David Nishimura Vintage Fountain Pens & Writing EquipmentHighlights

6319: Aikin Lambert Pet display card: very rare original display, 15.2 cm high, with 6 out of 12 pens still present; pens are miniature ringtop eyedropper-fillers in black hard rubber, with red or light green casein ends and 14K gold nibs, averaging 6.4 cm long; unused and of excellent quality, they are rather evenly sun-faded, and one of the red tops has two chips on the side facing the card; from a long-closed New York area pen shop, the only example of its kind we have seen.

DATE: c. 1920 • CONDITION: VG-fine* • $650 ORDER

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6659: Conklin 3D&N: black hard rubber desk model crescent-filler, 17.2 cm long, gold filled trim, fully marked, somewhat toothy #3 Conklin nib; an extremely rare pen, similar in profile to other desk pens by makers such as Waterman, John Holland, and Mabie Todd; worn but sound, this is the only Conklin desk model pen we have ever owned and only the second example known, and is not to be confused with the taper-cap crescent-fillers which though rare are regularly seen.

DATE: c. 1905 • CONDITION: G • NIB: fine flex • $1850 ORDER

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7058: De La Rue Onoto demonstrator: classic British plunger-filler, 13.9 cm long, transparent celluloid barrel with cutaways to show filler piston and ink shutoff; gold plated dummy nib; acquired from an old Australian pen shop.

DATE: c. 1939 • CONDITION: mint • $850 ORDER

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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 ORDER

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5633: Mordan combination dip pen and pencil: extending ringtop in heavy, high-karat gold (probably 18K), 5.8 cm long closed, blue enamel over guilloché checkerboard pattern; uses VS lead, marked "S. MORDAN & CO.", no hallmarks, jeweler's test marks on side of inner barrel, end of nib holder, edge of outer barrel, a few unobtrusive flakes on edges of enamel (see details).

DATE: c. 1895 • CONDITION: VG-fine* • $600 ORDER

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5972: Parker 23H: black hard rubber eyedropper-filler, hexagonal body, 14.4 cm long, fully marked with 1891 and 1894 patent dates; unusual & desirable, good legible imprints, even fading, with the shadow of a now-removed add-on clip towards the top of the cap, keyhole-vent #3 Lucky Curve nib.

DATE: c. 1906 • CONDITION: VG • NIB: fine flex • $1200 ORDER

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7728: Parker 38 in box: legendary black hard rubber eyedropper-filler with overlay of gold filled snakes with green rhinestone eyes; 13.45 cm long, #3 Lucky Curve nib, VV clip with 1907 patent date, no Parker imprints on overlay or hard rubber -- very similar to a Heath-marked snake sold by us some ten years ago (Heath made high-end overlays for Parker, Waterman, Conklin, Moore, and others; many Parker overlay pen designs are seen from time to time in unmarked versions bearing Heath nibs).

DATE: c. 1908 • CONDITION: fine • NIB: fine flex • Full details on request


7106: Parker 25 Jack-Knife Safety: smooth black hard rubber turban-top, 11.3 cm long, very hard to find in larger sizes; clean and somewhat toothy Lucky Curve #5 nib, intact feed, no imprints visible on side of barrel, "PAT. PENDING" cap imprint worn and partially heat-reversed, pen has been dye-reblackened.

DATE: c. 1910 • CONDITION: G-VG* • NIB: fine flex • $950 ORDER

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6218: Parker Jack-Knife Safety: rare baby Bakelite-barreled ringtop eyedropper-filler, black hard rubber, 7.75 cm long, gold filled trim; good barrel transparency, cap imprint light but legible, tight stable hairline in cap lip (see detail), Lucky Curve feed intact, #2 Lucky Curve nib has longitudinal hairline from base up to "C" in imprint.

DATE: c. 1913 • CONDITION: VG* • NIB: medium fine flex • $625 ORDER

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6184: Parker Black Giant: iconic smooth black hard rubber oversize screw-cap eyedropper-filler, 15.5 cm long, nickel plated clip, intact Lucky Curve feed, giant #12 nib; moderate, even fading, barrel imprint mostly legible, some toothmarks to crown; longitudinal crack in nib barely visible as hairline running from under section to "1" in imprint.

DATE: c. 1918 • CONDITION: G* • NIB: extra-fine flex • $2000 ORDER

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7498: Parker Duofold Senior: red hard rubber bandless button-filler, 13.9 cm long, gold filled trim, an iconic model in outstanding condition, with crisp end milling, bold deep imprints, and but one spot of brassing atop the clip ball; note tiny scratch on cap rim (see detail); original hardened sac has not been replaced.

DATE: c. 1922 • CONDITION: near mint • NIB: medium • $2500 ORDER

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7005: Parker Duofold Senior: streamline button-filler in prototype color, copper pearl; 13 cm long, gold filled trim, full USA imprint; plating wear apparent only on lower cap band and on clip, excellent color and extremely rare.

DATE: c. 1932 • CONDITION: fine • NIB: fine • $2850 ORDER

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7322: Parker Vacuum Filler set: rare uncatalogued full-size model in red pearl laminate with extra-wide stripes in translucent blue; pen is 12.8 cm long, matching cone-actuated pencil (even harder to find), 12.55 cm; both bear good strong imprints, along with pantographed names -- commonly found on these pens, for some reason, along with flaking plating on the clips. The two-way turnup nib is two-tone and bears the early arrow with a single-line central rib; the pen barrel is transparent (this model is also found with the barrel opaque). Pencil slightly bent, material on both pieces sound, with no sign of the deterioration typically found on the pen cap. Too rare to have been a production item, this model -- sometimes dubbed the "Ripley" Vacumatic, after the only known contemporary illustration in print in a "Ripley's Believe It or Not" cartoon -- appears to have been made as a market test, and is also known with Vacumatic imprints..

DATE: c. 1932 • CONDITION: VG • NIB: fine/extra-fine • $1650 ORDER

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7805: Parker 61 prototype: black capillary-filler, 13 cm long, stainless steel cap, gold filled trim, differing in several key respects from the full production version introduced in 1956: "61" logo pierced into gold undernib shield and barrel-end vent; integral barrel and hood construction; unique cap design, completely different from any production 61 cap; lightly used (these pens were distributed in limited numbers to Parker employees for preproduction testing), interior details shown in US patent 2,773,479, applied for March 1, 1952.

DATE: c. 1953 • CONDITION: exc-near mint • NIB: extra-fine • $1200 ORDER

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6523: Unger Brothers dip pen: sterling silver Art Nouveau sea serpent design in high relief, 16.7 cm long, excluding nib; highly desirable model from a premier American maker, well marked and with only the usual minor dings and marks on the ferrule; listed as #7743 in Unger Brothers' catalog of 1904.

DATE: c. 1905 • CONDITION: VG • $1800 ORDER

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6520: Waterman Remex Self-Filler No. 101: one of Waterman's earliest self-fillers, and so rare that most advanced collectors have never seen a complete example; construction is all-aluminum, with a hard rubber press-fit section assembly, sleeve rotates rather than slides to expose filler bar; this example is new old stock, and the hardened sac is preserved with the pressure bar laced in place exactly according to the William Ferris patent 799,897 of 1905 (Ferris' patent 950,817 of 1910 is the one covering the usual Waterman sleeve-filler design); 14 cm long, superficial shop wear, "PAT. APPL'D FOR" imprint.

DATE: c. 1905 • CONDITION: near mint • NIB: fine flex • $1650 ORDER

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7265: Waterman 214 Golfer: black hard rubber half-overlay eyedropper-filler, 13.2 cm long, sterling silver barrel sleeve with golfer in relief; a catalogued item, but exceedingly rare. This example is in outstanding condition, with crisp bold imprints, glossy and unfaded hard rubber, and the silver without any dings or mars -- we have never seen better.

DATE: c. 1908 • CONDITION: near mint • NIB: fine flex • Full details on request


7310: Waterman 212: black hard rubber half-overlay eyedropper-filler with acid-etched .999 fine silver barrel; 13.7 cm long, sterling silver clip, fully marked on both barrel end and overlay, #2 New York nib, patent marks on spoon feed, fancy "C" engraved on indicia; etched Waterman overlays are rare -- this is the first example we have offered in over ten years.

DATE: c. 1908 • CONDITION: fine • NIB: fine flex • $2875 ORDER

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6130: Waterman 14: black hard rubber eyedropper-filler with fluted gold filled overlay and bloodstone cap top seal; 13.3 cm long, a scarce but fully catalogued factory model for the northern European market; French hallmarks, no dings, but one small test mark on the seal bezel, imprints on posting end worn but mostly legible; toothy #4 New York nib, spoon feed with patent date imprints.

DATE: c. 1908 • CONDITION: VG-fine • NIB: extra-fine flex • $1650 ORDER

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5971: Waterman 458: giant black hard rubber lever-filler, 15.4 cm long, sterling silver "Filigree" overlay, big #8 Waterman nib, initials "J. F. G." lightly engraved in indicia; condition overall is outstanding, surely one of the best specimens of its kind extant, and the first in any condition to reach the market in a number of years.

DATE: c. 1925 • CONDITION: near mint • NIB: medium stub flex • Full details on request


5970: Waterman 220: giant black hard rubber eyedropper-filler, 16.3 cm long, sterling silver "Filigree" half-overlay; only such pen known, clearly correct and factory-made, though quite late production.

DATE: c. 1930 • CONDITION: exc • NIB: extra-fine flex • Full details on request


3159: Waterman combination: rare uncatalogued model, black and pearl lever-filler, 14.6 cm long, chrome plated trim; some tool or tooth marks on end of barrel, plating rough on pencil cone, trim otherwise bright and clean; strong imprint (not always present on Waterman combos), threads on pencil end another unusual feature, as is the #4 nib (nearly all Waterman combos are #2 size).

DATE: c. 1930 • CONDITION: VG-fine • NIB: fine semiflex • $975 ORDER

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4696: Waterman 52 combination: rare hard rubber lever-filler with 9K solid gold factory overlay incorporating a retracting propelling pencil in the end of the barrel; 13.7 cm long, barrel end twists to extend Mordan-mechanism pencil (uses VS lead); full London hallmarks, crisp fine barleycorn finish, only minor marks to metal, initials "S.J.M." on indicia, #2 Canada nib, cap thread engagement short but solid.

DATE: c. 1939 • CONDITION: fine-exc • NIB: medium flex • $2950 ORDER

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5106: unmarked novelty pencil: high quality silver ringtop in the form of a robed Japanese figure carrying a sword and a fan; 6.8 cm long extended, nozzle retracts when top part is twisted; solidly made, even wear, no damage, uses VS 1.5 mm lead.

DATE: c. 1885 • CONDITION: G • SOLD

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Prices & availability current as of 9 May 2008 Mailing address: PO Box 41452
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