What is the best deal you got for a pen ?

[Kelly G]

I've had some decent luck during the last few years, mostly at estate auctions, some at antique shops. Without digging out the pen cases, here are a few that come to mind:

OS Wahl Signature RHR Greek key chased - $6.00

Waterman 52 ripple rhr - $6.00

Parker GF 61 set - $10.00

Parker Duofold Sr. Burgundy Streamlined - $12.00

Waterman 452 (missing clip); Sklyline in grey; Parker Lucky curve BCHR rt (perfect exc. missing nib),Parker vac DJ Lockdown filler green (missing btm. jewel), Eversharp 5th Ave, Skyline pencil, Parker 21, Remington Combo - all for $5.00

Sheaffer Jade Balance, the long thin version w/near perfect color and a stub nib - $12.00

Sr. Endura lapis - $35.00

Parker Striped Duofold Vac, Sheaffer jade flat top, Estie bandless dollar pencil, Diamond Medal w/8 nib - $40.00

Wahl green & bronze two band desk pen - $6.00

Waterman 12 SF w/gold band - $6.00

Wahl gf metal deco w/#5 nib - $16.00

A bunch of Estie's and Sheaffer TD's, Snorks, and Skylines for a few bucks apiece.

 

I have made some good buys on e-bay, but my best buys have come at estate auctions. The "good" auctions are infrequent and you look at a lot of junk in the process, but it's a lot of fun to score a great pen for a few bucks. Fortunately, in my part of the world the average auction goer has no interest in old fp's.

 

[sivaguru]

I bought 2 18ct solid gold brand new cross Signet gold ballpoint pens in Abu Dhabi for $765 each. They cannot be found anywhere else and they are also not available in eBay.

 

Today cross century 18ct solid gold pens are selling for $3500.

 

I do not know if these were good buys.

[chromantic]

Either the $16.50 P45 Flighter or the $22.50 NOS Snorkel "Special" FP and pencil set.

[Tasmith]

Montblanc 146, $180 new. Retailer was getting rid of Montblancs.

[torstar]

New MB Proust for $600, friend was thinning out the collection, about 5-6 years after it was released.

Edited March 2, 2017 by torstar

[Jamesbeat]

I bought a silver plated Yard-o-Led pencil on eBay about ten years ago back when I lived in the UK.

 

I was the only bidder, and ended up getting it for £15.

 

When I received it, I discovered that it was actually solid silver!

 

Unfortunately I lost it during a move, which serves me right I guess...

[ItsMeDave]

I got a new Visconti HS Bronze Age from a brick & mortar for about 60% of the street price because of the poor service I received during a previous purchase.

[Sleebus]

Got a Sheaffer Valliant fat Touchdown in Persian Blue for $12.50 on eBay, which seemed OK at the time, but now I'm hard pressed to find one for under $50. So, not a huge deal, but not bad.

[katerchen]

Basically brand new, pristine M800 Green Stripes without box& papers for $210 (incl. shipping) from a fellow member.

[mcorrea]

I think I've already told this story here, but a few years ago I saw an Aurora Optima in Blue auroloide in a store window of an office supply store in Santiago, Chile. I asked the price and the sales person told me that it was damaged because it had been in this window, where the sun hit it directly for a few hours every day. The auroloide had swollen, it was very noticeable in the barrel because they left it in the window with the cap posted, so there was a section that had not swollen because of being covered by the cap and a very noticeable line where the edge of the cap was when posted. I asked if he was willing to sell it for a discount. He quoted a price equivalent to about 50 USD. I tried to look cool while I told him 'OK, I'll take it'. I got an italic nib for it from Aurora. The nib was rather dry and scratchy, so the pen did not see much use.

 

A few months ago I took it out and decided I had done enough tinkering on cheaper pens to try my hand at this one. I increased the flow and realigned the tines. Now it writes nice juicy and smooth, although it has the typical Aurora feedback, which I find very pleasant. The other surprise was that after some years kept away from the light, the material has returned to normal size, there is absolutely no sign of the damage the sun caused and is now one of my favourite pens to write and to look at.

 

Matias

[ethernautrix]

My first Nakaya Piccolo Cigar (solid black) was $250. And $25 for the kanji of my name. *Sigh*

[marcelo]

$125 for a brand new Waterman Carene Sand. 😀

[MYU]

$125 shipped for a Pilot M90, new in box. That was when they first came out. I sure wish I'd bought 3 more. Today, they often sell between $400~$500 dollars!

[inkstainedruth]

Best deal was probably the Parker 41 I found at an estate sale a year and a half ago. It was the fifth place I had hit that morning, and when I saw the stacks of clear plastic tubs and bins in the driveway of the place I didn't have my hopes up. But since I was there, I went on in. On the second floor there was a little office at the top of the stairs, and they were selling stuff like 3 ring binders and notepads. There was a shoebox full of random pens and pencils for $5, but since it was mostly ballpoints I mostly didn't want the contents. So I started digging. And *something* made me keep digging, till I was almost at the bottom (the box was nearly full, and there were a LOT of ballpoints) and suddenly I spotted a Parker clip! Thought it was a 21 at first when I pulled it out. No, it's s 41 -- no clue about the model, but what the heck. Took it back outside and said "I found this in the box of pens and pencils in the office -- how much for just this?" and the woman shrugged and said "50¢...."

Took it and a bunch of other vintage pens to an appraisal show the next day -- and that pen was what the appraiser's assistant was *most* interested in. Not the 1926 Duofold ringtop I'd picked up for $12 US a couple of months before. Not the 1937 Vac Red Shadow Wave. Not the Plum 51 Demi. Not the Morrison gold-filled filigree overlay ringtop (that one the guy said was worth what I'd paid for it). Nope. It was the pen I thought at first was a 21....

Don't know if it ever actually aired (I missed one episode of the show) but I got a call a month after the appraisal day from some assistant producer -- my "man on the street" interviewer with a KDKA-TV reporter before I got in the door was supposed to be aired at some point! And she was calling to find out the appraisal value so they could do a crawl at the bottom of the screen during the clip. Mind you, I did not get to be one of the *big* attractions that actually got interviewed in depth in their makeshift studio on the first floor of the Heinz History Center.... When I went 3-4 years before (with a family heirloom music box I inherited), I got interviewed by the same reporter, and then when I was sitting waiting in the "toys" area, he walked past and said "I really like that!"... and then proceeded to interview the people sitting two over from me about their 1930s Chinese checkers game (which DID get real airtime, IIRC... ).

Next time I go I may bring the factory-stub nabbed Snorkel I got a year ago Thanksgiving for $20. I went to the "Doctor Lori Comedy Appraisal Show" last year at the Pittsburgh Home Show and *she* said it was worth $40. Of course she ALSO said it was from around 1910.... (Uh, really? It's a SNORKEL, cupcake... you're off by about 4 decades). Of course what do expect from someone who oohed and aahed about a hand tinted photograph of Czar Nicholas II and family (someone's ancestor was a tax collector in some little Russian village). Okay, it was large, and there was some provenance -- but it was a hand-tinted photo! Even I knew that. And that's without a PhD in Art History from Penn State.

The other things I may take to the next appraisal day (which will be in August, I think), -- just for giggles (they're probably not worth a lot) -- are the Carter's print I found in Punxatawney last year, and the magazine ad I got on eBay (both are from the Albert Staehle illustrations with the white cat and her ink-colored kittens). The print apparently you could send away for with a coupon (I don't have that ad but I've seen it); the magazine page shows the kittens playing baseball with the Mama cat being the umpire and is just adorable. And I don't even collect ephemera normally....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[JotterAddict62]

$1 for a Waterman #12 eyedropper with a right oblique nib that needs a little work.

 

$2 for a P51 Vac with a sterling silver cap with no dings or dents.

 

That is all I will tease you with.

[Orpilorp]

Eversharp Doric in Carnelian Brown, $2.00. (Marked 'brown pen, $2')

 

Parker Vacumatic, $1.00. (In a cigar box full of advertising ballpoints.)

 

Parker 51, $2.00. (In a box of junk pens marked '$4 -- now 50% off')

 

All of these pens were in perfect working order. I brought them home, crossed my fingers before inking them up, and voila! they worked.

 

However my favorite buy has been a 1930s era, orange Wearever bulb filler, $10.00.

 

OK, just one more. Last weekend I found an Eversharp demonstrator dip pen in mint condition. It would have been used in a stationery store so the customer could try the various J series nibs before purchasing a pen. Just screw in the nib you want, dip it in some ink, then write a few lines. Price? $5.00 which included the desktop pen holder.

 

 

-- to correct a typo

Edited March 4, 2017 by Orpilorp

[Mastiff]

Not myself, but I remember reading a post by a lady member who had bought an NOS OMAS arco set for something like $5 at a Salvation Army store.

[johnsi02]

Sheaffer Triumph 444 that someone had stuck an xf 14k nib section onto. Great little writer, $20 with shipping.

[Lam1]

I've had a bit of luck in the last few months.

 

Last July, while on vacations at Glaciers, I found a Parker Vacumatic Major in excellent condition & an Eversharp pencil for $4.

 

Later on I found an Eversharp Doric in excellent condition, a spare Eversharp nib and feed and a lovely Waterman 52 in great condition but without the cap for $11.

 

In another trip I found 2 Sheaffers Admiral, one Craftsman (all touchdown filler), a 51 Demi all in excellent condition, plus a Laughlin in great shape except for a tiny nick on the cap lip, a black Parker Vacumatic with perfect transparency but missing the cap, and a tuckaway for parts, all for $30.

 

A month ago I found a Gold Bond which was certainly made by Waterman, with a keyhole nib, for $10.

 

Finally, while traveling today I (actually my wife) found a CBHR Moore non-leakable safety in pristine condition (just very minimal discoloration), a Moore L-92 CBHR a bit discolored and a little worn (imprint legible, but not sharp) but still in great shape, an Eversharp Skyline excellent+, a Majestic Combo (14k nib), a no name with 14 k nib and a no name combo, all for the grand total of $8.55 (tax included). Can't wait to get home and play with them.

[Cryptos]

Don't think I've ever had a good deal. There have been a few promising ones, but they all turned out to be lemons of various sizes.