Esties In The Wild

[corgicoupe]

I saw a couple today, but they were priced at $40 with 2668 nibs. Is this outrageous or within reason? One was copper and the other was gray. I have a red and a blue, so that would be nice additions. What's the most you would take out of your wallet for the two?

[pajaro]

Forty dollars each? If so that seems high to me, but my sense of the Esterbrook market might be outdated. I would have expected a price up to thirty dollars. The 2668 nib seems to me to be common, and I would have expected a better nib for $40.

 

An antique store near me wants $75 and up for any fountain pen. They have a box full of junk pens with high price tags, and I saw an Esterbrook J at $120.

[inkstainedruth]

I don't know what it's like around where you live. In the Pittsburgh/SW PA region I've seen pens for less than that with decent nibs: I paid $20 US a couple of months ago for a black SJ with a 9128 nib. Another booth in the same antiques mall had a bunch of Esties with less "interesting" nibs for $29 -- knocked down from $39....

Were the pens you saw restored, or "as is"?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[OcalaFlGuy]

Just because it's Found In The Wild, it should still be a deal.

 

You can find either restored or clean with known recent sacs Estie J's for $40.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[corgicoupe]

I thought they were high, but wondered if the colors added value. I'm sure they will need sacs, but I can handle that. Her parker 4th were all tagged at $45. Iso this reasonable, or an indication that all her prices are too high? Oh, they are Js.

[gweimer1]

Just because it's Found In The Wild, it should still be a deal.

 

You can find either restored or clean with known recent sacs Estie J's for $40.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

^^^^^what he said. For $40, you should expect restored and really pretty clean. You can still find some reasonably decent Esterbrooks online for $15. My last in the wild Esterbrook was a really clean copper J, with the original sac, that became mine for $2.

[JotterAddict62]

So what would the top dollar would you pay in the resale shops?

 

The last 4 I bought at a fleamarket were $4 each.

[Cryptos]

There is no 'in the wild' here, about as close as we can get is eBay. I'm still looking for two for myself - copper and grey, either one an LJ the other an SJ. I don't really care about the Estie nibs though as I want these as surrogates for my lovely Osmiroid nibs.

[Toddar68]

I concur. Considering how little it takes to get one going again and how hard it is to find fountain pens in the wild. It's a no brainer. At worst it's the high side of acceptable.