Vintage Pens with Nib Size: XF

Enjoy a uniquely dark copper-colored Esterbrook SJ model fountain pen. Most of these are much brighter and more vibrant, but this classic Estie has a more earnest quality. No cracks or deep scratches, only light wear from use. Both of its circular black "jewels" are complete. We restored our vintage pen with a new ink sac. Another nice feature of this pen is its upgraded 9128 steel nib. You will write about as nice and smooth an extra-fine line as any Esterbrook steel nib can write. 12cm capped.

Joining springtime in an electrifying display of green is this mint-green Esterbrook J-model fountain pen. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. It remains youthful looking, as it has no cracks or deep scratches--just light wear from use. Holding fast is its pocket clip. Two "jewels" are complete on each end of the pen. You will write an extra-fine line with healthy feedback (not so much scratch but true feedback) with its upgrade 9550 nib. Of course, the beauty of these 1950s' Esterbrooks is that they have easy-to-replace nibs that screw in and out for more than 3 dozen point sizes. 12.8cm capped.

Sheaffer Cadet? Sheaffer Admiral? We never fully grasped the naming conventions for the Sheaffer TouchDown pens before they switched to Snorkels. Yet, a rose by any other name...we can still restore. We replaced the ink sac and O-ring in this vintage pen, and now it works great. You will write a dry extra-fine line with its two-tone, 14k gold Feather Touch nib. The pen looks great on a passing glance. Yet a close inspection will show it has many scratches and a little discoloration. No cracks. No brassing. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.9cm capped.

The color match of this married Esterbrook J-model fountain pen looks better in the photo than in real life. The cap is a much deeper red than the barrel. The cap also looks pretty jankety. Nevertheless, there are no cracks and the cap is on tightly. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. We also gave it a new 1461 nib straight out of the box. You will write a firm, extra-fine line with a little feedback. Definitely not a museum piece, but a nice enough daily driver. 12.6cm capped.

We love finding Parker Vacumatics that are still in close-to-new condition. This vintage pen still has a light-yellow barrel clarity! It is no longer that green-yellow from right off the line, but it is still pretty good. No cracks, minimal--if any--brassing. We restored this pen with a new diaphragm. The biggest "flaw" is that its pocket clip spins, even though it is securely on the pen. The blue diamond was Parker's indicator that this pen was guaranteed for the life of its first owner. You will write an extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. There is a little feedback, but this is a pretty good XF writer. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.8cm capped.

New Old Stock Esterbrook CA fountain pens are not an everyday occurrence. This vintage pen still has its original sticker, and the nib does not show any sign of ink. Depending on how your screen is calibrated, this is definitely a bright orange pen. It is close to day-glo orange. Click the headline for close-ups of the nib and sticker. This is a steel 1555 Gregg nib for the famed Gregg shorthand method. No cracks. No cartridge, either. We don't know a modern cartridge that would fit this. Light wear from rattling around a drawer for 60-odd years. 13.2cm capped.

Get in a festive mood with an emerald pearl Parker Vacumatic Maxima fountain pen. We restored this vintage pen with a new diaphragm. It is a beautiful writing instrument with no cracks or deep scratches. There are a few faded bite marks on the blind cap. The double-jeweled cap end are also emerald green stripes like the cap and barrel. No brassing on the gold filled trim. The two-toned 14k gold nib is excellent with most of its original platinum plating. You will write a smooth extra-fine to fine line. The celluloid's see-through barrel is ambered, but you can still see through it a little. 13.4cm capped.

Click the headlines for close-ups. You are going to want to see this one as closely as you can. A stunning emerald pearl celluloid still has decent clarity on this Parker Vacumatic. We believe it is called the Slender model, before they were named Debutantes. It has a crisp 1936 date code. Double jewels that are the same as the emerald pearl celluloid. We restored this vintage pen with a new diaphragm. It works well, but we had to shave a little off the aluminum lockdown filler to prevent it from getting stuck inside the pen. No cracks blemish this pen, but it does have a teeny little chip in the lip of the cap. Some signs of wear where the clip dug into the cap and light wear from use. It looks museum quality at a glance but a close inspection might keep it out of a museum. You will write a smooth extra-fine line with its still two-tone 14k gold nib. 12.1cm capped.