For your consideration, we are pleased to offer for sale this restored Circa 1930 Carter’s Oversized Streamlined Fountain Pen in the scarce and highly attractive Blue Marble Celluloid, fitted with a smooth and expressive 14K Medium nib. Carter’s fountain pens were produced for only a relatively brief period, yet they earned a reputation for exceptionally high-quality craftsmanship, making surviving examples increasingly sought after among vintage fountain pen collectors today.
This fountain pen has been completely disassembled, ultrasonically cleaned, fitted with a new rubber sac, carefully reassembled, and fully tested to ensure proper operation. It is now writing beautifully and ready for either daily use or placement into an advanced vintage writing instrument collection.
As part of the restoration process, the nib, feed, and section were thoroughly cleaned, while the gold-filled trim—including the Carter’s clip, lever-filling arm, and dual cap bands—was hand polished to restore brilliance while preserving originality. The barrel and cap were also professionally cleaned, buffed, and polished to revive the richness and depth of the celluloid while helping protect the material for years to come.
The barrel imprint remains exceptionally clean and deeply legible, reading: “CARTER’S PATENTED THE CARTER’S INK CO. BOSTON–NEW YORK–CHICAGO”
This is the desirable Oversized Streamline model, measuring approximately 5 1/2" inches capped, 6 7/8" inches posted, and weighing 0.74 ounces, offering a wonderfully balanced and comfortable feel in hand.
The cap and barrel remain in remarkably well-preserved condition with no chips, cracks, or repairs. The scarce Blue Marble celluloid displays beautiful depth and character throughout. Due to the thinner celluloid construction on the cap, the blue marbling appears especially vibrant there, creating an attractive visual contrast against the slightly deeper tone of the barrel. The overall presentation is striking and unmistakably vintage.
The gold-filled Carter’s clip remains bright and attractive, showing only the slightest trace of wear along the edges near the “CARTER’S” imprint. The dual cap bands remain exceptionally clean with no noticeable wear. The gold-filled lever filler also remains bright, displaying only minimal wear along the outer edges consistent with careful vintage use. There are no monograms or personal engravings present on either the cap or barrel.
The lever-filling system has been tested with water and operates smoothly and properly as originally intended.
This Carter’s is fitted with its original 14K INX nib, which delivers an outstanding vintage writing experience with relative smoothness and semi-flex line variation character. Measured with digital calipers, the nib tipping measures approximately 0.87mm, placing it firmly within the Heavy Medium range. In actual writing performance, the nib produces a smooth medium line under normal pressure while naturally broadening with increased pressure. The included writing sample, created using the actual pen offered here and dipped in Faber-Castell Cobalt Blue Ink, demonstrates a medium line measuring approximately 0.67mm and a broader stroke measuring approximately 1.12mm.
Carter’s may be best remembered today for its famous ink production, but the company’s fountain pens represent some of the finest work produced by smaller American pen manufacturers during the Golden Age of fountain pens. Produced only from roughly the mid-1920s through the 1930s, Carter’s pens have become increasingly difficult to locate—particularly in desirable oversized configurations and scarce celluloid patterns such as this Blue Marble example.
This is an exceptionally clean and increasingly difficult-to-find Carter’s Oversized Streamline in one of the company’s most attractive finishes. We would conservatively grade this fountain pen between Very Fine and Excellent condition. A true collector-grade example that rarely surfaces in such well-preserved and fully restored condition.
An outstanding vintage American fountain pen—ready to write, display, or proudly add to a serious writing instrument collection.
