www.VintageWriting.com
Pens
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To order, click on the Paypal 'Buy Now' button, or email for invoice. When requesting an invoice, give the name and number of the item, and the country to which it is to be shipped. Check my eBay listings here.
Compare the "a"s. Side-by-side writing samples of some of the pens for sale here:
International shipping and insurance $15 for Global Priority (where available), or $30 for Express Mail---please email for Paypal invoice
 Conklin 50, Big Crescent Filler, Wide Band---Fine, Extra-Flexible Conklin 5 Nib  1920s
Conklin 50 crescent filler in black chased hard rubber with gold filled trim.
Somewhat better than most 50s, since it has the wide gold filled band at the cap
lip. Not the largest size made, but in fact just as long, though not as fat, as
the biggest, the 75. It's still noticeably bigger than the Parker Duofold
Senior. The nib is huge, bigger than a Waterman 7 keyhole nib. This one is fine
and extra flexible, capable of fine hairlines (for an iridium-tipped fountain
pen) and wide swells. Very good condition with minor fading, some wear
(especially clip high points). The back of the donut has some scratched-in
repair notations. Restored and working with new sac installed. Length just over
5 5/8 inches.
Item 9517 $385 plus $10 shipping and insurance to USA addresses, $30 for International. Email for invoice.
 Swan
safety pen, late 1910s or early '20s, in black hard rubber. A large pen, and
being an early model, it has an extra large nib. Though only a No. 6, it dwarfs
the No. 8-size Parker Duofold Senior and Sheaffer Senior Lifetime nibs of the
mid- to late-'20s -- see the comparison photo. Fine point, firm, with a tiny bit
of flex. Overall very good condition, with nice strong imprints and some fading.
This pen features an authentic Swan nickel accommodation clip, with its
distinctive three-band shape. A transition in pen design: the pen has a screw-on
cap, and the section has a front flange that seals against the inner cap when
the cap is screwed on. This was an important development. But it's still an
eyedrop-filler. You unscrew the section to fill it. That's great for ink
capacity. An impressive pen. Length 5 7/8 inches.
Item 9506 $315 plus $10 shipping and insurance to USA addresses, $30 for International SOLD
The prettiest of the Vacumatic colors, I think, in the largest size. Double jeweled Maxima, 1939, with striped top and bottom jewel, two tone Vac nib. Excellent to near mint condition with crisp edges, no visible trim wear. Beautiful, bright color. The nib is a fine point that actually has a little bit of flexibility. Clear imprint with '9' date code and no dots -- fourth quarter of 1939. Some minor surface scratches on the plastic, some scratches on the nib. Barrel transparency is present but not dramatic. Restored and working with a new diaphragm installed. Length 5 5/16 inches. Item 9505 $635 plus $10 shipping and insurance to USA addresses, $30 for International
 Moore
safety pen, 1920s, with gold filled overlay in chevron pattern. Unusual even for
a Moore overlay, this pen has an original clip, giving it some extra
practicality. This no-ball design is correct for the seldom-seen Moore safety
clip.
Crisp engraving, no dents or dings, no brassing, some minor scratching from
cap-posting. With this overlay, it's one of the prettiest pens made -- and in
this condition, it looks just like it did when it left the shop. Fine to
medium point, flexible. Restored and working with new seals just installed.
Length 4¾ inches when closed.
Item 9507 $485 plus $10 shipping and insurance to USA addresses, $30 for InternationalSOLD
The L-94 was one of Moore's larger pens, slightly bigger than an oversized Sheaffer Lifetime flattop, fitted with the long and elegant Moore No. 4 nib which, despite the lower number, is comparable to a Waterman 7. Here's an unusual wide-banded chased model. The chased version of this pen, with no fancy trim, was one of my first Moores, and I looked for a long time before I found this one. Excellent condition with near perfect dark hard rubber, minor wear to the chasing. The cap band is perfect, with crisp engraving and initials 'TJW' in the cartouche. Two typical Moore flaws are present---irritating, but neither affecting use: the short crack at one corner of the lever slot, and the barely perceptible line coming up from the back of the nib, into the '4'. The nib is fine and semiflexible, the typical 'Maniflex'-style. Restored and working with new sac installed. Length just under 5 3/8 inches. Item 9026 $265 plus $10.00 shipping and insurance (to USA addresses) International shipping and insurance $15 for Global Priority (where available), or $30 for Express Mail---please email for Paypal invoice
One of the coolest fountain pen shapes, short and stocky, with a big nib. Short version of the hefty L-94, with the same large No. 4 Moore nib. Smooth hard rubber with the neat arrangement of two cap bands, one in the normal place and one at the top. Excellent condition with minor fading to the hard rubber, near perfect gold filled trim. The nib does have the typical crack coming up from the base, but the lever slot is perfect. Fine to medium, and semiflexible. Restored and working with new sac installed. Length is 4½ inches. Item 9027 $185 plus $10.00 shipping and insurance (to USA addresses) International shipping and insurance $15 for Global Priority (where available), or $30 for Express Mail---please email for Paypal invoice
 The iconic Sheaffer flattop, complete with matching pencil, in black Radite celluloid with gold filled trim. Some teethmarks in the pencil crown, but the top is perfectly round -- very rare for these pencils. In fact, the pencil is much harder to find than the pen. Matching period script owner's name 'J.A. McEwen' established the eternal link between these two pieces. Massive Sheaffer Lifetime nib, smooth, fine and firm. Restored and working with a new sac installed in the pen. Item 9052 $265 plus $10.00 shipping and insurance (to USA addresses) International shipping and insurance $15 for Global Priority (where available), or $30 for Express Mail---please email for Paypal invoice
Sheaffer Lifetime Balance pen in jade green. The first iteration of the Balance pen in the next-to-biggest size. Extra-long pointy barrel, pinned lever made of a solid piece of gold plated brass, long hump clip, short early section. Almost as long, and a little thinner, than the oversized Senior model. Quite simply the best color in this pen I've had. It's easy to forget how vibrant the colors were in a pen shop in the late '20s, after the advent of celluloid. Here's something to remind us. Bright green with lots of perfect cream-colored marbled highlights and a lovely ivory white dot. Hefty Lifetime nib in the correct long shape, fine to medium and firm. Excellent condition with minor wear to the clip ball, shallow surface scratching, excellent imprint. Sac removed to preserve color. Length about 5 11/16 inches (144mm). Item 9514 $550 plus $10 shipping and insurance to USA addresses, $30 for International. Email for invoice.
 Sheaffer Oversize Lifetime Balance c1931, Green Marble, Rare Long-Tine Flexible Nib  The
Balance pen had been around for a couple of years when Sheaffer introduced
marine green marble Radite. This is the oversize Senior pen, the first version
available in this color. It still has the hump clip, short section and pinned
lever of the earliest Balance pens, but the shape has been modified a bit,
making the barrel a bit shorter and more rounded. Most Sheaffers of this era had nail-like firm nibs, and the company
touted its pens' ability to write through multiple copies. But Sheaffer made a few flexible nibs, and this is one of them. It is long
and elegantly tapered. Like many Sheaffer flex nibs of this era, it's curved tightly around its feed,
giving it a somewhat conical look. Perhaps this inspired the later Triumph nib. The point is
very fine. It's only slightly flexible, stiffer than
the typical Waterman nib of the era, but still very unusual for a Sheaffer.
Perfect for everyday use, it's firm enough for quick writing, fine enough for a
checkbook register or a small notebook, but it has just enough springiness to
give your writing some added character. A large, impressive pen. Excellent
condition with no chips or cracks, bright color, excellent imprint. There's some
wear showing to clip high points, minor fading to the barrel color, minor
surface scratching. Restored and working with a new sac installed. Length is about 5
3/8 inches.
Item 9509 $485 plus $10 shipping and insurance to USA addresses, $30 for International
  Sheaffer
Balance Senior with 14k trim. An unusual example of this 'autograph' model with
no name or initials engraved in the wide gold band. Clip and band (not lever)
are 14k. An unusually good example of
this pen otherwise, too: the color is among the brightest I've seen, cap and
barrel matching perfectly. Excellent to near mint condition. Note the molten edges around
the letters of the imprint. Minor scratches here and there, and a slight ding on
the right edge of the clip, approximately at the hump. Excellent Lifetime two-tone nib, with
perfect platinum masking. Fine, possibly extra fine, and firm.
Restored and working with a new sac
installed. A silicone sac was used to preserve color. Length about 5½ inches.
Item 9510 $635 plus $10 shipping and insurance to USA addresses, $30 for International
    S H E A F F E R S Y O U ' V E N E V E R S E E N B E F O R E  Sheaffer Oversize Balance, Gray Marble -- Rare Feathertouch 8, Non-Lifetime I think I'm correct in saying that the gray marble is the most rare color of Sheaffer's 1930s Balance pens. It's probably neck and neck with Roseglow, if you include the stripes. I've only seen a few oversize senior pens in this color. (It's different, of course, from the more common red-veined gray marble.) Here's one that's even more rare than the 'normal' Lifetime Balance Senior. It's an oversized pen, the largest size made, but instead of a Lifetime nib and white dot on the cap, the pen has a Feathertouch 8 nib and no white dot. The pen is in every other way identical to the oversized Lifetime pen. The Feathertouch 8 nib is the same size as the two-tone Lifetime nib found on the oversized Lifetime model. But there's no Lifetime designation, and no white dot. It's a bit like the mid-'20s distinction between the oversized Lifetime Senior flattop and the nearly identical 7-30 -- same size, different details. One interesting distinction: notice that the incised line in the nib, the line between the uncovered gold area at the back, and the platinum plated area in front, is straight, not curved or angled forward, as it is in the Lifetime version. I doubt anybody out there has seen this pen before. I've had Feathertouch 8 seniors before, but only in black. Excellent condition with no chips or cracks, clear imprint with molten edges on the letters, and excellent plating on the two tone nib. The only noticeable wear is on the chrome plating on the cap band, which is notoriously delicate -- it comes off with very little actual use. The chrome on the clip is actually quite nice. I'd call the nib a medium point. It's firm. Lever filler, restored and working with a new sac installed. Length is about 5½ inches. Item 9091 $635 plus $10 shipping and insurance (to USA addresses) International shipping and insurance $15 for Global Priority (where available), or $30 for Express Mail---please email for Paypal invoice
 Sheaffer 3-25 Vest Balance, 1930s, Rare Oblique Sheaffer's charming '30s vest Balance pen in jade Radite celluloid. Canadian 3-25 pen with correct Canadian markings and a wild steep-sloped oblique nib. An amazing writing tool in an ultra-portable package. Very good condition with no chips or cracks, some typical discoloration but not bad, some wear showing to the imprint. Restored and working with a new sac installed. Length about 4 1/8 inches. Item 9054 $185 plus $10.00 shipping and insurance (to USA addresses) International shipping and insurance $15 for Global Priority (where available), or $30 for Express Mail---please email for Paypal invoice
 Sheaffer Oversize '40s Balance Set, 14k Trim, Rare Oblique Triumph Nib The big 1940s Sheaffer Lifetime Balance pen, the largest size made, in black plastic with solid 14k wide band and clip. Correct '2000' price code marking on barrel. Probably made for UK market, the nib is has Canada imprint and the barrel is USA. The pencil is marked USA with price code 1500. Wide gold bands engraved 'Fr. Jim.' and ' 15-1-'49.' -- note the archaic periods at the end of each line. The pen has a very rare oblique Triumph two tone nib. These are sometimes found in Snorkels, but hardly ever in these earlier, larger pens. This model, the same size as the '1750'-price-code Crest, was Sheaffer's fattest from the mid '40s till the PFM came along. Two scratches in the pen band, otherwise near mint. Lever filler, restored and working. The pencil is also working. The pen measures just over 5¼ inches, the pencil about five inches. The box is an unusual alligator-print leatherette, with velvet inside presentation surface. It's excellent with one minor pencil-lead smudge on lid liner. A very unusual set. Item 9056 $315 plus $10.00 shipping and insurance (to USA addresses) International shipping and insurance $15 for Global Priority (where available), or $30 for Express Mail---please email for Paypal invoice
 1950s Sheaffer Snorkel set in one of the hard to find colors: peacock blue. This is the Statesman model, with plastic cap and barrel, somewhat more desirable than the metal-capped models like the Crest and Sentinel, because there's more peacock blue to enjoy. Near mint condition with the 'Fine' sticker still present on the pen's section, and correct F4 stencil -- palladium silver Triumph nib, fine point. The pen's original filling system is working well, with lots of suction; the pencil works too. The snorkel tube retracts farther into the feed than most, but this does not affect function. Both are marked 'Best Wishes Ed Sullivan' with Ed's signature. There is no better midcentury memento than this. The Ed Sullivan show was not a radio holdover; it started out in the new medium of television, in 1948, as Talk of the Town, becoming the Ed Sullivan Show in 1955, and continuing right up until 1971. Item 9519 $265 plus $10 shipping and insurance to USA addresses, $30 for International. Email for invoice.
 Wahl Eversharp Skyline, Gold Fill Derby -- Fine, Extra Flexible Nib  Skylines
are a blessing: wonderfully representative of streamlined design, they're
plentiful, and often have somewhat flexible nibs. This one is extreme, however.
It's really flexible. Fine with no pressure, and with very respectable
swells, it compares with any Waterman's 'pink' nib. The other features are good
too. The bulbous gold filled derby and gold filled cap looks great on the green
barrel. It's not mint; there are several nicks and dings, including two deep
indentations that were probably put there to hold the cap lining in its metal
sleeve, and normal wear. But it still looks good. Note that the wear on the
lever shows silver under the gold fill. That's wartime vermeil, gold over
silver, when brass had become a strategic material and silver was substituted.
This is a full size Skyline. 1940s.
Restored and working with a new sac installed. Length about 5 1/4 inches.
Item 9518 $265 plus $10 shipping and insurance to USA addresses, $30 for International. Email for invoice. SOLD
 Wahl Eversharp Skyline -- Amazing Bucktooth Flexible Italic Nib  An
extreme Skyline, one of the pens that makes you grateful for vintage pens. This
triple wide stub is nice and sharp. It can make the very fine sidestrokes you
need for italic and Old English alphabets, and the fat downstrokes too. It's
every bit as good as any specialty italic dip nib you could get in the
calligraphy section of the art store. Except because it has iridium, you can
actually make an upstroke, and because it's in a fountain pen, you can carry it
around in your pocket and use it anywhere. And because it's in a nice-looking
Skyline, you can look classy doing it. Writing with this nib is a pleasure. For
such a wide, sharp nib it's not scratchy, and the ink flow is very adequate to
fill the wide front edge of the nib when it's on the paper. It is actually
flexible, so you can get fat lines of varying widths. Full size Skyline pen with
brown and gold striped cap, brown barrel. Very good condition with some trim
wear, some nicks and scratches, some wear on the barrel from cap posting. And
one of the most impressive nibs I've ever seen. Restored and working with a new
sac installed. Length about 5 1/4 inches.
Item 9520 $285 plus $10 shipping and insurance to USA addresses, $30 for International. Email for invoice. SOLD
 Waterman 52½ -- Extra Fine, Flexible Copperplate Nib  The
thin, elegant version of Waterman's 1920s workhorse model 52. Nice condition,
not mint but with excellent dark color, nice wide early clip, excellent nickel
trim. Some wear, but not much fading -- the color remains nice and dark, with
good contrast with the white metal trim. The Waterman No. 2 nib is very fine and
is flexible, though not extremely soft. It gives decent hairlines and
respectable swells. As good a pointed-pen calligraphy pen as you could expect
have its own ink supply.
Restored and working with a new sac installed. Length about 5 5/16 inches
(134mm).
Item 9521 $165 plus $10 shipping and insurance to USA addresses, $30 for International. Email for invoice. SOLD
 Waterman 52v with Clip -- Extra Fine, Flexible Copperplate Nib  The
short stubby version of the 1920s Waterman 52, the 52v. Not to be confused with
the ladies' ringtop pen, the 52½v. This was intended as a man's pen, fat but
short. It's a plus to find it with a clip. The pen is in very good condition
with typical wear and fading. The color is a mottled brownish green, and the
chasing has smoothed out a lot over the years. The nickel trim is nice, and the
cap has the nice solid wide early clip. The nib is a wonderful extra fine
long-tined Waterman No. 2 that is one of the best copperplate style nibs I've
had. Simply viewed as a calligraphy tool, it's quite good: the hairlines are
decent, the swells wide. Amazing for a fountain pen.
Restored and working with a new sac installed. Length is just over 4 3/8
inches (112mm).
Item 9522 $215 plus $10 shipping and insurance to USA addresses, $30 for International. Email for invoice. SOLD
  Waterman
0556 in gold filled filigree. A hard to find example of a larger 1920's Waterman
overlay pen, large and hefty, the gold filled version of the substantial 56.
Excellent condition with very little wear (top edge of cap, top of clip). Notice
the pristine clip ball. Artfully engraved name 'Robt. H. West' in barrel.
There's one minor ding on the top edge, one nick in the hard rubber visible in
one cutout. The nib is medium and semiflexible, great for everyday use. Restored
and working with a new sac installed. Length just over 5 5/8 inches. Item 9095 $885 plus $10.00 shipping and insurance (to USA addresses) International shipping and insurance $15 for Global Priority (where available), or $30 for Express Mail---please email for Paypal invoice
Waterman 1930s Lady Patricia Set, Moss Agate -- Near Mint, Medium Extra Flexible Nib  Waterman
Lady Patricia pen and pencil set in the attractive moss agate color. Complete
with the distinctive top-disk gold filled stepped clips. There are some minor
nicks in the pencil cap, but the set is otherwise near mint, with no wear
showing to the trim, and nice glossy plastic in perfect bright color. The nib is
quite nice. A good solid medium with no pressure, with pressure it gets
dramatically wider. Good for everyday use, but capable of extreme effects.
There's a crack coming up from the base (through the 'o' in 'pat. off.', but
this will not affect function. Restored and working with a new sac installed. Pencil works too. Item 9502 $235 plus $10.00 shipping and insurance (to USA addresses)
 Waterman 5116 in Box, Unusual 'Fine Flexible' Imprint  Charming
late-'30s Waterman No. 5-sized pen with stepped ends and distinctive globe logo
clip and top gold filled disc. Usually identified as the 5116, I've seen other
designations as well. It came as a lever filler or two different types of inkvue
fillers. This is the easier-to-maintain lever filler. Gray marble with blue
lines. Canadian model in its original box. Unusual 'Fine Flexible' imprint on
the nib. From the long tines and the imprint, this would be the successor to the
Pink nib, after the color designations were dropped. These straightforward
literal nib-grade imprints are seen occasionally, thought they seem to be more
common with other grades. I've seen 'manifold' (i.e., Purple), 'rounded'
(Yellow), and 'firm' (Green). I don't think I've seen 'Fine Flexible' before.
Good condition with no chips or cracks, substantial trim wear. Ink stains on
box. Nib is, as advertised, fine and flexible, though not as soft as the softer
of the pink nibs. Restored and working with a new sac installed. Length about 5
1/8 inches. Item 9511 $265 plus $10 shipping and insurance to USA addresses, $30 for International SOLD
 Waterman Hundred Year Pen 1940s, Rare Flush-Fit Screw-on Cap -- Sterling Silver  Waterman
made a few of this rare variation of the Hundred Year Pen: metal cap, with
indentation in the barrel so that cap and barrel fit flush. It's not a Taperite,
and it's not the more common slip-cap model. Rather, it's a conventional nibbed
Hundred Year, with a threaded metal cap. You see them occasionally, but not too
often. Most of these pens have gold filled caps, but they were also made in
sterling. I've only seen two. This is one of them. Excellent condition with no
dents or dings, good imprint, minor high point trim wear. Around the cap's star
there is a little of the original thin rhodium layer, added to prevent the pen's
tarnishing on the dealer's shelf. 'Metropolitan Chapter 1940' engraved on
barrel. Fine, semiflexible Hundred Year nib. Restored and working with a new sac
installed. Length just over 5¼ inches.
Item 9508 $350 plus $10 shipping and insurance to USA addresses, $30 for International
Item 9025 $7 (one ounce bottle) plus $4.95 shipping (up to 4 bottles, USPS priority, to USA addresses) Noodler's 'Boston Brahmin Blue 2006' Limited Edition Ink
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Rob Morrison |
Noodler's 'Boston Brahmin
Black' 2009 Limited Edition Ink
