Esterbrook #774 Extra Stiff School Pen (Vintage)

This uncommon midcentury pen is the most straightforward of all dip pen designs for modern users, because it has virtually no flexibility. Manufacturers like Esterbrook were keenly aware that flexible pens required finesse and used more ink, and they made stiffer and stiffer pens that foreshadowed the mono-width writing tools to come. (Some manufacturers even called them 'pencil pens,' after the feeling of writing with one.)

We really like this particular model, Esterbrook's #774, for its smoothness, its distinctive hand-grind, and its unusually-shaped vent hole. We've seen a lot of rectangles, ovals, even figure-eight vent holes, but never one quite like this three-ring design.

Thanks to the protective coating applied to all dip pens (even new ones produced today), these pens are in excellent vintage condition. They've been checked for rust and other defects by our experts and are ready to return to service on your desk.

As with any dip pen, you will need to remove the protective coating so that ink will stick to the nib consistently. To remove the coating, simply dip your new pen in ink a couple of times and wipe it off. Repeat until the ink coats the nib completely and doesn't bead up. This process takes about 15 seconds and only needs to be done once, before you use the pen for the first time.

Sold individually. Made in the United States.

About R: Esterbrook & Co.:

Founded in 1856, R. Esterbrook & Co. was the United States' very first manufacturer of steel dip pens. Formerly, these important 19th century tools had to be imported from Europe, but Richard Esterbrook brought expertise and craftspeople from England and opened a factory in Philadelphia.

For over 100 years until the company finally went out of business in 1970, Esterbrook produced the finest steel pens in the country, with a level of quality and a range of shapes that would put contemporary nib manufacturers to shame. Whenever we're able to get our hands on a vintage batch of Esterbrook pens, we're excited to offer them to you. Supplies, of course, are limited.