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Most Esterbrook J series pens that are still around are the 'double jewel' version, introduced in 1948.  The first pens, however, were single jewelled pens, often known as 'transitionals' because they filled a gap between the Esterbrook Visumasters, introduced in 1941 and the J series. The early transitional pens, from 1944, had a squared off barrel end: The top picture is the later double jewelled pen.  The Transitional clip does not have the Esterbrook name: Both pens are very nearly the same size but have a very slightly different profile, the transitional pen is less tapered.  

Kenneth Parker had something of an obsession with flying.  In 1949 he produced an all metal version of the Parker 51 which he called a 'Flighter', the metal tubular shape bore a passing resemblance to an aeroplane fuselage. The name resonated with the pen buying public and all successive all steel bodied Parker pens were known as Flighters.  Strictly speaking, to be a Flighter, a pen must have been made by Parker, although it is not uncommon to see other makes referred to as such. The Parker 50 Falcon Flighter was probably the most 'plane-like' of the pens, it has...

The Sheaffer Imperial Sovereign, IMHO, as they say,  ranks among the most aesthetically appealing pens ever made.  The Gold plated 'diamond' pattern is unique, and is echoed by the 14Ct. Gold diamond nib.  The facets are sharply defined and act as individual mirrors to reflect the light at different angles.  It is very hard to hold the pen and not turn it in the hand to admire the effect.  It is a jewel of a pen.      

The design of the Parker 51 was inextricably linked with the development of a new fast drying ink that Parker had developed in the 1930s. The ink was, indeed, fast drying, and did away with the need for blotting paper but it was also strongly alkaline and contained chemicals that could damage the plastics used for the manufacture of most pens at the time.   Where most companies would have rejected the ink on those grounds, Parker saw it as a bonus in that they could make a pen from an ink resistant material and market it as the only pen that...

I'm occasionally asked about the merits of buying a vintage pen as opposed to a brand new model for around the same price, so I thought it would be worth doing a comparison. I've chosen two Parkers, a brand new Sonnet and a 1958 Duofold Senior: The Sonnet, a Matt Black version, has a RRP of £196 but is now on offer at £124.95, the Duofold Senior is on this site at £105 so the prices are similar. The appearance of a pen is obviously a very subjective thing, what is perfect for one person may be hideous to another.  The...