Hi all:

I've been digging through the pen reviews and some of the online stores and ran across Tibaldi. Can anyone tell me why these pens are priced so sky high? I mean they are pretty and just ooze that same certain something you find with a Kiton suit, but egads the prices are steep, are they super smooth, ultra rare, only produced on the second Tuesday of each month???

tom.

Are you talking about the celluloid Tibaldis, or the new metal ones?
The celluloid Tibaldis were produced by a now vanished company, which itself was a resurrection of the first Tibaldi company. The new metal ones are made by the third Tibaldi company.

As the production of the celluloids has ended years ago, the available ones are from the dwindling NOS numbers. The total production numbers were low anyway, allthough I don't belive they were as low as declared.
The original prices were really high, maybe to position them above OMAS or MB.

But they are BEAUTIFUL

I won my Tibaldi Impero for € 219 on ebay as the only bidder. This price is ok for a large and georgeous celluloid pen.

Unless they were made from some "man made" element, and still then, there is nothing in those pens that could not be remade again today.
But you are paying for the style, materials, rarity, and "market value" for any pen out there.
Only you can decide what its worth to you.
Sellers will sell at what Buyers are willing to pay.
Is it you favorite color and shape? You may be willing to pay a lot for it.
Something I absolutely love and have been searching for my entire life may turn your stomach and make you run away.

My best guess would be they sell for that much because people are will to pay that much.

Well, to be quite honest, ever since the LA Show, the price of the Older Tibaldi pens such as the Impero, Iride and the Modello 60 have dropped dramatically. The Fellow who bought the remainder of the pens from Tibaldi after they went under, had literally hundereds of Tibaldi pens. Now the Modello 60 which went for 500+ is down to 200.00 if not less.

The Celluloid on these pens are among one of the best I have ever seen. In fact the Celluloid on the Impero and Iride were used on the Bexley owners club pens. I rate them up there with the OMAS Celluloid and the Stipula celluloids.

TNS

The Impero, yes - Iride, no

Speaking of which, I'm still looking for a Submariner Grande in that Silver/Grey/Blue celluloid.

New Tibaldi :
You are most likely paying for the bling-factor. To much metal IMHO.

Old Tibaldi:
Pretty celluloid but also gaining a reputation as one with piston problems and cracks This explains Lex's pneumatic filler solution to that of the piston for better performance.