Vintage Pens

Parker cornered the market on orange pens in the 1920s and '30s. Orange Sheaffer pens are much less common to find. Our Sheaffer 5-30 is a long, slender beauty of a vintage pen, even if it has a fair amount of shallow bite marks in the tail end. Our pen is fully restored with a new ink sac. No cracks and minimal brassing. The pocket clip is the straight and flat type. Best of all, this pen has a semi-flex nib. You can write a normal fine line fairly easily, but with a little gentle practice you can write an extra-fine to roughly .75mm wide line. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.3cm capped.

The business uniform of the 1950s was a grey-flannel suit. This handsome Sheaffer Admiral would have matched one nicely. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac, O-ring and point seal. Its only flaws are doozies. There is a nasty crack on each side of the loose pocket clip. Click the headline for close-ups. We showed the worst crack in the main photo. However, the pen works great. It is marked an F2, but we find it to write more of a smooth extra fine. 14.2cm capped.

We love the over-complexity of Sheaffer Snorkel pens. We replaced the O-ring, point seal and ink sac on this Sheaffer Sovereign fountain pen. We test drove this Rube-Goldberg of filling systems to make sure all was in order. There are no cracks or deep scratches on the cap or barrel. There is a little dimple just left of the pocket clip and a little flat dent on the top of the cap. You will write a firm, fine line with its two-tone, 14k gold nib. Classic mess-free filling in an age where competition against the ballpoints was fierce. A wonderful vintage pen. 14.1cm capped.

There's nothing like writing with a junior-sized Sheaffer Lifetime. Possibly a little overlooked, these are fantastic pens with great nibs. Yes, the nibs are firm, but they also are smooth. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. It shows some wear from use and some brassing on the pocket clip and cap band. However, it remains a solid pen nearly 100 years after it was made. You will write a smooth, wet fine to extra-fine line with its thick 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. The nib photo shows a hairline crack in the nib from the section through the second 6 in the serial number and into the U of U.S.A. on the imprint. The nib seems stable and still writes well. The pen measures 11.2cm capped.

Golden Brown striations make for a very handsome Sheaffer Balance Lifetime fountain pen. The clear imprint finishes with the number 875. Though not a model number, it helps to identify its slender but standard-length size. It also represented the original price of $8.75. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. Closely examine the pen and you will see wear and a couple of deep scratches that are small. However, the design pattern obscures most of that at a casual glance. No cracks. Light brassing on the ball of the pocket clip. You will write a very smooth extra-fine line with its two-tone 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.7cm capped.

Do you love buttery smooth broad nibs made of 14k gold? Do you have larger hands that enjoy a light-weight pen with girth? Then, the oversized Sheaffer Balance Lifetime is probably for you. Great for signing ceremonies or everyday writing this is an amazing vintage pen. We restored it with a new ink sac. No cracks or brassing. A little wear from past use. The nib is missing some of its silvery plating. Click the headline for close-ups. 14.2cm capped.

Another Sheaffer Balance Lifetime has graced our vintage pens pages. This one is the standard size model. It is as long as the Oversized model, but it is thinner. Definitely not a junior-sized model. We restored it with a new ink sac. The sleek black pen shows some wear from use but minimal brassing and no cracks. You will write a firm, wet medium line with its 14k gold nib. It has a touch of feedback. A quintessential black pen for any collector. 14.4cm capped.

Here's a chance to get a relative bargain on a fairly rare vintage pen. Look closely. Click the headline for close-ups. Notice anything unique about this oversized Sheaffer Lifetime flattop in black hard rubber? No white dot. No serial number on the 14k gold Lifetime nib. This pen was made before Sheaffer developed its famed white dot logo for Lifetime pens! And it was before Sheaffer lost an early lawsuit to black-market dealers of its pens because the Lifetime nibs had no serial number to track the pens. There is a fair amount of brassing on the trim. Also visible is a little triangle chip in the lip of the cap that some long-ago repair person super glued. A hairline crack sprouts out of the right side of the pocket clip mount. There are scratches and faded imprints. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. You will write a deliciously buttery smooth broad line with its early original 14k gold nib. 13.6cm capped.