that it is made from a fantastic blue-and-tan hard rubber. Like a really old vintage pen, you fill this with an eyedropper. It can definitely hold a lot of ink. As a special treat, it comes preloaded with a two-tone steel "FPR Flex" nib. FPR stands for Fountain Pen Revolution. While it has flex, we consider it more of a semi-flex than a wet-noodle flex. Nevertheless, you will write from about a medium to more than 1mm wide! This pen looks brand new to us. 15cm capped.

On the surface, there might not be a lot to get you too excited about this Parker Vacumatic. And then you write with it. Wow! With a light touch it is a nice medium nib that leans toward fine, but with a little gentle pressure you can get about 1mm line variation! Not a common trait in a Vac from 1942. We restored this vintage pen with a new diaphragm. Its grey pearl design is nice with nickel trim. Dark ambering still permits a little light to see through the empty barrel. It has some wear from use, but there are no cracks or deep scratches. The blind cap-barrel alignment is just a little off. 13cm capped.

Far from being the rarest of Eversharp Skylines, this bandless cap version is definintely uncommon. Happily enough, the cap on this vintage pen is crack free, but it does look as if it had a brush with a lit cigarette on the back of the cap. Unfortunately there's a 2"-crack leading out of the point of the tail of the green barrel. We restored the pen with a new ink sac. The tail crack seems very stable. You will write a smooth medium to medium-broad line with its 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.3cm capped.

Fans of Sailor pens know that ZOOM nibs are a special treat, and we are happy to report that this standard-size Sailor 1911 has a Zoom nib! For the uninitiated, the Zoom nib is a 14k gold broad nib. In the world of Japanese nibs, it might be considered a double or triple broad. For American and European nib enthusiasts, we dipped it and it looks mostly like a regular broad nib. Regardless, aside from a scuff on the pocket clip, this pen looks like new. It also comes complete with its original boxes and converter. 13.6cm capped.