Eversharp Skylines More Expensive Now

[welch]

I have a few Skylines...a brown demi, a burgundy and a blue full-size with gold-filled caps and soft medium nibs, one blue stiff medium nib with gold-filled cap, and one all "brown" super-soft.

 

They all fit the hand perfectly, balance perfectly, and the Skyline nib is the all-time best (I say). Easy enough to re-sac, even without a breather tube.

 

Yes, also had a brown cap shatter as I hand-cleaned it with sunshine cloth. It was gleaming one second and the next it was fragments. Also got one that arrived with chips missing. It now works, after I filled the chips with shellac and such, and but it's not to be sold.

 

All bought around 2010 or 2011 for less than $35. Mostly about $25. Ah, well!

 

Too many varieties of Skyline to collect, but they write oh so well. My "soft" brown pen is much softer than a modern "semi-flex" Pilot Falcon.

[Oldtimer]

Yeah, right. I just sold a completely restored Skyline with a semiflex nib, honey stripe cap, and it went for a mere $32. With all the upward movement of Skyline prices obviously I got played.

You did not advertise here?

[Oldtimer]

I have seen the same increase. i bought a restored one for about $40 las year and now cannot get anything in her conditions for that prize. I guess I will hold her for a while.

[Cryptos]

Yes, it was advertised here. Nobody interested. It was a really nice pen too. The eBay buyer got a great deal. I would have preferred someone here got that deal. I don't think the classifieds is a place to associate with the 'sumgai' concept. What I do think is that you should get a certain amount of reassurance that you are buying from an enthusiast who knows their way around a pen. Why mine didn't sell here is debatable. Could be that there really was no interest in Skylines at that time, though I am more inclined to think that my relative newness was a red flag too. That and some other personal issues around at that time.

 

Water under the bridge now. I do have one Skyline left. A presentation model in fabulous condition. Sits in a drawer as I am unsure what I want to do with it: sell or keep as exemplar.

[DerTiefster]

Well, I am lately trying to learn about flex nibs and have purchased a so-equipped (that is, very flexible, advertisedly) Skyline from Minuskin. Its price was rather above what you folks are now discussing. I am a n00b in this pond, interested in learning things and in need of an artistic outlet such as is provided by lettering/calligraphy. If any of you finds your auctions in danger of closing below $25, give a holler. I might divert myself from my present Parker 75 focus enough to buy your pen for almonds, rather than let it go for mere peanuts. Well, that's less serious-sounding than I meant for it to sound, but you get my drift. And I am serious, more to be so if I find myself falling in love with the Skyline.

[KBeezie]

Well, I am lately trying to learn about flex nibs and have purchased a so-equipped (that is, very flexible, advertisedly) Skyline from Minuskin. Its price was rather above what you folks are now discussing. I am a n00b in this pond, interested in learning things and in need of an artistic outlet such as is provided by lettering/calligraphy. If any of you finds your auctions in danger of closing below $25, give a holler. I might divert myself from my present Parker 75 focus enough to buy your pen for almonds, rather than let it go for mere peanuts. Well, that's less serious-sounding than I meant for it to sound, but you get my drift. And I am serious, more to be so if I find myself falling in love with the Skyline.

If it's advertised with flex, it's most likely going over $25 especially in the last few seconds. (it's best to try to scope out nibs that are not mentioned as flex or firm/etc, and by looking at the nib kind of guestimate how it might be flexy, such as extra long tine lines compared to most the others as an example).

 

And I only consider it flexible if it requires very little pressure to spread the tines (ie: if you push it to your thumbnail, if the tipping spread before the area under your nail turns white, then it has potential to be flex, Noodler's flex nib, won't spread til well after that point, so I don't consider them flex, just springy nibs with a high tolerance to extreme pressure). I mention that mainly because if you do pick up a vintage flex nib, do not push it anywhere close to the amount of pressure modern nibs need to spread, you *will* damage it.

Edited September 7, 2015 by KBeezie

[missuslovett]

I've been watching Skylines too. Lovely design and I love Eversharp nibs, especially flex. Just seen a shiny blue pen with striated cap cheerfully climbing above $70. As I'm in the UK, the exchange rate is favourable but that's offset by the shipping costs. I must snag one soon. They tweak at my greedy bone. I had a Goldseal Flexible nib that flexed if you looked at it...

 

*Just edited to add that I'd love to browse the classifieds but most of the vendors only ship to the US

Edited September 8, 2015 by missuslovett

[Cryptos]

My last Skyline has been up on the Bay for the last 3 weeks. Not a single nibble. Annoying really.

[missuslovett]

My last Skyline has been up on the Bay for the last 3 weeks. Not a single nibble. Annoying really.

 

 

It might be one of the ones I'm watching. I have my speculative gaze on several!

[Cryptos]

I would doubt it as mine has a very ordinary nib on it.

[cobalt]

I have three wonderful skylines (maroon, black and grey) and pencils (skyline and symphony). I use only a few pens based on nib performance and how the pen sits in the hand. Skylines are my go to pens.

 

Ebay UK has the odd one, and a couple listed in rest of EU from time to time. Regretfully, I avoid rest of world as shipping costs are high and customs intervene to make take costs over the top. I shipped a pen to an FPNer in the US and it cost £8 airmail signed for.

 

However, anyone doing direct deals??? Anyway, also generation one Symphony's.

 

I like the designers W/E used as it takes the pen beyond an industrial product to an object of desire.

 

EOC, how do I find your pen on Ebay?

Edited November 16, 2015 by cobalt

[Cryptos]

Sorry, it sold ages ago now.

[Greenie]

Unfortunately, shipping from Australia and new Zealand can make a pen too expensive.

 

Oddly enough, I get pens from UK to California for less than pens from Canada. International shipping costs are a mystery.

[gweimer1]

If you look, you can still find them. I got one needing a clip, which I had, in a lot that ended up costing me less than $10. Being able to repair/restore pens opens up a lot of options. I'm glad I decided on this path. It's a lot of fun.

[cuza]

Just this week, I picked up a 1990 NOS red demo Skyline for a C note. Expensive? Yes. Now that I have it, priceless!

 

Been on my bucket list for a long time. When I saw it on eBay, knew I had to have it price not withstanding.