15836: A. A. Waterman (?) eyedropper-filler: black hard rubber slip-cap with full Art Nouveau fine silver filigree overlay, 13.1 cm long, marked only "30" at the end of the barrel and "STERLING" on the overlay, narrow feed of distinctive inner construction, all suggesting A. A. Waterman manufacture. Initials scratched onto barrel cartouche, pitting at top of cap surely from original manufacturing method of electrodeposition. Nib has a hairline below imprint, but a good writer, boldly calligraphic.
DATE: c. 1903 • CONDITION: VG* • NIB: broad italic flex • $375
14991: Boston eyedropper-filler: black hard rubber ringtop, smooth sterling silver overlay, 10 cm long, marked only "STERLING" on cap and barrel; factory italic #2 Boston Safety nib is notably calligraphic. Fine overall appearance, bumps to end of barrel (see detail).
DATE: c. 1915 • CONDITION: VG-fine • NIB: medium italic semiflex • $265
16525: Camel button-filler: red pearl marble, 13.35 cm long, gold filled trim, distinctive proportions and cool drinking camels logo imprint on barrel and nib. Later production without ink pellet feature, overall appearance excellent, noting tiny stress line on side of clip (stable, see detail) and marks to top of nib. Outstanding writer, effortlessly calligraphic.
DATE: c. 1939 • CONDITION: fine* • NIB: extra-fine stub flex • $365
12754: Carey eyedropper-filler in box: black hard rubber straight-cap, gold filled chased pattern overlay, 13.5 cm long, nearly identical to a contemporary Aikin Lambert, narrow feed, #2 Carey nib has been retipped, is extremely soft and should be used with a light touch; "Cecilia" engraved on barrel cartouche, cap crown disk bumped askew from dings to cap top bead (see detail); fancy box is clean with full Carey markings on the interior.
DATE: c. 1910 • CONDITION: VG-fine • NIB: fine stub flex • $895
12957: Century eyedropper-filler: black chased hard rubber taper-cap, 15 cm long, over and under feed, imprint with 1893 patent date. Moderate even fading, imprints and chasing are sharp except where heat-softened towards front of barrel, nib is usable as is but has lost its tipping. An early pen of excellent quality, from a company closely tied to Parker.
DATE: c. 1898 • CONDITION: VG-fine* • NIB: fine stub flex • $250
16036: Chilton Wing-flow: burgundy pneumatic-filler, 12.85 cm long, gold filled trim, initials "CEB" inlaid in barrel; filler knob imprints bold, some scratches to very end, Wing-flow nib has been retipped to a wonderfully calligraphic rounded italic, sharp-edged yet smooth.
DATE: c. 1938 • CONDITION: fine-exc • NIB: medium italc flex • $685
16047: Crocker Ink-Tite 22: black chased hard rubber end-lever-filler, 13.8 cm long, gold filled trim, clear imprints, slight even fading and wear, original price band on cap, #2 Crocker nib is a very broad factory italic.
DATE: c. 1918 • CONDITION: exc • NIB: extra-broad italic semiflex • $295
15540: De La Rue Onoto set in box: fully covered gold filled lever-filler, 12.3 cm long, matching twist-action pencil uses 1.1 mm lead. Notably calligraphic nib.
DATE: c. 1937 • CONDITION: fine-exc • NIB: medium stub flex • $485
16410: De La Rue Onoto Magna: oversize silver web plunger-filler, 13.6 cm long, gold filled trim with solid 9K gold cap band with London hallmarks for 1946/7. Fine barrel transparency, two-tone #7 nib is a smooth wet writer, all seals replaced.
DATE: c. 1946 • CONDITION: fine • NIB: medium oblique stub • $1200
11132: Mabie Todd Swan: hard rubber straight-cap eyedropper-filler with extremely rare Fleur-de-lys pattern gold filled high relief overlay; 13.5 cm long, full Mabie Todd & Bard imprint on barrel with 1880s patent dates, classic over and under feed with twisted silver wire "tail". Initial on cap, name on barrel, only a handful of examples of this design are currently known, with a silver specimen selling for over $11,000 on eBay in November 2013.
DATE: c. 1905 • CONDITION: VG-fine • NIB: medium stub flex • $4500
13813: Mabie Todd Swan Military Safety: uncommon screw-cap black chased hard rubber ink-tablet eyedropper-filler, 14.5 cm long, nickel plated trim, New York production but bearing retail imprint on cap top of Mark Cross of London; even fading, imprints legible, marked "PAT. APPL'D FOR", typical flakes off very end of ink compartment knob (see detail).
DATE: c. 1918 • CONDITION: VG-fine • NIB: medium broad stub flex • $495
16068: Mabie Todd Swan set in box: black hard rubber lever-filler, full 14K gold filled overlay in bold Machine Age Deco style, 12.9 cm long, matching pencil uses 1.1 mm lead. Late New York City production, top quality, seldom seen.
DATE: c. 1938 • CONDITION: exc-near mint • NIB: fine stub semiflex • $850
13632: Montegrappa The Elmo Pen: early production black hard rubber safety, 12.75 cm long, smooth gold filled overlay, #2 Elmo nib, Moore-style one-piece shaft and feed; cap has engraved monogram, dings to crown, cap lip has been replaced. Nib has a crack from the vent hole, usable with a light hand. The Elmo Pen was one of Montegrappa's very first models, and an overlay example is unheard of.
DATE: c. 1922 • CONDITION: VG-fine* • NIB: fine stub flex • $650
13425: Moore Non-Leakable: black hard rubber retracting-nib safety with smooth gold filled overlay, 12.1 cm long, Moore #2 nib; one shallow ding and some pinprick marks to the cap, small patch of corrosion at front of barrel overlay (see details), safety post inside cap is absent.
DATE: c. 1920 • CONDITION: VG-fine • NIB: fine stub flex • $650
13552: Parker 018: rare black hard rubber "Jointless" eyedropper-filler, 13.9 cm long, spearhead Lucky Curve feed, barrel imprint heavily worn, no visible cap imprint, hairline from vent hole of teardrop-vent Lucky Curve nib should be repaired if pen is to be used extensively, otherwise usable as is.
DATE: c. 1905 • CONDITION: G* • NIB: medium fine stub flex • $250
15406: Parker Duofold Senior: red hard rubber bandless button-filler, 14 cm long, gold filled trim, an iconic model in excellent condition with strong large imprint, milling on ends sharp with minor marks, and but one spot of brassing atop the clip ball. Tipping is scant but present, nib writes a handsomely shaded line. Name and fraternity letters stippled very lightly on barrel opposite imprint -- so lightly that we only noticed it during closeup photography. "6" imprinted on end of blind cap.
DATE: c. 1922 • CONDITION: exc • NIB: fine stub semiflex • $1400
16366: Parker Duofold Junior: red hard rubber button-filler, 11.6 cm long, gold filled trim, large imprint, intact Lucky Curve feed, end milling clean, notable sharp-cut calligraphic nib; scattered superficial digs to barrel threads do not affect function (see details).
DATE: c. 1924 • CONDITION: fine* • NIB: broad italic semiflex • $325
15709: Parker button-filler: black chased hard rubber "Black Line" ringtop, 12 cm long, gold filled trim, crisp imprints and chasing, ends with sharp milling, Lucky Curve #3 nib has a rounded oblique nib, a wet writer that needs to be canted correctly for best results.
DATE: c. 1928/1937 • CONDITION: near mint • NIB: medium broad oblique semiflex • $200
15707: Parker Duofold Juniorette Deluxe: black streamline button-filler, 11.6 cm long, gold filled trim, late production with 4th quarter date, clip without patent date, notable factory italic nib.
DATE: 1939 • CONDITION: exc • NIB: broad italic • $265
16465: Parker Victory: dark blue button-filler, 13.3 cm long, gold filled trim, made in England, Christian Olsen anchor Danish import mark below main imprint; smooth wet Newhaven-made nib has a hairline from the vent hole which should be stable, as the nib is more firm than flexible and its gold is quite thick.
DATE: c. 1946 • CONDITION: fine* • NIB: medium stub • $225
16069: Parker 51 Demi set: dark blue Vac-filler, 12.25 cm long, 1/10 14K gold filled cap in fine parallel lines pattern, gold filled plain arrow clip, strong barrel imprint with 2nd quarter date code, matching twist-action pencil uses .9 mm lead. Tiny stress mark on side of hood opening barely noticeable, does not affect function. A clean higher grade example of an uncommon 51 variant (Vac-filling Demis were produced for a much shorter time than their Aerometric successors, and are differently proportioned: shorter, but full-sized in girth).
DATE: 1948 • CONDITION: exc* • NIB: fine oblique • $265
16441: Parker VS: blue button-filler, 13.8 cm long, transparent feed, French-hallmarked 18K nib, stainless steel cap with distinctively French clip. The material is not the usual opaque blue of USA production, but a beautiful variegated blue-on-blue. No barrel imprints, light scratching next to clutch ring. It has been suggested that the barrel material may be colored Bakelite, which was widely used by the French pen industry.
DATE: c. 1949 • CONDITION: near mint • NIB: broad italic • $600
16402: Parker Duofold International: blue pearl marble, 13.1 cm long, gold plated trim, scarce and desirable #79 broad oblique 18K two-tone nib, not easy for right-handers to use. Made in UK, uses cartridge or convertor pen (slide convertor included), cap imprint weak but "IN" date code clearly visible, monogram "CW" on crown.
DATE: 1989 • CONDITION: exc • NIB: extra-broad italic oblique • $395
15736: Salz lever-filler: red chased hard rubber oversize flat-top with purple casein ends, 14.2 cm long, gold filled trim, generously sized Salz-imprinted nib has barely any tipping but is still a fine writer. Overall appearance is fine, but cap has tight hairline cracks at mouth and top (along with a scrape mark) none of which affects the pen's usability (see details).
DATE: c. 1925 • CONDITION: G* • NIB: fine stub semiflex • $165
16379: Seth Crocker pneumatic-filler: black, 12.1 cm long, gold filled trim, imprint on cap, hole-less end knob with inner valve, warranted nib; scarce and desirable Chilton family offshoot, most of these were made for sale at various large department stores and are marked accordingly; these pens came with warranted nibs, this one is notably calligraphic, noting the beginnings of a stress crack from the vent hole (see detail).
DATE: c. 1936 • CONDITION: fine-exc* • NIB: fine stub flex • $350
15230: Wahl Signature: smooth red hard rubber lever-filler, 13.95 cm long, gold filled trim, roller clip, notable Signature nib; no brassing, no sign of ever having been filled, some handling marks and what appears to be a manufacturing defect in the form of a tiny nick to the end of the barrel (see detail). An uncommon model, and especially rare in red hard rubber.
DATE: c. 1925 • CONDITION: exc-near mint • NIB: medium fine stub flex • $625
16506: Wahl Signature: chased red hard rubber ringtop lever-filler, 11.3 cm long, gold filled trim, Signature nib; cap lip has been replaced using original material (repair invisible from exterior).
DATE: c. 1927 • CONDITION: fine* • NIB: medium stub flex • $200
14043: Waterman 414: early black hard rubber eyedropper-filler with .999 fine silver filigree Art Nouveau overlay; 13.1 cm long, #4 nib is a notable writer, early imprint, stable base crack; imprints on the silver are clean and legible, hard rubber has been professionally chemically reblackened. #4-size fine silver overlays are much less common than #2-size.
DATE: c. 1903 • CONDITION: VG* • NIB: medium stub • $875
15906: Waterman 12 PSF: extremely early clipless black chased hard rubber lever-filler, 13.55 cm long, nickel plated trim, a rare example of one of the very first Waterman lever-fillers with a number of distinctive features, including the oval recess for the lever end, a sprung pressure bar assembled with a rivet and with a barrel-shaped anchor end, and a lever box stop consisting of a bent-over tab (discussed in this article). Lever-fillers marked "PSF" were made only from 1915 to mid-1917; of these, only a small number had sprung pressure bars and raised barrel threads; and of these, only a tiny fraction belong to the very first series with the features noted above, making them at least as rare as Waterman coin-fillers. Hard rubber is crisp and glossy with bold imprints and chasing, near mint but for repaired cracks in cap lip (see details).
DATE: 1915 • CONDITION: fine-exc* • NIB: medium fine stub semiflex • $385
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, which is itself quite hard to find.
DATE: c. 1918 • CONDITION: VG • NIB: medium oblique • $1950
16610: Waterman Signagraph eyedropper-filler: black hard rubber, 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; moderate fading, shadow from Signagraph clamp.
DATE: c. 1920 • CONDITION: fine • NIB: medium stub flex • $295
16661: Waterman 20: giant black chased hard rubber slip-cap eyedropper-filler, 16.8 cm long closed, long cap with nickel plated clip, cap lip has been replaced with original material, visible only from cap interior; #10 New York nib is a massive manifold with a stublike tip, writes a smooth shaded line.
DATE: c. 1921 • CONDITION: fine* • NIB: medium fine stub firm • $2750
14935: Waterman 52½V: black hard rubber clipless vest pocket lever-filler, 11.1 cm long, seven-sided 9K solid gold London-hallmarked engine turned overlay with enamel-inlaid perpetual calendar. Initials "P.S" engraved on cap top, date letter for 1930/31. A very rare and characteristically English model in notably clean condition.
DATE: c. 1930 • CONDITION: exc • NIB: broad oblique • $2950
15930: Waterman Skywriter in box: black celluloid lever-filler, 12.75 cm long, nickel plated trim, Canadian-made subbrand model by Waterman's subsidiary Alco (Aikin Lambert Co.). Wartime pen, great nib but cap bands irregularly crimped, slight swelling of barrel over lever pivot. From the Hopkins collection, dispersed at Bonhams some thirty years ago. Hopkins was a British Army officer, meticulous about recording the circumstances of each purchase, retaining and annotating receipts, instructions, and boxes to an almost obsessive degree.
DATE: c. 1943 • CONDITION: fine-exc* • NIB: fine stub flex • $175
15025: Weidlich Star: black chased hard rubber ringtop lever-filler, 11 cm long, gold filled ringtop fitting may be an old addition, as lever is nickel; some fading including the shadow of a slip-on clip on the cap, chasing and imprints good, high quality Weidlich #2 nib writes a nicely shaded line.
DATE: c. 1926 • CONDITION: fine • NIB: fine stub semiflex • $120
