Compagnie Française Sergent Major #500 Pen Nib (Vintage)

Perhaps the most famous dip pen in the world—and certainly the best-known in Europe—the Sergent-Major was the standard tool of French students between 1890 and 1970. Over that period, the pen's design and manufacture changed numerous times, and this version is among the earliest and best.

Made around 1920, this Sergent-Major #500 bears the stamp of its original manufacturer: Cie. Française (long version: "Compagnie Française de Plumes, Porte-Plumes et Crayons") of Boulougne-sur-Mer. Look closely and you will see that the tip is hand-ground in three different steps, offering a superb balance between flexibility and control.

Each of these century-old pens has been individually inspected and packaged at our St. Louis office, and because of their age they have also been dry-cleaned with a soft cloth. That results in the shiny, like-new nibs you see in our product photos. With pens of this age, we discard about half of each sealed box due to rust or other defects—only the perfect ones make it to your studio.

The standard-diameter base fits almost all pen holders (including all the styles of European and Japanese holders we tested it with.)

Sold individually. Appearance will vary slightly since this is a 100-year-old vintage item. Minor differences in hand-grinding and finish are to be expected, along with harmless surface tarnish in small areas.