Ok, I've often wondered what I would do in this situation. For the moment, lets all consider ourselves collectors. I understand the user mentality, but I don't feel that applies here.

You're at the antique mall when you see the sumgai of the century, say, a RHR bandless duofold, a Waterman 20, or some fancy overlay pen in a larger size. Whatever the pen, it is something you would most likely never find again and one you would be pleased to add to your collection. Let's say, for the sake of argument, this pen is really cheap, say $30.

Do you keep it knowing the cost to acquire one later would be prohibitive enough for you to not seek one out, or would you sell it to realize an immediate profit?

As a smaller example, I recently got a Duofold Sr. for $39. I might never have bought one had it not been that cheap. Not that I couldn't afford one, but that there are other pens I might spend $200 on. In this poll, consider the pen's value to be even higher.

Best-
Brian

I'd keep it. If I am a collector (which I don't quite think I am) I would want to have a stellar example of something I wouldn't ordinarily have. Even if it is outside the range of my intended "collection," a sumgai of that sort can be enjoyed purely on its own.

Should the pen diety(ies) ever shine their countenance on me to that extent, I would honor their gift by cherishing and enjoying that special pen.

I suppose, if I had to sell it to feed my family I'd give it some consideration, but apart from that, I wouldn't look that gift pen in the barrel.

Andy

It would depend on what it was.

If it were a 20 I would probably sell it. If it were a really rare example of something that I thought belonged in an important collection - say a rare relief Brian didn't have, or a rare Parker - I would probably arrange a trade for something more my league. If it were something that really interested me, like a Triad, I would probably keep it.

John

I wouldnt know "rare" if it hit me on the face, unless it was how you described your steak. But if i were to aquire to have found one i would keep it for awhile and maybe trade it later. I would be too tempted to use it and maybe break it.

I would probably seek out some one building a museum quality collection (with the agreement to institutionally place the collection) and negotiate a sale.

I had such a dilemma a couple of months back.
I found an early 9ct Parker 51 Presidential pen and pencil set for £100.
It's not really a rare pen but to buy one on the market would be something I couldn't have justified.
I'm fond of vacs and really want to start getting my hands on some nice examples.
I thought about selling it to fund some purchases.
After much deliberation I decided to keep it.Better to keep it than perhaps regret selling at a later date.
I suppose if the right pen came along I would perhaps reconsider my decision.
For now it's my favorite and I admire it daily but only use it occassionally.

I've kept mine since I don't need the cash right now.
Someday, if I need the cash (and the pen is worth a lot more) I might sell it.

I would keep it, especially if it was a good writer. For me, pens are a beautiful tool for writing. If it did not write well, I would send it to a nib specialist.

Pens that come to mind are a Sheaffer Balance Jade Green with perfect color, or an early vacumatic Parker "51" with stickers still on it, or a perfect .....

While I do collect, and write with my collection, I think I would only keep it if it was relevant to my collection. I recently went through this same thing, and happily sold the pen, being as my collection was in a completely different direction. Not sure how to vote on this then...

Keep it... i think

I would keep it. If it were something I were especially interested in, I would likely use it immediately and keep it forever.

If I knew it was rare, but it was not something which I particularly collected, I would simply buy it and put it in my collection, not to be used. I wouldn't need to sell it, so I'd just hang onto it for years, then one day pull it out and see what it was worth.

When someone does get the FP bargain of a lifetime, I know it won't be me! I have already enjoyed the experience with some collectible photography equipment, so I can't imagine I will be twice blessed!

I voted that I'd keep it.

If it did happen and it's not something I'd normally like for myself, it would depend on only 2 things, if I needed the cash (then I'd list it in the marketplace) or if I knew somebody else who would appreciate it more (then I'd sell it to them). Otherwise, I would be in no rush to sell it.


raf.

Your choices don't offer what I'd do. There are particular pens I want, and pens I don't want. My decision to keep or sell the Sumgai of the Century would be determined by what the pen was. A Parker Snake I'd sell. A perfect Moss Agate Patrician with a flex nib I'd keep. And so on.

I basically agree with Richard, but the odds of me keeping it would probably be low if it were very valuable. If it were just somewhat more valuable than I would normally buy and I wanted it, I would then keep it.

I would probably sell a very valuable pen and buy some other (multiple) pens with the proceeds that I really wanted, such as a DaniTrio, more Snorkel/Touchdown Sentinels and a Burgundy Pearl Vacumatic.

Ron

i love fountain pens

but the main reason i love fountain pens is for their writing performance. Possessing rare/old fountain pens isnt something that attracts me particularly - so if there's a collector out there who desperately wants it and is willing to pay for it~~by all means, i would sell it (after playing around with it a bit)

SELL THAT THING!!!!!

What about swapping it?

If another collector has something you want but won't sell, they may be better persuaded by a pen they'd prefer to have in their collection. Great result, both parties are happy and have the pens they want and, from your point of view, the outlay has been minimal!

A number of items in my collection came by this route!

Andy

Really would depend upon what it was, but most likely, sell it.

I enjoy & appreciate the craftmanship & functionality of old pens (& old things in general), so I don't really based my collections on "market value" only. Many of my favorite pens are Estes, "51" , 50s Watermans, & Snorkels/Touchdowns; they are not expensive, but they look & perform like no others.

If I were lucky enough to get a FP that are sumgai of the century but not to my collection taste, I'd probably keep it until I can trade with someone who are really into that particular style. In that case everyone is happy, & that pen will be truly appreciated by the new owner.

Dave

If you would really appreciate having that pen to admire and/or use, then keep it.

If you're honestly not sure whether you like it that much or not, then keep it for now - you can always sell it later.

If this pen doesn't actually interest you deeply, and the only reason you bought it is that you know it's worth far more than you paid, then sell it to a person who (a) does really really want that pen and (b ) is not worried about the money. It's probably worth it to take your time looking for that special person, in order to maximize your profit.

And don't feel guilty if you end up deciding you simply bought it to sell at a profit. There's no shame in that.

This is a complicated question. As a user, if I found something like this and it wrote great for me, I'd keep it for sure. If it didn't - it would fund some other pens. But were I a collector, I'd probably have to go with what Richard said. Good question.

As said before, I too would not know if I came across a rare pen (unless some recent collector series pen). If I discovered I had a truly rare pen, I'd likely offer it back to the manufacturer or sell it to someone who would properly care for it. For instance (and certainly JMO): I shake my head sadly when I hear of superb art collections being locked-away in private homes.

If the pen was just rare (condition-wise) but the pen "spoke to me": I'd keep it. One brand comes to mind: 'vintage' Conway Stewart. It seems that it is unusual **not** to find some brassing on the clip, lever, and band. When I come across one that has seen little use or NOS, the pen will command a large price tag (in my mind, anyway).

Paul