Mb Special Editions...to Ink Or Not?

[Fleetlord]

Do you guys and gals ink and use your special edition MB pens?

 

 

By Special Edition I mean, Great Characters, POA, WE, etc....

 

Essentially any numbered limited edition pen...

 

 

If one of these is inked, how much value is estimated to be lost vs an uninked one?

 

 

Just curious as to what you do with the "Special Ones"....

[saskia_madding]

I have a Mann, Poe, and Agatha Christie. I do definitely use them, and I love them all. For me, pens are for use rather than full fledged collecting (ie. keeping everything pristine), so I buy pens and use them and enjoy them, and don't really worry about the resale value.

[penmanila]

This is one of those weekly perennials, like "Is my 149 fake?"

 

I would leave some pens uninked--if I had a number of the same pen. (seriously, I have about four or five mint Vacumatics uninked, bit only because I'm a Vac nut and have dozens of them.) otherwise, ink them. I have two Agatha Christies, two Oscar Wildes, three 149s, etc. and they all go into the rotation. They're special, but not that special, and I have a blast employing them as daily writers. To paraphrase another thread, if most people go to war on warhorses, I prefer to go to mine in a chariot

[chunya]

+1

 

It all depends on why you buy them. This is only my opinion, 'shares can go down as well as up, failure to keep up payments may result in the loss of your home' ....Disclaimer out of the way! , Most pens bought brand new are not really going to be an investment that will grow. So if you are not going to use them and they are not going to grow in value then why have them? It doesn't make sense to keep them for a few years and then sell on at a loss without ever having used them, You buy a £1000 pen, don't use it,and 5 years down the line you might get £700 if you sell on. If you ink it,but look after it,then you may get slightly less, say £600 (these figures are plucked from thin air) but at least you've had the pleasure of using it.

 

It will be interesting to hear the thoughts of others.

[jar]

Pens, even Limited Editions, are very seldom good investments and like expensive cars, subject to the Tail Lights Across the Curb factor.

[penmanila]

If you take a long hard look at the business end of collectible modem pens I suspect you won't see too many pens whose values have significantly escalated through the years. And by significantly, I mean on a scale that would make it worth keeping the pen in a box while you knit doilies in a rocking chair, waiting for the decades to pass until your investment ripens. There's the Hemingway and the Agatha, and what else? And who's to say which of today's hundreds of LEs will be tomorrow's Hemingway? Investment is uncertain, unlike fun

[Algester]

you bought a pen and the reason you bought it is because you wan to use it or have some one use it... now I do not know what happens when your buying duplicates... but if were going to ask the literal million dollar question will you ink up a million dollar pen... who knows... all I know a pen covered in diamonds will be a pain to clean and write with

Edited June 23, 2014 by Algester

[PAKMAN]

Only have one, a Dumas, and yes I did ink it and do carry and use it.

[JohnEbach]

If you buy a pen, use it. All me WE's are used and I feel good every time I use them. I don't know why else you would purchase them if never to use them. Well not these at least when they write so fine

 

John.

[Vlad Soare]

I don't have a limited edition pen yet, but if I had one I would most definitely use it. I wouldn't buy it in the first place if I didn't want to write with it.

[Pen Nut]

" Vacumatics uninked " ? when did MB produce these things ?

[penmanila]

My apologies for the seeming impertinence, but there was a specific context to the mention of the Vacs as multiples of one collectible pen. The discussion returned to MBs shortly after.

 

" Vacumatics uninked " ? when did MB produce these things ?

Edited June 23, 2014 by penmanila

[BrandonA]

When I first started collecting I never used them. Then I found it easier to justify continuing to buy them if I used them. Now I have too many to bother rotating and have therefore turned a full circle and don't use any of my limited edition pens. Each to their own though.

[gclyn]

For me, a pen is to be used. It is not a good investment unless it is totally made from a precious metal or stone (i.e. gold, platinum, ruby, etc.) in which case the value may increase as these commodities do. So unless it's one of those $30,000 limited edition pens, ink and use and enjoy the writing experience.

 

I do have some limited edition numbered pens that I don't use or ink, yet. I bought them for their looks and the fact that they were limited numbers. They are so beautiful I just have not used them, but I plan to soon. I cannot seem to put down my Pelikan M800.

[Chrissy]

I don't have many but I use all but one of those that I have.

 

Up to now I haven't inked my Verne

[Zenistar]

There is little point, in my eyes, to buy and not ink a pen. My Humboldt, Dietrich and Shaw are all inked and used regularily.

[meiers]

I have a Mann, Poe, and Agatha Christie. I do definitely use them, and I love them all. For me, pens are for use rather than full fledged collecting (ie. keeping everything pristine), so I buy pens and use them and enjoy them, and don't really worry about the resale value.

I agree wholeheartedly.

[KAC]

I'm baffled by the concept of purchasing a modern pen and not using it. That seems utterly illogical to me. I qualified my statement with "modern" because, I suppose, that if I came across a very rare, very desirable vintage model that was in virginal condition, I would refrain from using it. Excepting that, consider that it takes a large fortune to make a small fortune in pen dealing (for most people, anyway).

[zaddick]

Yes, I ink most of mine. I have not inked them all yet as I may sell some and the do have more value uninked.

 

The loss of value depends on popularity of the pen and how long it has been out. I think a popular, older LE pen will hold value better after inking, versus a more recent release that is easier to find in mint condition. Consider a Dumas vs a Swift, for example. A Dumas inked in good condition is worth more than it cost new, where's a Swift would likely be less.

 

One think to keep in mind though, a mint pen that is popular will accelerate faster than an inked one. it is hard to give percentages though as tastes change and each issue is a little different.

 

As others have mentioned, they are generally poor investments and should be enjoyed. The value you get from the pleasure will almost always be greater than the loss in resale value.

[Pen Nut]

Use, ink & enjoy......saving stuff for 'best' or 'later' was me a while ago. Cars, bikes, watches pens even 'best' whiskey glass. Nothing got used apart from security safes and heated garages.

 

Then stuff / life happens, people get ill & old and all of a sudden it hits you that this life thing aint a practice run.