Thoughts On Name Engravings?

[T1Love]

Anyone? I emailed the fountain pen hospital but haven't heard back yet.

[icardoth]

I can't assist you, as the restorer who erased the name on my pens lives in Argentina. I'm sure any professional restorer can do the trick. Some of them have an account here at FPN.

[pajaro]

I mostly pity engraved pens because they're often unwanted or neglected and end up keeping most of them. Aesthetically, in my view, most engravings could have been better. It's the same with tattoos: form, lettering, positioning - anything can go wrong and often it does. Unfortunately, engravings are even more difficult to remove than tattoos.

I have sometimes felt like this: I felt sorry for the pens with someone's name, probably done at the direction of a friend or relative acting out of love or respect. When the recipient has passed on, the loving or affectionate gesture goes unwanted, and it seems a bit sad. Then again, I am a sentimental sort of person, and I sometimes tend to personify inanimate objects. I think there is some pathos or something about the personalized pens, and it sometimes chokes me up.

 

I am going to add that I think that, if you don't want the pen with a name pressed into it, seek another plum pen, and go after a pen without personalization next time. The quest, after all, is often the thing that keeps your juices running and is fun. After acquiring a sample of a plum 51 without personalization, sell the first one you have now.

 

Further, collectors will often improve their collections, replacing less than perfect specimens with better ones. So, if you have a collectible pen with what you consider to be flaws, replace it in your collection if you should come across a better sample.

Edited May 12, 2015 by pajaro

[christof]

 

I wonder why people engrave names on pens, while they don't do the same with car doors or cell phones. Pens are not wedding rings.

 

Maybe, 60 or more years ago, pens were of similar status...made for lasting a lifetime.

 

Actually, I like these engraved names. It makes the pen special and unique and reminds me that I only am one of the owners during time



If I have pens double, I always sell the ones without engraving. (Of course because they sell better )

C.

(Sorry for Pelikan picture in Parker Area...)

Edited May 13, 2015 by christof

[Dronak]

I only have one engraved pen, and it was a graduation gift. The rest are pretty plain, standard pens. I normally buy modern pens new, and if I were to buy a vintage pen, I don't think I'd buy an engraved one. If by some chance the engraved name or initials matched mine, maybe. But if not, no. It would look like I was carrying around someone else's pen, and it wouldn't really feel like my own pen to me.

 

As for removing the engraving, it seems like there are two options for doing that: removing material to the level of the deepest part of the engraving, or adding material to fill in the engraving and bring it up to the highest level of the surrounding material. I don't know which, if either, is better. I'm guessing that removing the engraving will change the value of the pen, but I don't know in which direction.

 

Hopefully others more knowledgeable about this topic can (or already did) provide more information, but I hope this is of some help.

[delano]

I prefer non-engraved pens.

 

Why don't people engrave quotes instead of names? One day I will come across a pen engraved with a quote that catches me. That's when I head for the shelter for the end is nigh.

[pajaro]

I believe the typical pen collector today will prefer pens without personalizations. I prefer them myself. Putting your name on a pen was a thing probably of the 1940s and 1950s.

 

I have had some Parker 51s where a personalization was obliterated by grinding, and the results were unsightly. Filling the impressed area with material might not look so bad, but any of these repairs are going to detract from the value of the pen. I think especially with colors like plum the repair can be detected. Like any repaired collector item, the value will be lowered. I don't see the point of such repairs. If the personalization bothers you, why not just replace such a personalized pen with an intact pen when you can afford it and then sell the personalized pen for what you can get out of it. Filling or obliterating the name just seems like a pointless stretch which leaves a damaged item.

[MattSee]

I don't mind name engravings. I think they can add a bit of character. I got a P51 made in 1948 with two name engravings on it. I managed to track both names and found that the first owner died in 1949 and that the pen then passed on to his son in law. He died the same year I was born. I'm thinking of adding my own name to that pen since I intend to keep it.

[delano]

I don't mind name engravings. I think they can add a bit of character. I got a P51 made in 1948 with two name engravings on it. I managed to track both names and found that the first owner died in 1949 and that the pen then passed on to his son in law. He died the same year I was born. I'm thinking of adding my own name to that pen since I intend to keep it.

 

That's a wonderful idea.

[mitto]

Engraving doesn't matter for me if in case I like the pen itself as I never sell my pens. But I am lucky enough that engraved pens don't come my way. I have only one pen , out of more than 250 , that is engraved. And I have no intention to part ways with the pen as it is a very very good writer. By tge way it is a Cross Cetury 1 gold pen. No Parkers with engravings. And the bulk of my pens are parkers.

[AAAndrew]

I think everyone should shun and eschew personalized pens, so that those like myself who don't really care (and sometimes enjoy the funny names) can get nice pens for cheaper.

[mitto]

+1

[wvbeetlebug]

I prefer non engraved but I have had a few that were. I think it adds character to the pen. Makes you think about that person and what they used that pen for. To write out bills. Pen a letter to a loved one. I would also be concerned with affecting the structure of the barrel if it were buffed out too aggressively. That said I would leave it alone but it's your pen. I would definitely leave it to a professional. Sorry I have no suggestions. I have only ever had nib work and restorations done but Ron Zorn and Richard Binder. Not sure if they perform engraving removal.

[T1Love]

Thanks beetlebug. I think I'm leaving it for now.

[PeterBeoworld]

I have a couple of engraved pens - the last one was the Onoto Doctor's pen. I had my name engraved on it as I had suggested elements of the design and would never sell this pen. I will leave this to my daughter and am sure it will be passed down through the family. I have a pen of my grandfather with his name on it which he was given when he retired and would not part with this either.

[welch]

I avoid engraved pens, but I have a P-51 Vac with the name of someone who might still be alive, retired to California. Nib is awful, so I will replace the nib and see if I can return it.

 

These pens -- especially P-51s -- have a story...if they could only tell us. I have a beautiful P51 aero in Midnight Blue. Made in the US -- therefore, must have been "born" in Janesville, Wisconsin. It found it's way to India, and now it's in New York. Incidentally, took two weeks from being loaded on a plane in India before it got to me, so maybe it has traveled around the world twice...or more?

 

Engravings give us part of the story. A sixty year old pen has had a life. If a pen is a Parker 51 or earlier, who knows how many lives it will touch?

[T1Love]

I can't find much on the name on my pen....Tom Stauf.

[wvbeetlebug]

Thanks beetlebug. I think I'm leaving it for now.

[ac12]

There is no way to remove the engraving without affecting its value, especially to a collector.

Because you are altering the original pen to do so.

 

- Buffing removes material, NOT GOOD. You will affect the shape of the pen where you buff out the engraving, especially if it is a deep engraving. And some pens are that all that thick, so you could weaken the pen where you buff out the material.

- Filling is very difficult because you either have to match the color (VERY difficult, almost impossible on patterned pens) or put clear filler on. Then you have to blend the filler with the pen. This requires a LOT of skill. And even so, you may be able to see the engraving through the clear filler.

 

As for metal. NO.

For some pens, you cannot duplicate the factory finish. You just do not have the equipment to do that finish.

 

Bottom line, leave the engraving alone, or don't buy the pen.

 

If you sell the pen, you better tell the buyer that you had the engraving removed, as that is a significant factor that will affect the price and could affect the buyer buying the pen.

Edited May 31, 2015 by ac12

[penmanila]

Pens are personal items, not potential collectibles to most people, so I'm not surprised or put off if they come to me engraved. I prefer blank ones as much as the next fellow, but especially for vintage pens, it's either I pass on a good engraved pen or wait much longer for a pristine version. I just take the engraved names as provenance, and now and then I come across a name with true historical significance. Some of those names might even be worth paying for