As I was looking for a holder for the Esterbrook Nº 356 nibs that I got, I ran across dip pens being produced by Steven P. Engen of Cottonwood, AZ. While these could hold a Nº 356 nib, they're not particularly well suited for that particular purpose.

None-the-less, I was especially attracted by this pen made of African blackwood and alabaster (here with an Esterbrook Nº 048 nib):

It arrived yester-day and was as nice as it had looked in its pictures. I then ordered this pen made of olivewood and ironwood:

Honestly, I'm not sure how much I'll use them for writing (now-a-days, my every-day pen is a Lamy cp 1 black fountain pen), but I figured that I'd later think back with regret if I failed to get these two pens.

Having read that the Esterbrook Nº 356 was Carl Barks' pen nib of choice for inking his work, I got some to try. The Esterbrook Steel Pen Mfg. Co. itself has essentially been gone for decades, so one looks for NOS; the nibs that I got are ostensibly from the 1940s.

Having got nibs, I wanted an Esterbrook Nº 35 holder for them. Again, it would be some decades old. I found one in a set with 12 nibs of varying size.

Well, it arrived on Friday, with the paper seal still intact on the box. I cannot open the box without committing some crime against antiquarian preservation!

I am defeated. I will look for another holder for my nibs.