Vintage Pens

Grail pens such as this Waterman 0322 "Chased" pen from the early 1900s are intoxicatingly rare. What has become known as "repousse" in many pens Waterman called "chased" in its early turn-of-the-century catalogs. This taper cap with gold-filled overlay is a once-in-a-lifetime pen for us. Its 14k gold nib writes an extra-fine to 1mm flexi line, but the slender hard-rubber pen is so delicate, we don't really recommend writing with it much. Filling this eyedropper pen will be difficult as the section seems firmly screwed together and not wanting to separate. Engraved on the barrel cartouche are the initials E.H.L. You can see a couple bite marks on the end of the barrel and tip of the taper. Its biggest flaw is an upside-down "L" crack from the lip of the cap. Clear imprint on the taper cap. Overall, a very good vintage pen for its age. Click the headline for close-ups. 14.7cm capped.

Almost perfect but not quite. Check out the beautiful pearl-and-black celluloid on this Canadian Parker Duofold Jr. set. You can see some traces of the brown discoloration that got started in this vintage pen, but it isn't nearly as bad as most of these pens that I've seen. The inside of this cap is so clean, we're not sure the pen was ever used. It has been restored with a new ink sac. No cracks, major blemishes or brassing. Light wear if any. Click the headline to see a close-up of the original 14k gold nib. You can barely see it in the photo but there is a hairline crack just to the right or top of the "B" in the photo and it works its way up to the top bar of the "E" in "Pen." You will write a smooth medium line. Its matching pencil has perfect color but much more wear, and it doesn't work.

Lapis Lazuli Parker Duofolds are hard to find in such a vibrant blue condition. Yes, this junior-sized vintage pen is a couple shades darker than the matching pencil, but it is still a nice color. Click the headline for close-ups. The white flecks in the lapis blue pen are only mildly yellowed or browned in some places! The vintage pen has been restored with a new ink sac. You will write a juicy double broad line with its 14k gold nib. There is a Christmas-tree style ink feed. Spots of brassing on the cap bands and clip. Light wear on the cap and barrel. The matching streamlined pencil is not working very well, shows a little wear and brassing...and it is missing a decorative barrel band. Pen measures 11.4cm capped.

Every now and again we post a pen that makes us ask, "Why aren't we hoarding this just for ourselves?" This Waterman 56 is just flat-out amazing. One of the larger Waterman sizes, this one has a perfect ripple pattern on "red" (i.e. orange) hard rubber. The cap and barrel are flawless. Unfortunately, there's brassing on the cap band, but the rest of the vintage pen is remarkable. We restored it with a new ink sac. You will write a sumptuously smooth...oh, yes, full-on buttery smooth...medium line with its 14k gold nib. Click the headline for a close-up. It says manifold, but the smoothness of the nib doesn't make it feel too rigid. 14cm capped.

Sheaffer Lifetime Balance pens are among our favorite vintage pens. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. This pen is fantastic. It has great color, maybe only 15% discoloration or so. No cracks. It has some light wear that was polished out, but you can still see a ring around the tail where the cap posted. There's a little brassing on the ball of the clip. Engraved on the side of the pen barrel is "Geo H Barnhart." You will write a smooth, fine line with its 14k two-tone gold nib. The matching pencil has a little more wear, but it has a complicated work habit. The pencil works when you work the mechanism by hand with the tail cap removed. Yet, the tail cap doesn't seem to grip tight enough to advance and retract the 1.1mm lead. At the same time, the cap holds tightly enough to keep from falling off. Spare leads are under the hardened eraser.

Experience the beauty and wonder of a streamlined Parker Duofold Jr. set in jade green. This vintage pen is fully restored with a new ink sac. You can see in the photo that the pen's barrel is more discolored than its cap and that the pencil's green is perfect. There are neither cracks nor significant wear on either writing instrument. The ball on the clip of the pen has a little brassing. You will write a smooth, extra-fine line with a hint of feedback with the original 14k gold nib. Under the nib is a Christmas tree inkfeed. The pencil is in good working order, too.

Sheaffer Demonstrator pens from the 1920s and '30s turn up so rarely, this might be your one chance in a lifetime to get this pen. You can see the cut outs made into the barrel of this rare vintage pen. Sheaffer Dealers and pen reps would have these pens to showcase how a Sheaffer pen works on the inside. You can see this pen has been fully restored with a new ink sac. It is great to see this pen working through the filling and recapping cycles. The trim shows a little brassing, and there is some light wear on this pen. You will write a medium line with its 14k gold Lifetime nib. It has an early 1930s inkfeed.

Parker got creative with some of its Vacumatic variants over the years. This is the rarer Parker Vacumatic Long Major. It is the same width as a Major at the length of a Maxima. Our vintage pen was exquisitely restored. It has a fresh diaphragm and the cap and barrel are without blemishes. A crisp imprint shows a 1942 date code. As you can see in the photo, the barrel clarity is excellent with some ambering. Even the nib still has most of its two-tone plating. You will write a firm, extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. There is a little feedback with the nib, and we think you might have to break it in a bit to get it consistently flowing. Although you could make it a daily writer, cosmetically, it is good enough for a museum. 13.1cm capped.