I bought a silver pen and pencil set in late 70's that had a cross hatch pattern I found very secure to grasp. It's remarkable how pens like than simply vanish. Have you had any fly away? As far as collectibilty I think great quality pens can be a very good investment. When i bought my silver ones-sorry can't remember name, just that they were very respectable, they were a couple of hundred dollars + ; but I felt they were worth it bought one and had it engraved for a dear friend; he still enjoys his nigh on 40 years (so they certainly make great presents!) |
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Not a collector, but I do have a Waterman 12 that belonged to my grandmother which I had restored years ago. It looks beautiful and it works perfectly. She wrote amazing letters to friends and family regularly and having it on my desk make me very happy. |
Aren't the bill signing pens expensive pens? For some reason I think of them as being hi-end, but not sure which company is used. I assume the pen is made here in the US of A. If that is true, it would mean no Mount Blancs, which are what most people think of as a very good/exclusive pen. |
Not really a pen collector but possess some pens that are interesting in a historical sense.
I was given several Presidential bill signing pens including
a JFK bill signing pen, a couple LBJ bill signing pens & a Richard Nixon bill signing pen. Due to the way I received them I have no doubt regarding their authenticity. There is quite the cottage industry in fake JFK stuff. The pens are easy to fake because very similar pens were sold in the White House gift shop for some time. There is a slight difference in size between the ones used for signing & the ones sold from the gift shop. |
I don't imagine my old Parker 51 I've had for over 50 years is worth much but 10K is the least I'd take for it, and maybe not that.Thanks Dad. |
I don't imagine my old Parker 51 that I have had for over 50 , and maybe not that. |
I collected pens as a young man, but eventually wised up. However, I use a Parker Duofold ballpoint daily (about $300 now) that I got in about 1996, that often impresses clients. It has a Lifetime Warranty! Parker replaced it twice (the design wasn't as robust as they apparently intended.) Parker was acquired a while back, and the new owners are somewhat less amenable to honoring the warranty. They seem to think that "Lifetime Warranty" has some legal definition that is not exactly what it sounds like, and they seem to be prone to blaming the owner now; I had to pay for the last problem, which is always the retraction mechanism. I understand that the warranty is two years on new Duofolds. It may make some sense to buy an expensive pen intended to last for the rest of your life, but not otherwise, imho.
On the other hand, if you want a good fountain pen, it aint' cheap to make an 18K rhodium plated nib. |
I have accumulated a rather sweet pen collection, if I do say so myself. I have two montagrapas, a visconti, an omas... One of my favorites is my John Lennon 'Imagine' by Mont Blanc - complete with guitar neck for pen clip - the PERFECT pen for an audiophile) given to me by the wife last christmas. |
@Mechans - Yes, I vaguely remember the letter "c" - it was included in the conversations when I would listen in on the ladies talking about certain Parker Fountain pens. What does "c" mean anyway?
I remember those pens looking very elegant and kind of feminine.. high tech with very small pointy tips. They were very attractive pens for sure. |
Parker is still highly respected and costly if among their rare and collectable series. You would be surprised to see how many command good money. Do a search on Ebay for Parker pens and order the result highest price first. It will be a while before you reach $25.00.
Fountain pens still command the highest prices, the oldest tech around, c sound vaguely familiar? |
So, what name brand pens are considered high end, and where does Parker rate? I remember growing up in Japan back in the sixties - whenever my Mom's Japanese friends wanted a good fountain pen they would ask her if she could get them a Parker from the PX. They seemed to think Parker were the best. |
Yes I am also an expensive pen collector. This is an unfortunate circumstance, having two costly hobbies at once. I have paid a lot more for audio than for pens ink and paper. I haven't bought a pen for $1K but I have shelled out more than that for audio gear. What pens have you got that you can tell me about. My biggest pen expenses run in the category of standard Omas and Pelikan. |
Sure,
Besides audio, my other (non sports) hobbies include fountain pen collecting and watches. Been collecting fountain pens for 25 years or so, but that said, I don't buy so much anymore, just enjoy what I have which is both vintage and some modern. |
I have a really nice BIC pen that I like. I'll be sad when it finally runs out of ink and I have to throw it away :-) |
