Pilot · 1992–present · Cartridge and converter
14K size 5 nib, cartridge or converter
Pilot named the Custom 74 for its 74th year in business, and it went on sale in 1992, 74 years after Ryosuke Namiki founded the company in Tokyo. Pilot calls it the most basic pen in its Custom range. It carries a 14K gold nib in Pilot's size 5, tuned firm because the pen was designed with writing Japanese in mind. If you want a little give, look for the soft grades, marked SF, SFM and SM, which Pilot sells alongside the usual extra-fine to broad. It fills from Pilot's own cartridges or a converter, and new pens come with the CON-70, a push-button converter that holds far more than the little CON-40. Most current colors are translucent, like smoke, clear and blue, so you can see the ink inside. It's a modern pen, so a used one should look and write close to new. It suits someone who wants a gold nib on a pen they'll actually carry every day.
A Custom 74 is a modern pen and usually arrives in good shape. The parts that go missing or get damaged are the CON-70 converter, which new pens include, and the nib, which a drop can knock out of line.
Buying guide
Most of the 26 Custom 74s for sale ship from Japan, and most ask $140–210 delivered, with $20–36 of shipping on many. Our pick is a black pen with an EF nib and a converter at $150 delivered from a US seller, and the cheapest is a broad nib at $128 from Japan. Ask which nib grade you're getting, since the soft SF, SFM and SM grades give a little and the rest are firm, and look for the CON-70 converter new pens come with. Skip tokyosunrise's pens at $339–393 delivered, which ask well over the band with no reason given.
$127.99est. delivered
The lowest delivered Custom 74 at $128, with a broad 14K nib. The title doesn't mention a converter, so ask, or plan to buy a CON-70.
Pilot Custom 74 Fountain Pen 14K No 5 Broad B Gold
$149.99delivered
An EF pen with a converter at $150 delivered from a US seller, so there's no long wait on shipping from Japan. Ask which converter it is, since new pens come with the CON-70.
Vintage Pilot Custom 74 Fountain Pen 14K EF Nib w/Converter Black V0908
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 5, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Snapshot
Checked . Some may have sold.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 5, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Used$127.99est. delivered
$98.14 + $29.85 shipping
Buy It Now$98.14
Good buy
Broad 14K nib. No converter mentioned. Ships from Japan.
Seller: riversideworks_japan
98.4% positive
Used$149.99delivered
$149.99 · free shipping
Buy It Now$149.99
Good buy
EF nib with a converter. Ships free from the US.
Seller: chestnut_head
100% positive
Used$129.99delivered
$129.99 · free shipping
Buy It Now$129.99
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Rotary Club imprint, which lowers value. Boxed, F nib, ships free.
Seller: mosaicaworks
100% positive
Used$166.00est. delivered
$139.00 + $27.00 shipping
Buy It Now$139.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Titled cleaned, with the CON-70 converter. Broad nib.
Seller: eggjapan
100% positive
Used$181.99est. delivered
$151.99 + $30.00 shipping
Buy It Now$151.99
Our take
Dark green, medium 14K nib. Ships from Japan.
Seller: takayama_pen_japan2026
100% positive
Used$217.45est. delivered
$189.45 + $28.00 shipping
Buy It Now$189.45
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Music nib, titled tested, with a converter. Just over the band.
Seller: vintage_kokemus_japan
100% positive
Used$148.99delivered
$148.99 · free shipping
Buy It Now$148.99
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Check the seller
Seller has zero feedback. No nib grade given.
Seller: ryni_5416
No feedback yet
Used$392.50est. delivered
$357.51 + $34.99 shipping
Buy It Now$357.51
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Priced high
About $180 over the band, with no reason given.
Seller: tokyosunrise
100% positive
Prices change daily. The live eBay search shows everything listed now, including anything new since Oct 5, 2026.
See every listing on eBay ↗eBay searchA pen that’s sat in a drawer for decades wants a flush before it sees ink. A bulb syringe, pen flush and a bottle of well-behaved ink cover most of it. This searches Amazon for the usual kit.
Search pen care kits ↗Amazon search
Parker · 1964–1994
Cartridge and converterSterling silver crosshatch, 1964 to 1994
Post-war golden age
$140–$210 typical ask
Parker · 1964–2007
Cartridge and converterBrushed stainless steel, from 1964
Post-war golden age
$55–$90 typical ask
Montblanc · 1980s–early 2000s
Cartridge and converterSlim cartridge pen
Modern
$270–$380 typical ask
Sheaffer · 1976–1998
Cartridge and converterMatte black, gold-plated trim, Classic size
Modern
$110–$200 typical ask
Pilot · 1963–present
Cartridge and converterClick-action Capless, from 1964
Post-war golden age
$150–$230 typical ask
Pilot · 1971–1980
Cartridge and converterModel M-350SS, integral steel nib
Modern
$230–$360 typical ask