Pen Review: Anterique Ballpoint Pen

I worked at a table next to Gentleman Stationer at the SF Pen Show and that gave us time to talk shop and to just shop. One of the pens that surprisingly got a lot of attention was the Anterique Mach Ball .5MM Ballpoint Pen ($5.50). It is available in 26 colors and Joe had them stored in small jars. The bright colors were like candies to passing attendees.

The Anterqiue ballpoint pens feature standard ballpoint ink and a fine point and a classic retracable ball point pen design. The click end is wedged rather than round giving it a slightly more modern look but, from a distance, it could easily be mistaken for a classic.

I, of course, got a lime green model but I am sure you can find your favorite color.

I tested the Anterique on Tomoe River paper first but it extended the dry time causing the dreaded lefty-smudgy hand.

On Nakabayashi Logical Prime paper, the ink dried in a reasonable amount of time and performed well. So, the ink dry time issue was specific to the Tomoe River paper, not the ink or pen. (I used a B5 sized notebook. Gentleman Stationer stocks it in A5.)

I was impressed with overall build quality of the pen. The knock works well, there is no rattle or shimmy when writing.  The quality is surprising for a budget priced pen. Definitely worth adding to your next order from Gentleman Stationer for sure.

If you want an even more premium model, Anterique is available with a brass barrel section ($29) and a plastic clip section which look even more retro..

The refill is a standard butterfly refill — its like a D1 with wings. It would be easy to replace and Gentleman Stationer stocks them ($2.80 each).

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DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Gentleman Stationer for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.