Another name for the popular miniature pens of the early part of the 20th century. Most manufacturers made these, and some were very ornate and gold or gold-filled. They were working pens, usually eyedropper-fillers but sometimes lever-fillers.

The first synthetic resin, seldom used in pens because of its 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 (Leo H. Baekeland); who invented it in 1907. It was replaced by celluloid.

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

The first successful ballpoint, invented by Lazlo Biro in 1931, was broadly introduced in the USA in 1945 as the Reynolds. 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.

The barrel describes the body of the pen which holds the ink or the ink reservoirs like cartridges or ink sacs.

Black chased hard rubber was one of the mostly commonly used materials for fountain pens in the early years of the 20th century. Chasing refers to the pattern imprinted on the pen.

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

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 many 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.

A series of huge hard rubber pens made by Parker in the early part of the 20th 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.

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

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.

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

Porous paper used to absorb ("blot") excess ink after writing. Many blotters were printed with advertising and these are now quite collectible.

Best known blow filling pens are those by made by Crocker in the early days of fountain pens, although Sheafer made some as well. Air blown through a hole in the barrel depresses the sac inside. When the blowing stops, the sac reflates and draws in ink. Most often found on vintage Crocker pens, but there is currently some experimentation with small pen manufacturers today.

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.

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

A pen filling system in which a small bulb-like bladder is squeezed and causes a suction that pulls ink into the barrel. The Wahl Midget pen and the Pelikan Rappen pen are examples of this type of filling system.

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

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.

A widely-used mechanism using a pressure bar activated by a button at the end of the barrel in both the USA and Europe. Parker introduced the design in 1913, and it became Parker's primary filling mechanism until the Vacumatics were introduced in the early 1930s. Parker continued to make button fillers well into the 1940s.