I've come across a Paul Wirt eyedropper. It's a plain jane - Chased BHR, slip cap, 5 3/16' long, Wirt No. 1 nib, and a 1903 patd date. Pretty nice condition, but the nib has lost one of its iridium points.

I probably won't keep it, but I haven't got a clue as to value or if I should retip it prior to marketing it.

Any ideas?

Hi Buzz,

I don't have an idea on value of Wirt pens, but I do have an opinion on retipping for resale. I don't think you should retip it as it would probably draw less interest. Don't get me wrong as someone who does not like retipping pens - I have a couple pens that have been retipped because I wanted to use them and knowing I could not get a proper replacement without incurring a large cost (#8 Waterman anyone?). Unless you do retipping yourself, you could save some money and not invest more into the pen. It does hurt the value with one of the tips missing, but it also give the potential buyer flexibility to retip now or later. It also gives an opportunity for those who like to keep the pen as "original" as it can be.
On the other hand, having it retipped would save potential buyers time (not necessarily money) when receiving the pen if they wanted to do that in the first place.

Just my 1.93 cents (devalued dollar)

Best,
Al