ABOUT THIS PEN:

Made in the 1920s or 1930s by one of the major pen companies (probably Esterbrook of New Jersey), these stub nibs were branded and sold by the Lockwood-Hazel Co. of Atchison, Kansas, a regional office-supply distributor with a very long history in the Midwest. Successor businesses of the Lockwood-Hazel Co. still operated in Kansas until the closure of its last print shop in 2019.

The pen itself is great: it's a firm stub with a medium point that can write on standard lined paper or make larger, bolder lettering. It's also a very nice drawing tool, with the ability to change line width with a change of direction. The moon-shaped vent hole provides good inkflow to the hand-ground, slightly flexible tip.

ABOUT OUR VINTAGE PENS:

Since 2016, we've collected, chronicled, and re-sold vintage dip pen nibs from the turn of the 20th century. Back in our second year in business, a regular customer paid in trade (no, we don't allow that anymore) with an old box of Esterbrook Blackstones, and we've been selling vintage pens ever since.

Each one of our vintage pen nibs is individually inspected here in our St. Louis office, packaged in a glassine envelope, and shipped carefully in the same box as your modern art supplies.

Please note, each nib is sold individually and without a dip pen holder. The pen holder is sold separately because the nibs eventually get worn out and replaced. It's not like a fountain pen, where the nib and handle usually have the same lifespan.

VINTAGE DIP PEN BASICS:

All dip pens, for more than a century, are finished with a thin coating to prevent rust. You need to remove this 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.