Acetone - A solvent often used to melt and re-fuse cracks in pen parts.

Acrylic resin - A modern thermoplastic with great clarity and durability used to make caps and barrels for many contemporary pens.

Accounting nib - One of several names for fine nibs used by bookkeepers. Also called "posting" nibs.

Adjustable nib - A Wahl nib first introduced on Dorics and later, on the Coronet line. The nib has a slide on top that adjusts degree of tine spread and hence, flexibility and line width.

Aerometric filler - Introduced on the Parker 51 in 1949 as the Foto-fill. The barrel unscrews to reveal a sac surrounded bu a metal casing which is depressed by hand for filling. The name was quickly changed to aerometric. Similar filling systems were adopted by other manufacturers.

Ambering - One of several terms used to describe the discoloration of certain early plastic pen parts.

Arrow - Parker's logo first appeared on the clip of the Golden Arrow, which was the forerunner of the Vacumatic. The arrow was used on most subsequent Parker clips and also on nibs and other parts.

Autograph - Many Sheaffer models were made with a wide cap band, often in 14k, for owner's to engrave names. Each of these were known as autographs within their lines.

Aztec - An extremely rare and valuable Parker eyedropper filling pen with an Aztec Indian relief design.

Baby - Another name for the popular miniature pens of the early part of the century. Most manufacturers made these, some were very ornate and gold or gold-filled. They were working pens, usually eyedropper-fillers but sometimes lever-fillers.

Bakelite - The first synthetic resin, seldom used in pens because of extreme brittleness. Parker did make some Bakelite eyedroppers and early button-fillers. Note: this is not pronounced "bake-lite," but rhymes with "bagel-ite," for the man (Bakel) wo invented it.

Balance - Sheaffer's name for the streamlined pen design that all manufacturers moved toward in the early '30s replacing the flat-tops of the '20s.

Ballpoint - The first successful ballpoint, invented by Lazlo Biro, was introduced in 1945 as the Reynold's. Eversharp soon introduced a ballpoint as well, but it was not until the first Parker Jotter in 1954, that the ballpoint really caught on and signaled the end of the golden age of fountain pens.

Big Red - Nickname for Parker's red Duofold Senior. The name was also used for a Parker ballpoint replica in 1972.

Black and Pearl - Black and pearl pens were made by most major companies in the late '20s and '30s and are one of the colors most prone to discoloration. Perfect color in black and pearl is extremely rare, and most collectors have never seen a specimen. Even pens which were never inked almost always show some discoloration due to the natural aging of this plastic.

Black Giant - A series of huge hard rubber pens made by Parker in the early part of the century. A Red Giant was also made of red hard rubber, and while both pens are very rare, the Red Giant is by far the rarer of the two.

Bladder - Any rubber or latex ink sac that is depressed by a variety of mechanisms to draw in and hold the ink supply.

Blind cap - A threaded cap on the barrel end to cover a filling mechanism. Most common are Parker's Duofold which covers a button-filling device, and Parker's Vacumatic and vacumatic-filling 51s which cover pump plungers.

Blood - A rare Wahl/Eversharp color that is a deep blood red with lacings of black across the surface. If you find one, call me!

Blotter - Pourous paper used to absorb excess ink after writing. Many blotters were printed with advertising and these are now quite collectible.

Blow Filler - Best known blow filling pens are those by Crocker. Air blown through a hole in the barrel depresses the sac inside. When the blowing stops, the sac reflates and draws in ink.

Blue Diamond - Introduced in 1939 on the Vacumatic, the blue diamond at the top of the clip signified Parker's lifetime guarantee as did Sheaffer's white dot. The blue diamond was also used on the vacumatic filling 51s through the '40s.

Brassing - A term used to indicate wearing of gold-filled, gold-plated or rolled gold finishes. The base metal was often brass which became visible after wear, hence the term.

Burnishing - A method of straightening bent nibs by stroking them with a tool. Burnishing is difficult to accomplish and should not be attempted by novices on valuable nibs.

Burp - A nickname given to the Eversharp Ventura which was the last pen produced by the company prior to its purchase by Parker. The burp pen supposedly relieved itself of air pressure in the sac resulting in a more consistent ink flow.

Button filler - A mechanism using a pressure bar activated by a button at the end of the barrel. Parker introduced the design in 1913, and it became Parker's primary filling mechanism until the vacumatics were introduced in the early '30s. Parker continued to make button fillers well into the '40s.

CA - An early ballpoint by Eversharp introduced in 1945. The pen operated by capillary action, hence the name.

Cap - The part of a pen that covers the nib/feed assembly. Early caps were friction fitted, and later threaded caps were introduced. Both are used on contemporary pens.

Cap band - trim consisting of one or more bands near the lip of the cap. The bands both decorate and protect from cracks. Some wide bands were used for personalized engraving.

Capillary filler - Parker introduced this fill system in 1956 in the model 61. Rolled cellophane was encased in a metal housing within the barrel. When the end of this housing was dipped in ink the ink was absorbed through capillary action, and the unit had no moving parts.

Cartridge - While there were some very early ink cartridges, generally the cartridge filler is thought of as a late fountain pen development, developed to respond to the quick and easy refilling of the new ballpoints. Many contemporary pens can use either cartridges or a piston converter.

Casein - A material used in some early pens prior to plastic. Casein is derived from milk protein and permitted pastel colors. But the pens discolored quickly and did not hold up. Parker produced casein pens as early as 1914, and these may have been the first pens other than black and red.

Celluloid - One of the first synthetic plastics. The first plastic pens were made from a celluloid variation called Radite by Sheaffer in 1924, and Permanite by Parker in 1926. Celluloid is very flammable and these early pens should be protected from any flame potential.

CF - A cartride filling pen by Waterman in the '50s.

Challenger - A line of button-fillers by Parker in the '30s. Made in two different sizes with several different clips and in a variety of colors, Challengers are often thought of as an economy line. The Deluxe Challenger added some trim, but the Royal Challenger, which came in three colors with a herringbone pattern, was arguably one of Parkers best-looking pens of the period, Early Royal Challengers has a unique sword clip while later models had a stepped clip.

Chasing - The machined engravings on hard rubber and metal pens. Before the colorful plastics emerged, chasing was one way to add some decorative flair to pens. Many different patterns of chasing were used.

Chevron - One of many chasing patterns. In the form of multiple "Vs", chevron chasing is most often found on pens by Wahl-Eversharp.

Coin filler - One of many variations on the mechanism used to depress an internal pressure bar against a rubber sac for filling. Coin-fillers had a slot in the barrel through which a coin was inserted and pressed.

Combination - A fountain pen and pencil combined in one instrument. These were very popular through the '30s and many second-tier companies marketed them as economical since they provided two instruments in one. Combinations by Parker, Waterman, and Eversharp are rare, while Sheaffer produced many.

Command Performance - The solid 14k Skyline produced by Eversharp in the mid '40s. It was originally called the "gift of a lifetime."

Commando - A plastic pen from Waterman in the mid '40s. The Commando was a lower priced alternative to the high end Hundred Year pens and Emblems of the period.

Converter - A piston filling device used in place of a cartridge so that cartridge pens can be filled with bottled ink.

Coronet - A late '30s art-deco style pen from Wahl-Eversharp. Coronets were made in several plastic colored barrels with gold-filled or silver caps, and in all metal models. Plastic inserts at the top of the cap came in red (Dubonnet) or black.

Cracks - Most pen cracks are found around cap lips and come from caps being posted (placed on barrel end) too firmly. They are especially common in red hard rubber which becomes quite brittle with age. However, cracks can occur at other locations on a pen, as well as in metal parts including nibs.

Crescent-filler - Most commonly associated with Conklin, the crescent tab was pressed to depress the internal pressure bar against a rubber sac to fill.

Crest - Introduced by Sheaffer in 1939, the Crest began the popularity of metal caps. It was a high end pen, and the name has been re-introduced on a line of contemporary Sheaffer pens.

Crystallization - Deterioration of plastic parts on pens. Crystallization is most common on the translucent ends of the Waterman Hundred Year pen, and on some Wahl- Eversharp Dorics.

Debutante - Any smaller version of a pen model. The term was used especially with the Parker Vacumatic Debutante of the '40s.

Deco - A number of pen makers produced pens with art deco styling, but the term most often refers to those from Wahl-Eversharp. The oversize personal point of the late '20s with the greek key band is often called the "deco band," and later Wahl Equipoised, Doric and Coronet pens were very deco styled.

Demi - Like debutante, a term referring to a smaller version of a pen line. Parker 51s in the smaller size were called Demi.

Demonstrator - Many pens were produced with transparent barrels to be used as salesman's models to demonstrate internal working mechanisms. More recently, the clear pens have been produced for style rather than as sales demos, although these are still referred to as demos. Best known is the Pelikan 800 green demonstrator, now a highly collectible limited edition.

Depression pens - A name often used to refer to the Parker Thrift-Time series of the early '30s. These were economy priced button-fillers that were produced in a wide range of interesting colors. They are now highly collectible.

Derby - The dome of the Eversharp Skyline. Most models have a clip that wraps up over this derby, but a few early models do not. Derbys are usually in the same color plastic as the pen barrel, but some are gold-filled or 14k.

Desk sets - Desk pens are usually referred to as a desk set, with the base being the marble or other heavy material onto which a holder is fitted, and the pen itself called a desk pen. Desk pens have the distinctive taper and no cap. Some desk pens were convertible to pocket pens by removing the taper, and adding a blind cap and a cap. Desk sets range from simple single pen models to double pen sets with elegant statues and lamps or clocks. Desk sets tend to be undervalued in the vintage market and are fertile ground for future collectors.

Diaphragm - While the Parker Vacumatic does not use an ink sac, it does use a rubber piece which fits tightly inside the barrel, and when operated by the plunger, expels air to create the vacuum. These diaphragms are now produced so Vacumatics can be restored.

Dip pens - A fountain pen is a pen with an ink supply that replenished ink to the nib. A dip pen is one that does not have an ink supply and must be dipped. Prior to the popularization of the fountain pen in the late 1800s, ink writing was done with a variety of dip pens. See Fountain Pen History from the PenLovers Homepage.

Doctor's pen - Early doctor's pens had a thermometer in the barrel along with the pen works. By the '20s, a number of companies produced white sets with a pen, a pencil, and a matching thermometer case.

Doric - Made by Wahl-Eversharp in the '30s, the Doric was named for the 12-sided columns of Greek architecture. The pen has 12 faceted sides. From '31 to '34, the Doric had the distinctive Eversharp rollerball clip,. From '35 to '41, Dorics had a straight clip. A variety of colors, sizes and cap band styles were made. The later models were available either as lever-fillers or as vacumatic fillers.

Duofold - One of Parker's most famous pens, the Duofold was introduced in 1921 in red hard rubber. It became known as "Big Red." In late '26, Parker began making plastic pens and Duofolds became available in Jade, Lapis, Black and pearl and Mandarin yellow in addition to red and black. They came in Junior and Senior sizes, The '26-'27 models had a single wide cap band, the '28-'29 models had two narrow bands. These are known as "flat-tops" because in 1930, Parker introduced a slightly smaller model with the streamlined look of the period, and added several new colors. The Duofold was replaced by the Vacumatic, but ads show that Duofolds of these styles continued to be available from Parker into the '40s. The Duofold name was re-introduced by Parker in the '40s with a lower priced pen available as either vacumatic-filling, or as a button filler. The name has again been resurrected with the contemporary Duofold line.

Empire - A Parker 51 cap design that reminds one of the silhouette of the Empire State Building. In green and pink 14k gold, the empire is one of the most valuable 51s.

Endura - Conklin's line of flat-top pens during the '20s. In the early '30s Conklin introduced the Endura Symetrik which followed the streamline trend of the era.

Equipoised - Wahl-Eversharp's entry into the streamlined pen design fashion of the early '30s. The Equipoised only lasted a few years before being replaced by the Doric. Note that "Equipoised" was Wahl's term for this pen, while the contemporary Bexley is called "Equipoise."

Eternal - A Mabie Todd line which ran from 1924 through the late '30s.

Eversharp - The Wahl Adding Machine Co. purchased the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil company in 1914. Soon after, they began producing fountain pens under the Wahl name having purchased the Boston Pen Co. In 1941, Wahl changed the name of the entire company to Eversharp. Parker bought Eversharp in 1957, but the Wahl company still exists making barber tools.

Eyedropper filler - Early fountain pens that were filled with an eyedropper rather than having a mechanism to permit filling from a bottle via the nib.

Feathertouch - Sheaffer's name for their non-lifetime nibs and later, a line of pen models.

Feed - the pen part under the nib that allows for flow of ink to the nib as air moves into the ink reservoir. Until recently, feeds were made of hard rubber. Today they are made from injection-molded plastic.

Fifth Avenue - An Eversharp model during WW 2 that attempted to compete with the Parker 51 having a hooded nib and a metal slip cap. The pen was not successful and was only made a few years.

Filigree - generally refers to any cutout metal work in a pen's decorative metal overlay. Parker and Waterman produced many filigree pens in the early part of the century.

Fingertip - an unusual looking pen from Moore introduced in 1946. The pen featured an inlaid nib. It was made in several sizes and while not successful at the time, they are very collectible today and are one of the better writing pens of the era.

Flexibility - how easily the tines of a nib give and spread under pressure. Stiff nibs are called manifold nibs and are preferred for writing through multiple copies. Flexible nibs can produce a variable line width, and while not common since the '30s in the US, they are making a popularity comeback. In fact, some buyers are led to believe that the more flex the better, which is not necessarily true.

Flighter - beginning with an aerometric 51 in 1950, Parker began a series of all stainless steel pens called flighters. Although George S. Parker had died years before, he was a great aviation fan and the company had always been associated with aviation motifs. Flighter in the 61, 45 and 75 lines followed.

Foto-fill - The original name of Parker's aerometric filling system for the 51. It was introduced as foto-fill in its first year, '49, then changed to aerometric in 1950.

Gold seal - Wahl's double check mark in a gold circle used to signify a lifetime guarantee. The seal was introduced in 1928, but the double check marks were used earlier to signify the Wahl pen and the Eversharp pencil. Pens with the gold seal should also have a nib marked Gold Seal, although some Dorics and Coronets were made with the adjustable nib. The factory sometimes sent out pens with the gold seal but without the Gold Seal nibs. In these cases, the small gold seal was punched to indicate the pen did not have the lifetime guarantee.

Greek Key - a pattern used most often by Wahl, first on hard rubber pens for a chasing design, then on metal pens and finally on the wide band of the Oversize Personal Point which, because of this band, is known as the "Deco Band." The design, like many of Wahl's innovations, is currently being used by Omas.

Hatchet-filler - A lever-like device shaped like a hatchet so that the protruding end goes through a slot in the barrel and depresses a pressure bar to fill the pen. The hatchet-filler was introduced by the John Holland Co. in 1915.

Hundred Year Pen - A Waterman from the '40s that featured a hundred year guarantee. They were offered in three sizes and several colors, and with smooth barrels and those with distinctive concentric ridges.

Imprint - most commonly refers to the company name often found on the barrel of a pen. But imprints are also found on clips, nibs, the back of caps and other locations. Condition of imprints is an important consideration in assessing a pen's value.

Inner cap - an insert at the top of a cap into which the nib fits snugly when the pen is closed to prevent ink from leaking. Inner caps also hold clip assemplies in place and usually must be removed to remove the clip. This is done with a special tool known as an inner cap puller.

Inx - A pen made for a short time in the late '20s by the Carter Ink Co. The pen was not successful even though it was of high quality, and Carter returned exclusively to the ink business.

Iridium - a hard metal of the platinum family used to tip pens because of its combination of qualities such as taking a high polish and withstanding wear.

Jotter - while the first ballpoints were introduced in the mid '40s, the Parker Jotter, introduced in 1954, was the first widespread success. In 1957, a tungsten point was developed called the "T-Ball Jotter." Parker's ballpoint refills of today still fit these early pens.

Knockout block - a wood or metal stand with holes of various sizes. A section with nib and feed in inserted into the correct size hole nib down, and the feed and nib can be tapped out.

Ladies' pen - any of a number of small pens designed for women, usually with ringtops for chains or ribbons. Ladies' pens have become increasingly collectible, but still represent a good value in the vintage pen market.

Lapis - a blue color similar to lapis lazuli, a natural stone, introduced by Parker in 1927.

LaPlume - a French-made Parker, small in size and shaped like a small 51 but with an exposed nib and a threaded cap. These are rare and considerably more valuable than their appearance might suggest.

Lever-filler - introduced by Sheaffer in 1912, the lever presses against a pressure bar which depresses a sac to fill the pen. Lever-fillers became the dominant fill mechanism for Sheaffer, Wahl and Waterman from the '10s through the '30s.

Lifetime - Sheaffer was first on the bandwagon to offer a lifetime guarantee and used the term to designate both pens and nibs. Initially, the term was used only on the nib, but soon after the white dot was added to the pen body.

Lockdown filler - on Parker's early vacumatics, the filler plunger locked in the downward position with a twist enabling the blind cap to be small.

Lucky Curve - Parker patented a curved feed in 1894, which supposedly carried excess ink from the nib back to the reservoir preventing leakage. It became a logo for Parker until 1929.

Lustraloy - Parker's name for brushed stainless steel used in the caps of 51s and later, 21s.

Major - a Parker Vacumatic very similar to the standard size of the '40s but slightly longer.

Mandarin Yellow - Parker's yellow color introduced in 1927 on the Duofold line. The story is that the color came from a vase the Parker's found while travelling in the Orient. The color was not popular so is now scarce and more valuable than common colors.

Maniflex - a line of plastic lever-filling pens by the Moore Co. of Boston from 1929 through 1946.

Manifold - the opposite of flexible in a nib - one that is rigid. Manifold nibs were popular for bookeeping and pressing through multiple copies.

Matchstick filler - Another of the many approaches to depressing a sac inside the barrel to fill a pen. A matchstick or a small rod attached to the cap was used through a small hole in the barrel. Some Weidlich pens used this device.

Maxima - the large version of Parker's Vacumatic which replaced the earlier "Oversize Vacumatic." The O/S Vac had three cap bands while the Maxima had a single wide engraved band, and later, the blue diamond on the clip.

Military clip - Clips that were mounted near the top of the cap to allow the pen to ride low in the pocket so a flap could be buttoned over it as required by military regulations. Sheaffer addressed this need in a novel and cost-cutting way by using their regular clip mounted upside down, then bending it over the top of the cap onto the other side.

Moderne - a name first used by Parker in 1929 for their "Moderne" Black and Pearl Duofold. It was later used for the "Moderne" Green and Pearl Duofold as well.

Moire - Most commonly used to describe a line of Parker pastel pens from the late '20s with a fine lined pattern. Skylines with the striped cap and barrel are also sometimes referred to by this name.

Moss Agate - A green, bronze and gold color pattern used for the Waterman Patrician.

Mottled - early hard rubber was available only in black and in red and therefore difficult to decorate or provide variation. One approach was to swirl the black and red together which is known as mottled. The term is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to ripple and woodgrain hard rubber patterns.

Nib - the metal writing point of a fountain pen. Usually made of gold but sometimes gold-plated or plain steel. Usually tipped with irridium or another hard metal. Some early dip pens had glass nibs.

No-name - A pen or pencil with no markings to indicate the manufacturer. Many minor makers did not put their company's name on their products. These are most often cheap instruments, but some are of surprisingly high quality.

Nozac - a twist-piston filler by Conklin introduced in 1931. Early models were round, but later pens were faceted. Nozacs came in several sizes and colors including a herringbone pattern. Some had "word guages," markings on the barrel that supposedly told the writer how many words were left in the ink supply. This was an early sac-less pen, and the name Nozak was a takeoff on " no sac."

Oblique - a nib ground at a left or right angle for those who hold the pen at an angle. Obliques are usually associated with broad or stub nibs.

O-ring - a rubber gasket necessary to maintain vacuum in Sheaffer's touchdown and snorkel filling pens.

Octanium - an alloy of eight metals used by Parker to make nibs in the '50s. Octanium nibs perform equally well compared to 14k nibs.

Oversize - any pen larger than standard size. Most of the major pen lines of the '20s and '30s came in oversize models. They include Parker's Duofold and Vacumatic, Waterman's 58 and Patrician, Sheaffer's Balance, Wahl's Equipoise and Doric, and Conklin's Endura and Nozac.

Pastel - in the late '20s Parker introduced a line of small pastel colored pens. In the '50s Esterbrook made a line of pastel purse pens. Both are today referred to as pastels.

Patrician - a large high end pen from Waterman, introduced in 1929. They were a very art deco styled pen and are highly valued by collectors today. A smaller lady's pen was added called the Lady Patricia.

Pearl and Black - a plastic color pattern with black combined with a light pearlescent color. All the major companys used the color from the late '20s well into the '30s. Pearl and black is very prone to discoloration and true mint color is almost non-existent since they would discolor even with no use.

Permanite - the name Parker gave to its early plastic. Parker made its first plastic pens in late 1926.

Personal Point - a nib/section assembly introduced by Wahl in 1929. It permitted the nib and feed to be screwed out of the section and replaced in a minute.

Peter Pan - a very small novelty pen made by Salz in the '20s and '30s. They came in a variety of decorative finishes and as either eyedropper or lever-fillers.

PFM - Sheaffer's popular "Pen For Men." A large snorkel-filler, the PFM came in eight grades. It also featured an inlaid nib. PFMs are highly valued by collectors and by those who uses vintage pens because it is such an excellent performer.

Piston Filler - a pen that uses a piston that moves through the barrel to draw in ink. The Conklin Nozac is an early example. Today both Pelikan and Mont Blanc use the system. Converters that replace cartridges also use the piston device.

Plunger Filler - uses a moving gasket in the barrel similar to the piston but is operated by pumping a rod. The system was used on Sheaffer and Wahl pens in the '30s. They are difficult to restore and pens with these systems are considered somewhat less valuable than their lever-filling counterparts.

Posting - refers to placing the cap on the rear end of the barrel while in use. One must be very careful in doing this with early pens that are brittle. Most cap lip cracks resulted from posting the cap too firmly. The term also refers to a very fine nib used by accountants for posting numbers.

Pressure bar - almost all pens using a rubber ink sac employ a bar inside the barrel that presses against the sac. The bar is activated by a lever, button, crescent, coin etc. One rubber sac pen that does not use a pressure bar is the Twist Filler.

Propel-Repel - a mechanical pencil that advances lead by twisting a mechanism and retracts it by twisting in the opposite direction. Early models were propel only. Repeater pencils were introduced in 1935, but many comapnies continued the propel/repel.

Pyralin - Wahl's name for the early plastic used in their first plastic pens.

Radite - Sheaffer's name for their early plastic. Sheaffer made the first plastic pens in 1924.

Repousse - refers to a floral relief metal pattern best known in early Watermans. Some of Waterman's repousse pens are among the most beautiful and the most valuable.

Ring-top - a pen with a ring for a chain or ribbon on top instead of a pocket clip. These are usually lady's pens since it was considered inappropriate for women to wear pens in an external pocket.

Ripple - another pattern used to adorn hard rubber pens. Ripple designs are best known in Waterman's pens and came in several color patterns.

Rollerball clip - Wahl's exclusive clip that had a small ball at the end that aided in moving the clip over pockets. Wahl probably obtained the patent for the clip when they purchased the Boston pen company.

Royal Challenger - a special line within Parker's Challenger series. Royal Challengers had a distinctive sword clip early on which was changed to a stepped clip. They are also distinctive in their herringbone design in three colors: gold, silver and burgundy.

Safety Pen - early eyedropper fillers that employed a device that withdrew the nib assembly into the barrel by turning a knob at the end of the barrel. When the cap was on tight, this prevented the pen from leaking.

Section - the part of the pen at the end of the barrel that holds the nib and feed. Sections are either threaded into barrels or are designed to friction fit.

Self-filler - a pen that holds its own ink supply and refills the nib automatically rather than having to dip it. This is usually considered a criterion for a pen to be a "fountain pen." Waterman and several other companies designated pens as "self-fillers."

Signet - a model of the Parker 51 that had a gold-filled cap and barrel.

Skyline - Wahl-Eversharp's modern designed pen of the '40s. The Skyline was a very popular pen and millions were produced in hundreds of variations. They were lever-fillers and are known as very good writers. P.S. If anyone finds a white one, call me.

Sleeve-filler - yet another approach to operating a pressure bar against a sac. A sleeve was moved out of the way to reveal the pressure bar which was operated by the thumb.

Slip cap - any cap that friction fits to the barrel rather than being threaded.

Snake - a popular design of the early century for eyedropper pens. Parker's snake came in silver or gold-filled. Waterman's, which is much rarer, is only known in silver. The lowest priced snakes, in good condition, will bring over $10,000.

Snorkel - a fill system by Sheaffer from the early '50s. A knob on the barrel caused a metal tube to emerge from the feed so that the entire nib did not have to be immersed to fill.

Stub - a nib that has a blunt end and produces a wide line on downstrokes and a narrow one on cross-strokes. Stubs were made in fine, medium and broad widths. They are similar to calligraphy nibs and have become popular among vintage pen users.

Symetrik - Conklin's entry into the field of streamlined pens introduced by all the major companies in the early '30s to replace the flat-tops of the '20s.

Symphony - designed by Raymond Loewy, Symphony replaced the Eversharp Skyline. It featured a metal cap but used a nib/feed assembly like that of the Skyline.

Tempoint - When Wahl bought the Boston Pen Co. in 1917, to add pens to it's line of Eversharp pencils, the first pens produced were called Tempoint. This was basically Wahl's name for the exact pens produced by Boston. In the early '20s, Wahl focused on metal pens and the Tempoint name was dropped. Wahl's line of hard rubber pens became known as the Signature line.

Triumph - Sheaffer's name for the famous conical shaped nib introduced in 1942. Later used as the name for a pen model.

True Blue - a late '20s Parker button-filler of blue and white plastic. The white was very prone to discoloration and True Blues are very hard to find in good color. They were made as pocket pens and ring-tops.

Tuckaway - a pocket pen from Sheaffer in the mid '40s. Tuckaways came in many varieties and were made as either plunger-fillers or touchdown fillers. Most had a short clip, but some were made with no clip.

Twist-filler - Pens that employed a rubber ink sac, but used a mechanism to twist the sace to expel air and create a vacuum rather than a pressure bar as with other rubber sac pens.

Vacumatic - Parker's line of sac-less pens. The first was called the Golden Arrow, but because of a patent infringement on the name was quickly changed to vacuum-filler. The next year the name was changed to Vacumatic. The Vacumatic underwent many changes and styles before it was discontinued in 1947.

Ventura - One of the last Eversharp models before the company was bought out by Parker. Also called the burp pen, the ventura was not a high quality pen and was not a commercial success.

Vermeil - a pen that is sterling with gold-plating overlays. Vermeil pens are scarce, usually of very high quality, and considerably more valuable than sterling or gold-filled models.

Visualated - a section that is clear allowing one to view the ink supply. Fewer pens in most models were made with these sections, and they tend to enhance value.

Wahl-Oxford - a line of pens from Wahl in plastic with either plunger or lever fillers. These are often thought of a lower quality pens, but many are of equal quality to the Wahl models.

White dot - used by Sheaffer to signify the lifetime guarantee. It was copied by Wahl with the gold seal, and later by Parker with the blue diamond.

Woodgrain - a pattern in hard rubber pens used widely by Waterman and Wahl, and also by several other companies.