Italics, Stubs & Obliques
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9330: Astra safety: mottled hard rubber vest-pocket, 9.3 cm long, imprints shallow but crisp, "42" on end knob; nib is small but smooth, tip slightly angled, easy for right-handed use.
DATE: c. 1925 • CONDITION: exc-near
mint • NIB: medium reverse oblique italic flex • $160 
7259: Aurora Olo: red pearl button-filler, 13.2 cm long, chrome plated trim, bold barrel imprint, Olo #3 nib has scant iridium and is rather draggy, but very flexible; filler button is an old replacement, as also appears to be the case with the blind cap (which lacks a metal end cap).
DATE: c. 1937 • CONDITION:
fine-exc* • NIB: extra-fine stub flex • $385
7720: Century sleeve-filler: black hard rubber slip-cap with high relief gold filled ribbon pattern overlay; 14.2 cm long, section twists to reveal or conceal pressure bar; warranted #3 nib, no maker's marks, but a well-known and distinctive model.
DATE: c. 1915 • CONDITION: fine • NIB: fine stub flex • $850
9415: Conklin 10 Special: black hard rubber #1-size slip-cap crescent-filler, 12.9 cm long, nickel plated trim, imprints clear and strong; a rare and elusive model, to our knowledge not documented in any surviving catalog or advertisement -- many Conklin collectors are not even aware that Conklin made a #1-size pen.
DATE: c. 1905
• CONDITION: fine • NIB: broad italic • $950
8686: Dunn Camel: oversize black hard rubber pump-filler, 14.8 cm long, red casein pump handle, gold filled trim; strong imprints, responsive nib, typical crizzling to end knob casein, thread partially missing and do not engage (does not affect function, as the friction of the cork seal is quite sufficient to keep the plunger in place).
DATE: c. 1923 • CONDITION: fine* • NIB: fine stub semiflex •
$525
9579: Esterbrook Relief 314: black chased hard rubber slip-cap eyedropper-filler, 13.6 cm long, fully Esterbrook-marked, but clearly manufactured by Wirt; 14K gold ventless Relief nib, characteristic bottom-vented Wirt feed. Flanged section is odd: does not fit the barrel perfectly, and is unlike usual Wirt eyedropper-filler sections, yet is of unusual form characteristic of other Wirt models. Wirt-made Esterbrooks are rare -- this is the first example we've had in over ten years.
DATE: c. 1910 • CONDITION: fine-exc
• NIB: fine oblique • $800
9286: Esterbrook lever-filler: hard to find long, slender "V-clip" in black, 12.6 cm long, stainless steel trim; bold deep imprints, light toothiing at ends, otherwise clean. Early #1551 nib unit with flat-bottomed feed; nib tip worn down, ground to a smooth but edgy italic (replacement nib units readily available, if desired).
DATE: c. 1932 • CONDITION: fine* • NIB: fine italic • $225
8055: Esterbrook Relief No. 2-L: black hard rubber lever-filler, 13.5 cm long, gold filled trim, made in England, even wear and fading, nice 14K gold oblique Relief nib.
DATE: c. 1932 • CONDITION: VG • NIB: medium
oblique • $175
9261: Esterbrook A: black hard rubber "Dollar Pen" lever-filler, 12.2 cm long, stainless steel trim, flat lever, barrel imprint worn but clearly legible, old nib unit with flat-bottomed feed, #1554 Gregg nib has lost its original tip, has been ground down to an italic point.
DATE: c. 1936 • CONDITION: VG-fine • NIB:
medium fine italic • $145
9603: Esterbrook Relief No. 2-L: black celluloid rubber lever-filler, 13 cm long, gold filled trim, made in England, 14K gold oblique Relief nib.
DATE: c. 1938 • CONDITION: fine-exc • NIB: medium fine oblique
• $175
9305: Esterbrook B: full-size "Dollar Pen", silver pearl lever-filler, 12.1 cm long, stainless steel trim, old-style #2556 nib with flat-bottomed feed has had its tip worn down and reground to a smooth and edgy italic.
DATE: c. 1941 • CONDITION: fine • NIB: medium fine italic • $95
6168: Laughlin doctor's pen: black chased hard rubber eyedropper-filler, thermometer in compartment at end of barrel; 16.3 cm long, crisp and glossy, new old stock, never filled; came to us without a nib -- we have fitted it with a Laughlin nib of the correct size and era, which does however have an axial hairline crack from the vent hole; an outstanding example of a very rare design.
DATE: c. 1905 • CONDITION: mint*
• NIB: fine stub flex • $1650
7202: Mabie Todd Swan: gold filled fine barleycorn eyedropper-filler, 13.4 cm long, over and underfeed, early markings for Mabie Todd & Bard (1888 last patent date), engraved "DR. E. DALTON" in indicia; metal looks like solid.
DATE: c. 1890 • CONDITION: exc-near mint • NIB: medium stub flex • $695
8551: Moore L-96: large black flat-top lever-filler, 14.2 cm long, gold filled trim, red dot on cap top; crisp imprints, trim excellent, almost imperceptible cap shrinkage around inner cap; #6 Moore nib has been retipped by Greg Minuskin, partial hairline at base affects only upper laminate, does not go all the way through, appears stable.
DATE: c. 1928 • CONDITION: fine-exc* • NIB: broad stub •
$365
6550: Mordan eyedropper-filler: black chased hard rubber straight-cap, 13.9 cm long, unusually thick barrel with equally unusual wavy-line chasing, imprinted "MORDAN/LONDON"; ventless nib missing tipping material from underpart of one tine (not apparent from above), cap faded less than barrel (probably because smooth, and could be polished without weakening chasing); Mordan fountain pens are rare -- this is only the second we have handled.
DATE: c. 1905 • CONDITION: VG-fine* • NIB: medium stub • $385
8120: Parker 1: MHR straight-cap eyedropper-filler, 14.2 cm long, fine color, strong imprints, last patent dates 1905; cap has some deep longitudinal scratches (see details), section whittled with notches; #1 Lucky Curve nib opens up with very light pressure.
DATE: c. 1910 • CONDITION: G* • NIB: fine reverse oblique
flex • $275
9510: Parker 16 Jack-Knife Safety: small "turban top" black hard rubber screw-cap ringtop eyedropper-filler with gold filled filigree overlay; 9.8 cm long, fully marked, smooth and boldly calligraphic #2 heart-vent nib, several pinprick marks to overlay, hard rubber good and dark, has not been reblackened, no number visible on barrel end, letter "A" lightly engraved on barrel indicia.
DATE: c. 1914 • CONDITION: fine
• NIB: medium italic superflex • $695
7998: Parker 62: full overlay hand-engraved slip-cap button-filler, 14.3 cm long, fully marked, intact Lucky Curve feed, noteworthily smooth and paintbrushlike nib is slightly later; the 62 is usually seen as an eyedropper-filler, and is seldom found as a button-filler.
DATE: c. 1916 • CONDITION: fine* • NIB:
fine stub superflex • $2500
9462: Parker Duofold Junior set: burgundy (red and black marbled) pearl button-filler, 12 cm long, gold filled trim, with matching 1.1 mm pencil; pencil more worn than pen, pen has minimal wear, but scoring and nicks around the imprint (see detail) -- and a truly fantastic Duofold nib, sharp-edged but smooth, bearing a 1st quarter 1936 date code.
DATE: c. 1936 • CONDITION: VG-fine* • NIB: extra-broad italic
semiflex • $345
7011: Wahl-Eversharp Signature: unusual oversize black chased hard rubber lever-filler, 13.9 cm long, gold filled trim, roller clip, made in Canada; material is unusual, with many lighter flecks, as one sometimes sees when the same machinery is used to make both black and red hard rubber (black flecks in red is more usual, however); appears to have originally been given a black coating, still present at the front of the barrel where protected by the cap; big, responsive #6 nib, some scrapes to the barrel threads, hairline crack to the cap lip, stabilized by the cap band (see detail).
DATE: c. 1925 • CONDITION: VG* • NIB:
extra-fine stub flex • $325
9470: Wahl-Eversharp Equi-Poised: solid orange celluloid lever-filler, 13.2 cm long, gold filled trim, Gold Seal, roller clip, 18K Gold Seal Signature nib. This color -- "Danish red" -- was made only for export to Denmark and is rarely seen, with most surviving pens in deplorable condition. Cap is very clean, easily excellent to near mint, barrel shows wear at the end (apparently from polishing), crack in barrel threads has been skilfully repaired (raking light photo greatly exaggerates the repair's visibility).
DATE: c. 1931
• CONDITION: fine* • NIB: medium broad stub flex • $1500
9471: Waterman 14: early black hard rubber cone-cap eyedropper-filler, 14 cm long, two-line barrel imprint, narrow 3-fissure feed; barrel very slightly and almost imperceptibly bent, <1mm tight crack in cap lip, only traces of end number imprint present.
DATE: c. 1898 • CONDITION: fine* • NIB: fine stub
semiflex • $225
9137: Waterman 12: black hard rubber eyedropper-filler with London-hallmarked sterling silver overlay, bloodstone seal cap top, 13.2 cm long; seal-top Watermans are rare, and most often found in England and France, but this is an uncatalogued pattern never before seen -- though the hallmarks leave no doubt about it being factory-original. Canadian-made #2 nib, patent imprints on feed, some tool marks to lower barrel overlay; note that "WATERMAN" imprint on cap lip is upside-down -- perhaps to reflect usage of the cap as a seal?.
DATE: c. 1907 • CONDITION: VG • NIB: broad italic semiflex • $6000
9139: Waterman 214: black hard rubber half-overlay eyedropper-filler with acid-etched .999 fine silver barrel; 13.9 cm long, unusually heavy #4 New York nib, monogram lightly engraved on indicia; etched Waterman overlays are rare, and even more so as a 214 rather than a 212.
DATE: c. 1908 • CONDITION: fine • NIB:
medium stub manifold • $2875
8403: Waterman 14: black hard rubber eyedropper-filler with smooth sterling silver overlay and bloodstone cap top seal; 13.1 cm long, a rare but catalogued factory model most often found in France and England (a version appears on p. 53 of Waterman's 1908 USA catalog under "Special Mountings" as Emerald End Special Fluted, priced at $50 -- more than three times the cost of a full sterling silver Snake); London hallmarks are worn but mostly legible, one ding to the side of the cap, #4 nib with unusual turnup grind at tip; the smooth silver version of this pen is several times rarer than the fluted version in gold.
DATE: c. 1918 •
CONDITION: G-VG • NIB: medium oblique • $2950
8439: Waterman Remex sleeve-filler: black chased hard rubber, 14.1 cm long, unusual Canadian-made subbrand version of Waterman's pre-lever self-filler, apparently assembled out of obsolete parts; no imprints, feed is square-sectioned Aikin Lambert style, nib is typical Canadian Remex, with "14 KT./R" in a diamond, "2" below, even the globe logo on the pressure bar has been effaced; originally clipless, comes with a contemporary nickel plated slip-on clip (easily removed, if desired).
DATE: c. 1918 • CONDITION: fine
• NIB: fine stub flex • $300
9184: Waterman 442½V in box: black hard rubber ringtop safety, 9.6 cm long, smooth sterling silver overlay with hard to find telescoping outer cap; metal clean, imprints on hard rubber strong, initials "M.W.D." on barrel. Patent imprints on feed, responsive nib.
DATE: c. 1918 • CONDITION: exc • NIB:
fine stub semiflex • $550
8907: Waterman 472: uncommon black hard rubber screw-cap eyedropper-filler with smooth sterling silver overlay; 13.1 cm long, London hallmarks, number at barrel end is simply "72" with no hundreds column digit, as is typical for English-market Watermans; 1925-dated presentation inscription, nice stub #2 nib has an incipient hairline from the vent hole, but should be stable if used without excessive writing pressure; even wear, light marks to metal, one tiny stress crack where barrel overlay crimped in place (see detail; for some reason these are extremely common in English-market Waterman overlays).
DATE: 1920 •
CONDITION: VG* • NIB: medium italic • $565
7027: Waterman 452 Filigree: black hard rubber lever-filler, sterling silver overlay, 13.7 cm long, worn but sound, light bumps to rim of cap crown, cap threads engage for only a half-turn, though are still quite secure; smooth and responsive #2 nib.
DATE: c. 1923 • CONDITION: VG • NIB: extra-fine stub flex •
$500
6383: Waterman 552½ LEC: hand-engraved solid 14K gold over black hard rubber lever-filler, 13.1 cm long; only minimal bumps to ends, cap crown nearly perfect, Ideal globe appears on both lever end and on plate below; for some reason, no "LEC" on barrel end; indicia engraved with extra, post-factory, scrollwork in order to cover over a monogram (see detail), clip ball has been resoldered back in place (noticeable only under magnification); notable New York #2 nib, responsive and offering a very wide range of line variation.
DATE: c. 1923 • CONDITION: fine* • NIB: fine stub flex • $1100
9597: Waterman 552½ LEC: black hard rubber lever-filler with solid 14K green gold overlay in Sheraton (grouped parallel lines) pattern; 13.1 cm long, interesting 1925-dated presentation inscription, scattered dings to ends, fantastic sharp-cut #2 italic nib.
DATE: c. 1924 • CONDITION: VG-fine • NIB: medium
italic flex • $1000
8548: Waterman 51V Ripple: rare USA-made export model with #1 nib, 10.7+ cm long, nickel plated trim, deep strong imprints, excellent color; 18K French-hallmarked nib is very flexible but should be used only with care, for there are two small hairlines starting to develop from the vent hole (can be welded if desired).
DATE: c. 1930 • CONDITION: exc* • NIB: fine stub flex • $275
5674: Williamson button-filler: black Italian-made imitation of a Parker oversize Vacumatic, though larger at 13.6 cm long; gold filled trim, arrow clip with quill in relief; big replacement Duofold Canada nib.
DATE: c.
1938 • CONDITION: fine* • NIB: fine stub flex • $500