Your first vintage pen should be one you can fill tonight and write with tomorrow. That mostly comes down to two things you can judge from a listing, the filling system and the nib. Pick a filler that doesn't depend on a decades-old rubber part, and a nib you can see clearly in the photos, and the rest is a matter of taste. Old pens that need a specialist's attention can wait for your second or third.
Start with an easy filler
Every filler has a part that ages, but some ask far less of you than others. These three are the easiest to live with.
- Cartridge or converter. The pen takes a disposable cartridge or a refillable converter, so there's nothing built into the barrel to wear out. Parker's real innovation with the 45 of 1960, Binder says, was the converter that lets a cartridge pen use bottled ink. Check which cartridges fit, because Parker and Pilot use their own.
- Parker Aero-metric. A squeeze filler with a sac made of Pli-Glass, a PVC plastic. Parker brought it in to replace the Vacumatic pump, and it's the more forgiving of the two.
- Modern piston. Turn the knob at the end and a piston draws ink into the barrel. The usual complaint on a modern Pelikan is a stiff or weepy piston, which can mean it needs a clean and fresh grease or a new seal.
Lever and button fillers come next. Their rubber sac will need replacing if it hasn't been, but a resac is the simplest restoration there is. The Parker Vacumatic, Sheaffer's Touchdown and Snorkel, and Sheaffer's Vac-Fil plunger fillers all have more parts that age and need more skill to restore. Our guide to which filling systems fail goes through each one.
Dependable first pens
Each of these has an easy filler, turns up for sale often enough that you can wait for a good one, and writes well.
Parker 51 Aero-metric
Parker sold the 51 from 1941 to 1972, and estimates of how many were made run from 20 to 50 million, so you can be choosy about color and condition. The Aero-metric 51 has the hooded nib collectors love and the more reliable filler. Parker expected about 30 years from the Pli-Glass sac and most are well past that, so ask whether it fills and holds ink. Our Vacumatic vs Aerometric guide shows how to tell the two apart in photos.
Parker 21
The Parker 21 was Parker's cheaper pen with the 51's look, a hooded steel nib and a simplified version of the same squeeze filler. Plenty were made. Its plastic tends to crack, so look closely at the hood and the barrel threads in the photos.
Parker 45 Flighter
The 45 Flighter has a brushed stainless steel cap and barrel and takes Parker cartridges or a converter. The whole nib unit screws out, so a worn or bent nib is the easiest fault to live with. It's a tough, simple pen to carry every day.
Sheaffer Targa 1003
Binder calls the Targa arguably the best Sheaffer since the PFM and says most are superb writers. The Targa 1003 is matte black with gold-plated trim and an inlaid gold nib, and it fills from a cartridge or converter. Targas are durable, so most trouble is cosmetic, like rubbed spots in the matte finish. Many turn up without a converter, so check what's included.
Pelikan M400 and M200
Pelikan brought back its 1950s 400 in 1982 as the Souverän M400, and the green-striped barrel doubles as an ink window. It's a piston filler with a 14-carat gold nib on a unit that screws out of the section, and we think it's the best first Pelikan. The M200 is the same size and fills the same way, with a gold-plated steel nib that's known for a springy feel. It's a good test of whether the shape suits your hand.
Pilot Custom 74
The Custom 74 went on sale in 1992, so it's a used pen more than a vintage one, and it should look and write close to new. It has a firm 14K gold nib, with softer grades marked SF, SFM and SM if you want a little give. It fills from Pilot's own cartridges or a converter, and new pens come with the CON-70.
What to check on any first pen
- The filler works. Ask the seller whether the pen fills with water and holds it. A seller who says it's been restored should be able to say what was replaced.
- The nib is sound. Ask for close-ups from above, from the side and straight at the point. Our nib red flags guide explains what each view tells you.
- No cracks. Look hard at the cap lip and the barrel threads. Binder notes that posting a cap too firmly can crack its lip, and old celluloid shrinks.
- The parts belong together. Compare the cap, barrel and nib with the model's description on its page. Collectors call a pen assembled from the wrong parts a Frankenpen.
- The trim isn't worn through. Gold-filled and plated trim can wear down to the base metal underneath, which collectors call brassing. Check the clip edges, cap bands and cap lip in the photos.
- It's the right size. Some models come in look-alike sizes, like the 51 and the shorter 51 Demi. If a listing doesn't show a ruler, ask for the capped length.
What to skip the first time
- Unrestored pens with complex fillers. A Vacumatic on its original diaphragm, a Snorkel or Touchdown on old seals, or a Vac-Fil that hasn't been rebuilt will almost certainly need a restorer before it fills. They're great pens once they've had that work.
- Listings marked "as is" or "untested." Assume the filler needs work and the nib hasn't been checked.
- Flexible nibs. A flex nib asks for a light, practiced hand, and Binder warns that pushing one too far bends it for good. Learn on a firm nib first.
- 1950s celluloid Montblancs. The 146 and 144 of that decade are lovely, but their celluloid shrinks, cap-lip cracks are common, and the cork piston seal dries out. Replacing it means warming off a section that can break.
- A Montblanc 149 you can't verify. Fakes exist and mostly copy modern pens. If you want one first, ask for the underside of the nib, which should be gold all over.
Once the first pen has been in daily use for a while, you'll have a feel for hooded or open nibs, pistons or converters, and firm or soft points. That's the moment to look at the pens on this list you skipped.
