Writing Instruments
This category contains tools as varied as the ancient stylus and quill pen through to the fountain pen and typewriter. It can also include related paraphernalia such as inkwells and writing cases.
Ian Fleming’s specially created gold-plated Royal Quiet Delux typewriter which he used to write at least some of his legendary 007 books is a prime example from the top-end of this sector, selling for over £56,000 at a sale held by Christie’s London in 2007.

Top stories this week – including news of an auction record for a Dunhill ‘aquarium’ lighter
08 January 2023The most popular stories on this website over the last week included news of a Dunhill ‘Aviary’ lighter sparking a bidding battle at Chiswick Auctions.

Dunhill ‘Aviary’ lighter sparks a bidding battle at Chiswick Auctions
02 January 2023An auction record was set for an Alfred Dunhill ‘aquarium’ lighter at Chiswick Auctions.

National Trust snaps up Castlereagh’s silver inkstand ahead of exhibition
11 August 2022The National Trust has acquired a silver inkstand used by Viscount Castlereagh (1769-1822), the Anglo-Irish politician and statesman.

Qwerty spelt the end for the Niagara
11 April 2022The Blickensderfer Typewriter Co of Stanford, Connecticut, introduced the Niagara ‘index’ typewriter in 1902.

Rare silver inkstand makes its mark among latest London auctions
12 July 2021The overall performance of the latest London sales of Old Master pictures and ‘important’ works of art was fairly mixed but the auction houses did at least welcome the return of some big-ticket items.

Fountain pens: How the East and West signed up to a lucrative deal
08 February 2021The 1920s deal between Ryosuke Namiki and Alfred Dunhill to make luxury pens for the Western market created some of the most collectable fountain pens.

Qwerty minded: typewriters tempt bidders in German sale
27 April 2020Specialist auction house sells early versions hailing from the US

Jackson Type I typewriter, Waterloo officer’s pistols and Lord Mayor’s letter – five auction highlights that caught bidders’ eyes
10 April 2020ATG’s selection of hammer highlights this week includes a rare early typewriter that sold above estimate in Germany.

Rare offering of fountain pens draws bidders in Cornwall
09 December 2019In a large collection of fountain pens offered at Cornish auction house Barbara Kirk (15% buyer’s premium) most well-known makers were represented, but among the rarer ones were no fewer than 19 by the Italian manufacturer Omas.

Hammer to go down on 40 years of collecting hole punches at Lichfield auction
19 August 2019Antique stationery fans have plenty of purchasing choices: from writing slopes and desks, to ink stands and stationery boxes. But for the true connoisseur have they thought of collecting hole punches?

Early typewriter pushes all the right buttons at German auction
27 May 2019An example of the first commercially produced typewriter – one of only five in private hands – has sold for €100,000 at auction in Germany.

Young visitor numbers on the rise at Bloomsbury pen fair
24 September 2018The annual London Writing Equipment Show at the Holiday Inn in Bloomsbury on Sunday October 7 will be a sell-out, says coorganiser Jeremy Collingridge.

William Morris’ pen and paint brush sell for £2200 at Dorset auction
23 July 2018A quill and paint brush belonging to William Morris drew significant interest at Duke’s latest Art and Design sale in Dorchester.

Vintage pens from Switzerland to Japan are scripted for San Francisco auction
14 July 2018US West Coast auction firm PBA Galleries is holding its first sale dedicated to writing instruments in its San Francisco rooms on July 19.

Archibald Knox silver inkwell among early sales at BADA fair
19 March 2018Among the first sales of BADA 2018 was this modernist Archibald Knox silver and pink enamel inkwell sold from the stand of The Peartree Collection for more than £10,000.

Eastern Pen Show to include Art Deco Conklin Nozac fountain pen
26 February 2018A dazzling red and black herringbone-patterned Conklin Nozac cushion point pen and pencil set dating from 1932 and with an ability to write 7000 words before running out, is for sale at the Eastern Pen Show on March 4.

Dealer takes up his pens for fair sales
27 November 2017Mark Twain said that his Conklin Crescent Filler fountain pen “was a profanity saver as it cannot roll off the desk”.

Christopher Lee’s collection of pens to be auctioned at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury
03 April 2017A consignment of 16 pens from the collection of Christopher Lee, the distinguished British actor who played Dracula in nine films, is to go under the hammer at Dreweatts and Bloomsbury.

Getting right to the nib of the matter
01 April 2017The wide-ranging sale at Hansons (17.5% buyer’s premium) at Etwall on February 21 included a 20-lot section of fountain pens which offered a brief overview of this largely affordable area of collecting.

Writer remains true to type
25 March 2017Typewriters on which famous books came into existence have featured on these pages before, but not for some time – and certainly not machines of a kind that that continue to be used by their owner to this day.

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