Some other pens with unusual mechanisms:
A.A. Waterman (twist-fillers, middle-joint eyedroppers), Chilton (pneumatic-fillers), Conklin
(crescent-fillers), and John Holland (hatchet & pull-fillers)
4307: American Pencil Co. No. 19 giant dip pen: oversize display piece, 30 cm long; brass plated ferrule, wooden taper w swirled paint decoration (some minor flaking -- see picture); matching "MIDGET" steel nib.
DATE: c.
1900 • CONDITION: VG • NIB: fine semiflex • $150 
7150: Bolles Standard: smooth black hard rubber screw-cap patent self-filler, 14.8 cm long, made in Toledo, Ohio; correct #2 Standard nib missing iridium on one side. Rare and historically significant in preserving its original squeeze-bulb sac petrified but intact, the sac appearing to incorporate internal metal pressure bars on either side, as specified in William Bolles' patent 737,697 of 1903. Note that barrel unscrews with reverse (left-hand) threads.
DATE: c. 1912 • CONDITION: fine-exc* • $295
9523: Cattaraugus knife pencil: black celluloid body, chrome plated trim, 13.5 cm long, uses 1.1 mm lead; one cutting blade and one nail file, good snap to both, barrel imprinted lightly "H. D. WHITE &. CO./PEANUTS"; well-used but mechanically sound, a couple of hairlines at either end of the metal frame that holds the blades. Though very rare, Waterman did make a few knife pencils of this sort, using Cattaraugus components along with their own clips and pencil mechanisms.
DATE: c. 1935 • CONDITION: G* • $95
7615: Caw's safety: rare early pen, black chased hard rubber, 11.1 cm long, barrel bands marked "DOUBLÉ/18K", crisp imprint, lists patent dates from 1895 to 1904; pristine surfaces, original seal has not been replaced and is not ink-tight, replacement Parker nib.
DATE: c. 1905 • CONDITION: exc* • NIB:
fine • $585
6864: Conklin demonstrator: rare black chased hard rubber cutaway #20 crescent-filler, 13.6 cm long, gold filled trim, crisp and glossy, hole for clip on back of cap, but appears never to have been installed (ditto for the nib and feed, as is typical for this sort of demonstrator pen); original hardened sac has been left intact.
DATE: c. 1924 • CONDITION: exc-near mint • $500
7659: Cross stylographic pen: black chased hard rubber eyedropper-filler, 11.9 cm long, thick model with unusual chased cap; crisp and glossy, bold section imprint without patent date, has been converted to a scribing tool -- probably as a means to recycle unused but obsolete old stock (not usable as a pen).
DATE: c. 1885
• CONDITION: mint* • $125
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
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
8367: Eagle combination: black hard rubber eyedropper-filler, 15.5 cm long, pencil end uses standard 2mm drafting lead; introduced no later than 1913, this appears to have been the first mass-produced pen-pencil combo; some plating roughness to the Eagle slip-on nickel plated clip, but the hard rubber is crisp and glossy, with clean imprints including the "PAT. AUG.6.1901" on the cap, referring to US patent 680,117 (threaded cap with inner cap); pencil mechanism has been repaired and is now stronger than new.
DATE: c. 1915 •
CONDITION: fine-exc • NIB: extra-fine semiflex • $385
5563: Eagle novelty pencil: giant "Zep" 263, red lead, picture of zeppelin in silver on side; 23.4 cm long including brass end loop.
DATE: c. 1930 • CONDITION: VG-fine • $80
6273: Eagle (?) Pepsi-Cola advertising pen: colorful lever-filler, 12.1 cm long, gold plated trim, wear to metal clip in form of Pepsi bottle, but still one of the better specimens we've had; section with ink window, slight gaping around level opening (see detail).
DATE: c. 1939 • CONDITION: fine • NIB: fine
• $225
9705: Eversharp Bantam set: red pearl miniature bulb-filler, 9.7 cm long, gold plated trim, plated #0 nib, matching 1.1 mm pencil; very lightly used, pen retains its original crimped-on rubber bulb -- very uncommon. Pen not usable as is, since the bulb is partially hardened.
DATE: c. 1933 • CONDITION: near mint
• NIB: extra-fine • $160
9526: Gorham (?) penknife-pencil compendium: hand-hammered sterling silver, 5.2 cm long closed, excellent quality, sideways-folding knife blade intact, with slight bend at tip, good snap, silver toothpick also intact, pencil mechanism in good working order, uses .9 mm lead; maker's mark on side quite worn, appears to begin with a "G".
DATE: c. 1900 • CONDITION: fine • $300
7054: Hicks combination pencil lighter: sterling silver, 13.4 cm long, uses 2.5 mm lead, lighter insert marked "Realite", with patent information, pencil fully marked with Hicks logo and name of New York jewelers Udall and Ballou; initials on indicia and scattered dings, overall appearance still handsome, size and weight impressive.
DATE: c. 1930 • CONDITION: VG • $125
8796: Indian combination: brightly colored lever-filler, 13.9 cm long, nickel plated trim, cap and barrel celluloid patterned in imitation of Native American weavings of the Southwest; not an expensively-made pen, possibly marketed as a souvenir item, plated nib is a new old stock replacement.
DATE: c. 1935 • CONDITION: G
• NIB: fine • $165
9699: Ingersoll twist-filler: oversize flat-top, 14.2 cm long, gold filled trim, an unusually fine pen for a company best known for economy models -- the same company behind the one-dollar pocket watch. Knob under blind cap is twisted to empty out sac, released to allow sac to fill. Nib is small but solid 14K gold, and a good writer; cap band is slightly loose, while cap threads are tight.
DATE: c. 1927 • CONDITION:
fine* • NIB: extra-fine semiflex • $175
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
9571: Mabie Todd Swan Military Safety: rare screw-cap black chased hard rubber ink-tablet eyedropper-filler, 14.4 cm long, gold filled trim; New York production, imprints and chasing strong, especially so on the cap, usual nicks to the very edge of the pellet compartment end knob (see detail), unusual wide gold filled cap band with presentation inscription, "Pauline Trieb,/from Russell."; a few small scratches towards the tip of the nib, light even fading to the hard rubber, overall condition very clean, with no brassing to the clip.
DATE: c. 1918 • CONDITION: fine • NIB: extra-fine semiflex • $450
7665: Mabie Todd Longshort Stylo: black chased hard rubber vest-pocket eyedropper-filler, 7.75 cm closed, 11.6 cm open; gold spring-loaded needle intact, imprints and chasing strong; made in England.
DATE: c. 1920 •
CONDITION: fine-exc • NIB: medium fine • $150
9064: Mabie Todd Swan Self-Filling: rare and unusual black celluloid clipless lever-filler in the form of a turn of the century desk pen, 15.6 cm long, gold filled trim, imprinted "POSTING" next to the lever. A small number of similar pens were made by Mabie Todd earlier as hard rubber screw-cap eyedropper-fillers for a Pittsburgh stationer as a special order. This pen is also New York production and also not catalogued -- and at least as uncommon as the Pittsburgh pens. Like new condition, with minor shop wear.
DATE:
c. 1932 • CONDITION: exc-near mint • NIB: extra-fine rigid • $525
9063: Mabie Todd Swan Self-Filling: rare and unusual black celluloid lever-filler in the form of a turn of the century desk pen, 15.3 cm long, gold filled trim. A small number of similar pens were made by Mabie Todd earlier as hard rubber screw-cap eyedropper-fillers for a Pittsburgh stationer as a special order. This pen is also New York production and also not catalogued -- and at least as uncommon as the Pittsburgh pens..
DATE: c. 1932 • CONDITION: fine-exc • NIB: extra-fine rigid • $500
6000: Mabie Todd Swallow combination in box: black-veined red and amber pearl bulb-filler, 15 cm long, gold filled trim; late New York production, very flexible Mabie Todd New York nib, uses 1.1 mm lead, pencil mechanism propels and retracts; no brassing, barrel transparency like new, upper cap band shows crimp marks (from original manufacture); original petrified filler bulb has been left in place, to date we have only heard of one other bulb-filling Mabie Todd combo in collectors' hands.
DATE: c. 1932 •
CONDITION: near mint • NIB: fine flex • $650
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
8177: Parker 20: doubly unusual black hard rubber slip-cap button-filler with rare "disappearing" clip; 13.9 cm long, sound condition with all imprints legible, steel clip with 1907 patent date, #2 Lucky Curve nib might be a few years later than the pen, lively line but limited width variation.
DATE: c. 1913 • CONDITION: VG
• NIB: extra-fine flex • $685
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
8370: Parker Jotter saccharine dispenser: hard to find pocketable sweetener carrier, 11.4 cm long, transparent barrel, brushed steel cap, chrome 45-style clip; new old stock, minimal shop wear.
DATE: c. 1965 •
CONDITION: exc-near mint • $85
6800: Reynolds Rocket ballpoint: unusual two-color model, 13.7 cm long, sliding aluminum tip cover, reversible red-anodized insert; some tool marks to insert end, both cartridges present but nonfunctional.
DATE: c. 1946
• CONDITION: VG* • $120
5511: S.M.B.(?) eyedropper-filler: unusual Japanese straight-cap miniature with end-knob ink shutoff valve; 9.1 cm long, engine-turned aluminum overlay, imprinted initials disposed radially around end knob (could be B.S.M. or M.B.S.); seals have not been replaced but have been vacuum-tested; scant but smooth iridium on 14K-marked nib.
DATE: c. 1925 • CONDITION: fine • NIB: fine flex • $145
8742: Schnell Penselpen: black and bronze pen-pencil combination, 15.2 cm long, gold filled trim, distinctive sliding "switch" filler, airplane clip; pencil end uses 1.1 mm lead, name neatly engraved on barrel; correct original nib and feed, narrow area of discoloration over lower barrel threads; a short lived and celebrated design, made by Julius Schnell, one of the most important behind-the-scene figures in early 20th-century fountain pen manufacture.
DATE: c. 1929 • CONDITION: fine-exc • NIB: medium fine
semiflex • $850
7187: Schnell Penselpen: striking red and pearl pen-pencil ringtop combination, 14 cm long, gold filled trim, distinctive sliding bar filler, pencil end uses 1.1 mm lead; correct original nib and patent feed; sac removed to preserve near-perfect color.
DATE: c. 1930 • CONDITION: exc-near mint • NIB: fine semiflex
• $800
9599: Wahl-Eversharp Monitor: a scarce Wahl syringe-filler, red pearl with gold plated trim, transparent celluloid barrel with long blind cap, untipped turn-up two-tone stainless steel nib has lost its plating, section is a Personal Point model with screw-in nib assembly. Piston seal has not been replaced and is not ink-tight.
DATE: c. 1940 • CONDITION: VG* • NIB: medium fine • $150
9581: Wahl-Eversharp Monitor: most unusual -- a Wahl syringe-filler! Black with gold plated trim, transparent celluloid barrel with long black blind cap, nib is the fancier two-tone version of the typical Monitor untipped stainless nib found on the more common lever-fillers and bulb-fillers. Lest there be any doubt of this pen's maker, the section is a Personal Point model with screw-in nib assembly. Barrel is slightly bent.
DATE:
c. 1940 • CONDITION: VG* • NIB: fine • $125
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
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
4243: Waterman pencil: black chased hard rubber with a most unusual left-handed mechanism; 13.2 cm long, gold filled trim, clip with large rivets, marked "18KT FILLED"; hard rubber chasing worn, but no brassing to metal, imprints all strong.
DATE: c. 1921 • CONDITION: fine • $300
1947: Waterman Signagraph eyedropper-filler: black hard rubber, 11.3 cm long, unique design made specifically for use in Waterman's Signagraph check-writing machine -- a pantograph-based device that enabled the user to sign multiple checks at once, or to make multiple copies of a handwritten document; no separate section, end of barrel unscrews to fill, middle-joint type construction not found in any other Waterman pen; some fading, good imprints, #4 nib.
DATE: c. 1924 •
CONDITION: G • NIB: medium-fine flex • $150
7668: Weidlich Star stylographic pen: black hard rubber screw-cap coin-filler, 12.4 cm long, imprint reads "GUARANTEED 3 YEARS", weighted needle intact.
DATE: c. 1910 • CONDITION: fine • NIB: medium fine •
$145
8097: Wirt Safety: mottled hard rubber clipless screw-cap eyedropper-filler, 12.7 cm long, unusual reciprocating ink shutoff valve actuated by a central post inside the cap (covered by US patent 978,419); Wirt ventless #2 nib with narrow gold underfeed, slightly toothy but very flexible; Wirt Safeties are uncommon, and most are found in the vest-pocket size.
DATE: c. 1908 • CONDITION: fine • NIB: fine flex •
$485
9700: unmarked middle-joint eyedropper-filler: clipless black chased hard rubber slip-cap, 13.65 cm long, no maker's name but could be A. A. Waterman or Sterling, cap marked "PAT.APPLD. FOR"; narrow feed, #3 warranted nib of fine quality, good writer with plenty of line variation; owner's name on barrel, surface slightly granular on close inspection due to chemical reblackening. For more on middle-joint eyedropper-fillers, see our Pen Profile.
DATE: c. 1905 •
CONDITION: VG • NIB: medium flex • $165
7764: unmarked doctor's pen: black chased hard rubber eyedropper-filler, 16.1 cm long, recess for thermometer at end of barrel; marked "OPPENHEIMER SON & CO. LTD." and "PALATINOIDS/THE IDEAL FORM OF MEDICATION"; Oppenheimer was a prominent London pharmaceuticals firm, whose patented "palatinoids" were a form of soluble capsule (reference here); the original thermometer is present and Oppenheimer-marked, but the bulb has been broken and the mercury drained; the warranted nib is English, and is probably somewhat later than the pen; there is also a hard-to-find 5mm crack in the barrel which has been sealed (see detail).
DATE: c. 1905 • CONDITION: fine* • NIB: fine flex • $350
7189: unmarked dummy display pen: heavy solid rubber, 13.9 cm long, looks like slip-cap eyedropper-filler but does not open.
DATE: c. 1910 • CONDITION: exc • $75
7013: unmarked double-ended marking pencil: .900 hallmarked hexagonal silver body, red and navy blue cones at either end, 16 cm long; lead size appears to be around 2.9 or 3 mm, mechanisms propel and retract; no dings or wear to the engine turning pattern, but some chips to the very edges of the silver at either end (see details).
DATE: c. 1930 • CONDITION: fine* • $205