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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...

The Parker Lady pens usually are very good writers, I suppose a solid Gold Parker nib is the main reason.  As only a very small part of the nib is visible I thought I'd post a picture of a Lady during restoration, someone may be interested to see the small but beautiful No. 4. nib.

The Jewel pen company is one of Britain's oldest, it was founded in 1884 as agents for American made pens.  By the early 1900s the company was producing its own pens. This Jewel 46 was only made between 1943 and 1945 and, judging from the scarcity of the pen, it did not sell in great numbers. It's s very handsome, well made pen in a blue marbled pattern with Gold filled trim.  In terms of quality it is as good as any pen from the period, and better than most. The nib is Jewel's own brand, they called it a...