Vintage Pens

Sheaffer Craftsman or Sheaffer Admiral...in the mid-to late 1940s they were nearly identical pens. We think this is the Craftsman, but it is just as likely to be an Admiral. Either way, it is a handsome blue vintage pen that has been fully restored with a new ink sac. The barrel has a 350 imprint on it, which meant it originally sold for $3.50. The blue is darkened in some spots, which are more visible in real life than in the photo. The cool part about the pen is that its 14k gold nib has a little flex. You can go from a fine/extra-fine to about a .5mm line if you are slow and gentle. 12.9cm capped.

I am surprised Sheaffer collectors don't seem to put more emphasis on hoarding Canadian-made pens. They seem a bit more difficult to find. We think this is a Sheaffer Craftsman, and we are certain it was made in Canada from the barrel and nib imprint. Click the headline for a close-up. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac and O-ring. Its 14k gold nib is a little springy and writes a smooth, wet medium line. The pen shows a little wear and brassing, but most of us do after 70-odd years. 13.3cm capped.

Social media excels at telling us we misidentify these pens as Sheaffer Craftsman pens. However, we're pretty sure that is what this is. We restored this lever-filler with a new ink sac. These pens came out in the mid- to late 1940s, and the war rationing was evident in this skinny cap band. This vintage pen was heavily used but remains free of cracks. It does have substantial wear and a really deep scratch on the cap, down and to the left of the pocket clip. The black color of the pen helps to hide the blemishes. You will write a wonderful extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. The nib sounds scratchy but writes surprisingly smoothly. Click the headline for a close-up. 12.7cm capped.

The late 1940s brought the invention of the Sheaffer TouchDown filler. This pen used pneumatics to fill a standard ink sac using a series of metal tubes and an O-ring seal in the tail of the pen. We love these simple filling systems. We think this pen is called a Sheaffer Craftsman, but we aren't sure. We restored it with a new ink sac and O-ring. Its gold-plated trim shows some brassing, but it isn't hideous. The read of the blue pen shows wear from use but no cracks or serious blemishes. You will write a firm, fine line with its two-tone 14k gold nib. It has a small hint of feedback. Click the headline for close-ups. 13cm capped.

We've seen a lot of cool desk pens in our day, and we really love this frosted-brown-glass pelican made for an Eversharp Doric desk pen. It looks even more impressive with back lighting as the bird looks as if it is standing on rippling water. The glass is nearly perfect with one small chip near the back edge of the base. The celluloid trumpet looks like a marriage of a black trumpet and a green marble one, and the gold plating looks good on the trumpet and the pen. We restored the pen with a new ink sac. The pen has the green art deco look not marbled. The section has a little chocolate hazing. This is a nice thick, larger pen. your will write a firm, medium line with its 14k gold manifold nib. There is a hint of feedback with the nib. Click the headline for close-ups. Pen is 21.4cm long. Base 10.5cm L X 9cm W X 12.5cm H.

Our favorite Rube Goldberg filling system in vintage pens has to be the Sheaffer Snorkel. Over-elaborate...but also great for sucking the last drops of ink out of a bottle. We restored this Sheaffer Statesman set with a new O-ring, ink sac and point seal. Cosmetically, it is in very good shape with only light surface wear. You will write a firm extra-fine to fine line with a little feedback. All of that is pretty standard for these conical "Triumph" nibs made of "palladium silver." The pencil remains in great working order and is cosmetically also near excellent with only light surface wear. The vintage pencil comes with a few .9mm leads and the hardened remains of the original blue eraser. Box included.

GARAGE SALE ITEM 8: Ever say to yourself, "I need to pour out a dirty bag of third tier pens and parts and just revel in the joy of it all?" Well, then, my friend, today is your lucky, lucky day. There's nothing special in here. It is literally a dirty bag of parts. If you ever wanted some cheap old pens to tear apart to learn how to do pen restoration, this is ideal. No Refunds. No Returns.

Esterbrook J-model pens are fun to collect for all of the dozens of nibs the company sold. Overall, this is a standard black J-model. Remarkably, it still has a functional Esterbrook imprinted ink sac. More impressive is that it comes with an upgraded 2284 steel nib. This was intended as a "Signature Stub" nib. It has some gentle oblique and stub qualities, but, overall, it writes more like a double-broad nib. Take it easy on some corners, as it can dig in a little. However, the nib can be extremely smooth when you get it angled correctly. The cap and barrel have some wear from use but no cracks. 12.8cm capped.