L. Esterbrook - Current Stock

Esterbrook began in the 19th century making dip pens, by the 1930's they developed the lever filling Dollar Pen which sold by the million. The J series was introduced around 1943 and was an immediate success. Despite being a relatively inexpensive pen, it was incredibly well made. The use of thicker walled plastics prevented any distortion and the use of stainless steel for the trim ensured that the pens lasted for years. The nibs were made from high quality stainless steel and Esterbrook took the innovative step of making every nib fit every pen by using a standard threaded mounting system. It is rare to find a distorted or corroded Esterbrook even 80 years after they first appeared and this is a great testament to the company and the fabulous work of its designers. There were three main variants of the J series; the standard J, the LJ, same length as the J but narrower and the SJ, same diameter as the LJ but shorter.

In a later collaboration with Conway Stewart, Esterbrook also produced Relief pens which are now extremely desirable. The modern Esterbrook pens are very nice but don't have the character of the vintage models.