Hi Folks,
I found a gift set my mom gave me in the 80s. Doing some research on the net, it seems to be an expensive set.

It has both the fountain and ball point pens; fountain pen never used - actually all 8 cartridge refills dried up and the ball point only test scribbled. It also has a small metallic contraption this newbie has no clue as to its use.

It's made in France and has the 18K written on the nib.

Besides the sentimental value (which I'm still debating), is this something I should hold onto? I saw just the fountain pen alone being sold for $400 on ebay.

What can I get for the full set? (see image).


Thanks!!

Hesh

The Le Man 100 is one of the great pens of the 20th century. IF you are going to use a fountain pen I would certainly hang on to it. To find it's modern equal would cost you a very pretty penny indeed.

I just checked recently sold Le Man 100 pens on E-bay. I saw a sterling silver one went for $207.00. Two were sold like the one you have for $175.00 each and a Briarwood one sold for $289.00. The ball point would be cheaper.

Waterman's flagship pen. You should keep it. Like Muhammad Ali, it is the The Greatest.

Thanks for your feedback!
~H

If anyone is reading this...one more question...what is that metal cylinder object in the case???

Thanks!

~H

Looks like a converter


......Stani

It is a converter used to fill pen with ink from a bottle. It fits where the cartridge would go and you squeeze the metal to compress the sac with the nib in the ink when you release the metal tab the rubber sac will suck ink into the pen as it returns to its normal shape.

Nice find !

Thanks again for your help!

======


Hey, when did Waterman do THAT converter? I have only seen piston converters for W'man.

Keep it!!
Don't sell it, you can always find a user grade pen pretty cheap.
Good luck with whatever you decide

I suspect on sentimental reasons alone if you sell the set, the day will come when you'll
wish you hadn't.

You have one of the nicest pens Waterman made, (and never made anything like
afterwards) and it will "cost" you exactly ZIP to keep it in your possession.

If you aren't already, and there's a scintilla of a chance you'll be interested in FP's
some day, you may well go to great lengths to get another one of what you already
have but it WON'T have that sentimental value this one does.

I have a Man 200 (the thinner version of your pen) and it's a Very Nice pen that NO
WAY would I ever let go of.

About 45 years ago, my Dad gave me (what I have since determined and didn't know
of care about then was) a Parker 51 FP which being a dumb kid, I promptly lost.

I've since spent ALOT more than he did on his pen to get another as close to it as
possible, but it's STILL not the same pen.

Don't sell it.

Bruce in Ocala, FL

PS The Lemans pen you saw on Fleabay "being sold" for $400 is an Opera. I think they are even
somewhat harder to find than your black Lemans.

However, being offered with a starting bid of $400 and "being sold" for $400 are two entirely different
things. I think the seller is being hallucinationally optimistic in his pricing...(You'll also note that one
one has nibbled at that opening bid yet)

Bruce in Ocala, FL

Greetings Hesh,

I didn't read all of the posts to your initial questions about your Waterman Le Man 100 set so I don't know if what I'm going to say has been mention. However, it's worth mentioning a second time.

The Waterman Le Man 100 set you have is an anniversary set. This is the first release of this series for Waterman. This is special. If you read your nib, it should also have dates imprinted on the nib. Something like 1883-1983.

In addition to that, the serial numbers on the fountain pen and the ball point pen may match. Finding a set like this and in this mint condition is highly unusual. And from a collector's (mine) point of view you cannot get the money for the set that it's worth.

I understand that someone has a Le Man 100 up for sale starting at $400.00. It's been there for a few months. And there is absolutely no price comparison between the metal based and wood based Le Man 100 series pens - each have their own relative values - so don't base your price on those amounts.

You may be able to sell your set for $350 -$400 but don't count on it. That would have to be a private sale done outside of eBay or even this forum. Still, the relative worth from a collector's perspective and the familial ties make this set worth so much more than the money you might get for it.

I would suggest to you that you keep the set until you are much, much older and have silver white hair. Then sell it or turn it down to your family.

Now, that all being said, I collect these. Wanna talk?

Peace,

Bruce in Ocala, FL

whew, glad I didn't chuck this on my move to the east coast! i had no clue it was a collectors item...always kept it around b/c mom gave it to me...

Thanks everyone in the forum for your input and advice; especially Bruce and Phroneo. guess the majority view is that i hold onto it.

now i just need to find the replacement catridges...can you believe it...all the ones that came with this set have dried up w/o being used!!

Thanks again!

~H

=


Get bottled ink and use the converter. HAHAHAHA, wait til you see all the colours out there these days!
Order inks and cartridges from http://www.swisherpens.com or http://www.joon.com or http://www.fountainpenhospital.com or http://www.pendemonium.com


satrap
who, two years ago, snagged an Opera for LESS THAN FIFTY BUCKS!

Hesh,

I just got a new Waterman converter. I checked all the above vendors (xcept TFPH) and www.PeartreePens.com was the cheapet by a couple dollars. (Queue ulterior motive) While you're at it, you can go ahead and submit an order for the 4 vial ink sampler from them so you'll get 4 different inks to play with for about $5-6. Get the eyedropper bottled ones unless you have a syringe laying around as you'll need that (or the eyedropper on the vial) to fill the converter with. There's not enough ink in the sample vial to fill the pen via the nib. If I could make a suggestion on one of your
samples, try Noodlers Midnight Blue. It's a very nice Blue/Black, almost a black but with a definant blue to it (not a green or gray tint like some), It's a nice classic color for the Man. I don't know of any of the other vendors that do the sample deal and it's a nice, cheap way to sample 4 different inks at a time. (If you do this, feel free to ping me via a PM before you start and I'll give you some tips to get you going with as little muss and fuss as possible.)

Before you place the order, go to the Ink review area here and gander around. There are links there where you can go compare different colors from different ink makers and reviews from FPN'ers either hand written in the reviewed ink or with scanned writing samples.

Picking out the perfect ink (and paper) can be almost as frustrat^h^h^h^fun as picking out the perfect pen. You already have one of the best pens, now go find yasef some nice juice for it!

Bruce in Ocala, FL

I don't know who's the "luckiest" here, Satrap for getting a Opera for <$50 or Hesh for getting a Man 100 for FREEBERS
as his first fountain pen.

Either one of yall any good at pickin' out lottery numbers?

Bruce in Ocala, FL

Thanks, Bruce.

So (cleary a newbie here), for most collectables one would not want to use it...but in the fountain pen world, is it ok to use? or would it be worse to never use it?

I was thinking of just going to staples and pickingup some cartridges to start off with but I will see what the experts say about whether i should or shouldn't use this set...

Thanks again!
~Hesh

====

No lottery numbers, but I did get a free LeMan 100 STERLING

Hello Hesh,

Pertaining to your musing about whether or not to use your Le Man 100 pen set - use it, by all means, and use with unbridled joy. Once you get used to writing with a fountain pen, and in particular with the Le Man 100 nib, you'll wonder why you ever used a ball point pen.

And even with that, the Le Man 100 ball point pen is a joy to use. It is well balanced and though heavy, I've found that ti doesn't tire my hand.

There is just on caveat about using these pens, under no circumstances let anyone else use your special writing instruments. I always carry a spare ball point in case someone asks if they can borrow my pen - I hand them a nice pen, but not my good pens.

Another thing about using one's fine writing instruments. I truly believe that if one has some beautiful item that it shouldn't be kept in a drawer only to be brought out once or twice a year for special occasions. Good silverware, china, and crystal are excellent examples of this.

My wife and I use our silver, china, and crystal every day for dinner. It's not that we're trying to 'put on airs' - it's just that it was made to be used, so why not? The thing is, even dinners that aren't so well made seem to go down better when one is eating at a pretty table.

I feel the same about my writing instruments. They were made to be used not to sit in a pen case looking pretty all of the time. I just love the feel of a good nib on paper or the way light catches the chasing of the Waterman Opera as I write. It's the joy of using those special items one has that inspires me.

So, use this wonderful and thoughtful gift from your mother to you. She was very considerate to have purchased this particular set for you. Use it with joy.

Peace,

Phroneo

Good stuff...thanks Phroneo.
~H

Hesh, first FWIW, I am TOTALLY in agreement with Phroneo. (and I'm just a Noob here too)

I've bought about 12 what I like to think are pretty nice pens in the past 2 1/2 months and
NONE of them are going to be "display case queens". I suspect there are collectors that
keep pens they never ink but I'm sure not one of them.

That being said, I'd like to add a couple points to Phroneo's excellent post.

While you SHOULD use your new pens, you should also take good care of them. I myself would
be careful about how I carried such a nice pen. You can get a very nice, secure leather one
or two pen case (very small and easy to carry) on ebay for $20 or less to protect your pens if you
carry them away from home. For now, I'd probably keep them in their box unless you are using them.
They ARE that nice of pens. 5 of my pens are restored Esterbrooks. Now, they all costs me less
than $40 each, but are at least 50 years old and look and write as good if not better than the day they
were made, and, away from home, they travel in a pen case. I like them all too much and respect
the time and effort "my" pen restorer spent on them to do otherwise.

1 more like point relative to your Man 100. This is NOT to dissuade you from using it or carrying it
(Get A Case for it!) buttt, it is one thing to keep in mind. While Waterman does have a lifetime
warranty on that grade of pens, it is at least 20 years old now. It is possible that if something
is damaged bad enough to require a part replacement that Waterman may no longer have the
parts and parts for a Man 100 may be harder to find elsewhere than the pen itself. Things happen,
pens get dropped, fall out of pockets, etc; and you lesson greatly the chance of them getting
damaged if they are in a case when they're not actually being used.

Get some ink, use your pen, enjoy it and treat it with the repect and care a nice writing instrument
deserves. It will serve you well for many years to come.

(I did kind of chuckle thinking of one "downside" to your first real pen being a Man 100. You are
kind of starting at "the top of the foodchain" here. While there are few pens that write any better
than your pen, there are metric assloads that don't write as well. So far as getting other pens
it is going to be easy for you to get spoiled with your pen. But, that's not really a downside at
all!)

Bruce in Ocala, FL

MMMMMMMMM. Purty. Welcome to FPN.

Oh yeah, and don't let ANYONE use that pen , except for Mom, of course. Well, and me

satrap
who can't believe she forgot to tell Bruce about the FREE CORAL PATRICIAN, as well as the HALF PRICE JADE PATRICIAN. Oh well, I'll tell him later.

Let's have a wrestle...

Why SHOULD you use a pen? Often, I fine the beauty of a pen is as much in its being, as in its use. A friend of mine used to collect hand grenades... he didn't use them in order to appreciate them.

An extreme example.... but if you have a large collection (I am lucky to have around 60 pens including 10 Man 100s and 3 Man 200s), then why use all of them? My Rockwell Duofold, Delta Napoleon and Omas Signs for the Children, for example, will never see ink. If I ink them, I immediately devalue them and, while I can keep all 60ish at the moment, I may have to cash in some day and a mint pen is always more value than an inked one.

So, I keep my precious pens safe and rotate many, but not all, of the others. In my collection of Man 100s, I have inked green and blue Patricians and the Opera, but the others, including a mint Coral Patrician, sit pretty. I will probably try out my gold-plated specimen and sterling models at some point as they have been inked before, but I'm in no rush. Indeed, let's think about vintage wine... do you crack open that '56 Petrus or keep it laid down and just enjoy the pleasure of owning it....

Once asked why he lived in London, rather than the country, when it was so dirty, rife with disease and full of pretention, Oscar Wilde was said to have explained... "Why, the theatres, museum and art galleries."

The riposte came quickly, "But, Oscar, you never go to any of those."

Our genius's reply?

"Ah, yes, but I could...."

I second that in every way. Am looking currently at buying a Le Man 100 Patrician and am going to have to pay a lot. Just like Bruce I was given a Parker FP as a present when I was 13 - for winning a scholarship. It disappeared (I lost it or it was taken) several years later. Nearly forty years later I replaced it - that cost me nearly £300, as I wanted a really really good replacement of the exact same model. But it isn't the pen I wrote my way to university with.

Thomas

Depends on what you call a lot, but if you're prepared to wait, you shouldn't have to pay more than £150 for a Patrician. Blue ones are harder to come by and demand a premium, but the coral and emerald versions are more reasonable. On ebay, I paid £130 for a mint coral, £125 for a near mint blue and £43 for an excellent emerald!

Depends on what you call a lot, but if you're prepared to wait, you shouldn't have to pay more than £150 for a Patrician. Blue ones are harder to come by and demand a premium, but the coral and emerald versions are more reasonable. On ebay, I paid £130 for a mint coral, £125 for a near mint blue and £43 for an excellent emerald!
[/quote]

It will be more, but for that I can see and try out the pen alongside several others, get a guarantee and good back-up. It rules out some of the chance element. I want to see the colour of the pen at first hand as the examples shown on this site show the inconsistency of colour & brightness representation. But I'm not ruling out eBay for future purchases.

On ebay things are sold always in as is condition and ebay so called mint is not really mint. Plus nothing sold on ebay has a warranty. Cheap prices don't exist with Patricians. On the european market a green patrician or a red one is priced at 280 euros and the blue one at 300euros, the macassar, briar, oliver, fontainebleau wood man 100s start at 280-300euros and silver man 100s start at 500euros. Ebay is buy at your risk place, there is no real after sales service and people who sell these pens are very often collectors not pen restorers or pen repair men. Rule out places like epray because when you buy something with your hard earned money , it better has to be the real thing and on ebay the real thing is rarely real.

Georges... you are a bitter, bitter man...

I presume you've had a bad experience or two with ebay.... however, a very large percentage of the world's population and quite a few pen collectors both sell and buy quite happily on ebay... yes, there are some charlatans out there, and some people who don't know how to describe goods accurately.... but the majority (in my experience of almost transactions) are honest and relatively accurate.

Also, if you buy a pen via FPN or any other non-retail route, you have no warranty... warranties are not transferable, whether they are stated to be 'lifetime' or not. Again, one trusts the honesty of the person at the other end of the 'net.

As for Patricians.... I bought a truly mint Coral FP/BP set for 200 euros, an excellent blue FP for 130 euros and a pretty darn good emerald FP for 60 euros.

Amen Dusty.

IMO, as long as one keeps in mine "Caveat Emptor", for me Fleabay has been a godsend.

Now, I am no major veteren there, having bought maybe 25-30 items, but I have only had the slightest difficulty
with 2 of them and both times those sellers made good attempts to make things right.

I know of NO, Not One vintage pen dealer in the whole state where I live. Richard Binder said he didn't even know
of any in FL. Without Ebay, it would have been impossible for me to have bought a few pens (and other items) for
anywhere near what I paid for them, if at all.

Now I AM careful to usually bid only on things that are clearly described and have clear pictures and don't hesitate
to ask the seller questions. If my questions aren't answered, I don't bid. But, I also have not had an instance where
I can say honestly that I've "gotten taken" by a seller either.

Maybe I've just been lucky, but I think some of that has been "luck" I've made myself. My Ebay pen purchases
have been for equal to or less prices than I've seen even in our Marketplace and so far, the pens conditions
have been also near equal.

Again, almost without exception, not only have my Ebay deals been fair and for fair prices but have also
been for items that would have been largely unobtainable with alot of hassle otherwise.

PS Dusty, I DO have to make one small correction though. Crosses pen warranty expressly states that you don't
have to be the pen's original purchaser, so therefore, it IS FULLY TRANSFERABLE.

Bruce in Ocala, FL

How many years ago did you buy those? Price of courses were not the same two or three years ago. Of course in some case warranty are not transferrable. I have seen a lot of people I know trapped through ebay. None denies that you can have good deals. I simply can't buy a thing that I can't see and that I haven't tested, plus customer after sales services is of the highest importance to me. Unlike other people, I don't praise ebay because it is always a risky game and sometimes you have more expenses spent into repairs than something else. I never bought anything from ebay and never will. But to each their own, I am too traditional in my way of buying.

Hesh - Just to echo a few thoughts of others. Magnificent pens!! The Man 100 series is the best. I have a FP like the one your Mother gave you plus an Opera, same size but a pattern on the barrel.

I would only add that, should you ever use your pen, test the converter first - if you choose to try it. The style converter you have used to have a rubber or other similar material making up the bladder inside the converter. If the cartridges had dried up, you can probably guess that the rubber bladder has dried out too. If you attempt to fill the converter, you may end up with an inky mess inside the barrel, on your hands and on a counter...or worse, the floor or heirloom Persian rug your Mother also gave you. The simple solution is to buy a more modern replacement Waterman (different brands have different sizes) converter that is of the piston design. It should fit without problem.

Good luck and enjoy the pens in whatever manner is your choosing. It's a great set. Think I'll go ink up my Man 100 now and bring it back into rotation.

Scribe75