I am currently facing a very big dilemma in my pen collecting career. I recently purchased a Limited Edition Visconti Golden Nugget pen. I have accepted the fact that I paid too much for it, but that is not the question. The question is that I bought this pen as semi-investment (only 88 produced) with the INTENT to sell it. It was not purchased to be inked, but to be stored (please limit your gasps). Do to that fact, I have not "bonded" with the pen, and now that I have a reason for selling it, I want to sell it. Or should I say I wanted to. I finally decided to put it in the Marketplace, when I went to get it out of its resting place. I pulled back the paper, opened the beautiful box, and played with the pen in my hands. It really is stunning, and it has the double reservoir power filler, which I was initially drawn to. So that is the background information and here is the question:

Do I sell this pen, which was its intended purpose, in order to finance another pen purchase (see avatar) or do I keep the pen enjoy it and struggle to find other ways of financing the bigger purchase?


I know that many of you will find this topic silly because you buy and sell pens all of the time with constant rotation of your collection.

Thanks for your help, and depending on the results, you will either see this pen in the Marketplace or under the Fountain Pen Review page.

-Cody

Stay focused on the Grail pen and don't look back. I realize that's easy to say but it would be my personal plan. It's not a silly question as I am sure more than a few have been there.

Sell the pen and buy the squid! you should own pens that you use and enjoy not just look at.

Kurt

If you want the Dragon pen, the sell the Visconti. But be prepared to take a financial hit as the overwhelming majority of pens regardless of quality or material do not resell for the same or a higher value. Therefore, pens as an investment are probably the worst choice (unless you are highly specialized in super rare vintage pens etc.). Let them afford you pleasure and bond with them heavily.

If it's going to sit in a drawer and hopefully go up in value, I think your chances are better with stocks and bonds. If it's a toy, buy the toy you like.

Go with Plan A. Get the pen you really, really want.

Also, I think you'll feel better about it overall. I mean, if I were in your position, I think I would feel better about it.

I think you have your goal in mind. I would go ahead and sell the pen and buy the one you want. I personally don't want to own pens that I don't use, so my opinion may be skewed somewhat. /Craig

Thanks for all of the advice. I do want to make one point clear, though. If I were to keep the pen, then it would become a regularly used pen in my rotation.

Also, I have also considered selling my uninked old style Omas Paragon Arco, but for some reason it does not have its head on the chopping block. If the Golden Nugget was a classic like the Arco or a special Duofold or the like, would selling it still be the majority answer?

-Cody

Your question is not silly. Most of us go through a moment like this at one time or another.

I also encourage you to stay with your plan and go for the grail pen.

You like what you like, and it being a "classic" doesn't mean you care about it.

Me, I want to have my collection be pens I care about, you know?

Sell it, unless you think you'll really lose sleep over letting it go. Buy the pen you've been dreaming of.

Given your pen buying price range and your appreciation of the Visconti, why not keep it and still go for the Jules? Life is short. Keep what gives you great enjoyment. Although limited editions will retain their value better than regular editions, in general they rarely increase in value. Vintage pens of the past appreciating were made well before the widespread creation of intentional limited editions. So I suspect modern pens won't tend to appreciate much, certainly not to the break-even point or beyond given their rather high initial prices.