Stolen Pens: Tell Me If You See These On Sale?

[Mulrich]

At least the thief was kind enough to leave your notes. I really like my pens but they can always be replaced (even if at great expense). Handwritten notes on the other hand are gone forever.

 

Have you tried calling pawn shops (assuming they exist in Berlin)? It seems like pawn shops are the easiest and quickest way to offload stolen goods without being traced. Unless this was a very savvy thief they probably don't realize how valuable the pens are.

 

I usually carry a lot of pens around with me and I'm always worried about theft. I probably should start leaving them at home, but there's always the chance of a burglar. Maybe I need a safety deposit box.

[Rubicon]

Thanks everyone. Just hearing your support makes me feel better already. I confess it made me feel terrible lose all of them. I couldn't sleep well for a couple of nights. Then today I decided I will just have to move on without them because it was affecting my schoolwork as well. And no, I can't just replace them... they were bought when I was still dependent on my parents. No way can I afford that now.

You need a small amount of paranoia when traveling. I dont understand why you carry two nakayas, an Omas and a Montblanc in your backpakage instead of one or two Pilots v5 or a uniballs ballpoints with you, I sinceriy belive you will find them just because it happened in Germany, but who knows.

I wasn't traveling. I live here and was transporting my stuff. With pens these valuable i bought one of those Taccia pen rolls. Pens are small things so I thought if they're all in a big roll I won't be able to lose them too easily. I really wasn't counting on my entire backpack being stolen.

Edited June 30, 2016 by Rubicon

[Rubicon]

At least the thief was kind enough to leave your notes. I really like my pens but they can always be replaced (even if at great expense). Handwritten notes on the other hand are gone forever.

 

Have you tried calling pawn shops (assuming they exist in Berlin)? It seems like pawn shops are the easiest and quickest way to offload stolen goods without being traced. Unless this was a very savvy thief they probably don't realize how valuable the pens are.

 

I usually carry a lot of pens around with me and I'm always worried about theft. I probably should start leaving them at home, but there's always the chance of a burglar. Maybe I need a safety deposit box.s

Thanks for the suggestion. I hadn't thought about pawn shops. And TBH I have never worried my pens specifically being stolen and I doubt the thief would have even gone for them had they not been a bycatch along with my laptop and external hard drive.

[ethernautrix]

OOF. How terrible.

Maybe the thief will think the pens are junk (I know, I know) and leave them with your backpack and whatever identifying information might be in the backpack. Someone could find the backpack and contact you. Long shot, I know.

Recently, in Northern California, a Pen Posse/FB friend told how his backpack from stolen from his car while he was working out at a gym. Yeah, yeah, should have put the backpack in the trunk, but he didn't, so and thus. A couple of days later, someone (the thief?) mailed back his wallet (mostly intact, as I recall) and some other stuff -- BUT! kept his notebooks filled with to-do lists and ideas and notes. So, on the one hand, some of his stuff was returned. I hope your thief has a conscience and returns what doesn't appear to have value to you somehow.

Crossing my fingers for you.

[deepak23]

Hope you get these pens.... I use relatively cheaper pens that are easily replaced like the 78G or a Hero 616 while traveling...

[marcelo]

At least the thief was kind enough to leave your notes. I really like my pens but they can always be replaced (even if at great expense).

 

HUGE expense in this case. More than US$ 4,000!

[MYU]

I am so very sorry for your loss! Yikes... those pens were so beautiful, and costly.

 

It's a very hard lesson... but you've learned it now -- no sense in traveling with very expensive pens. I know, one would just love to use their best and most expensive pen in a glamorous place far from home, but... I never feel the risk is worth it. You never know how you can end up losing things on a long trip, especially to a different country. The only exception I can see is taking only one valuable pen and either keeping it in your possession at all times, or locking it up somewhere safe when not going with you.

 

I had a friend who lost a $3,000+ camera on a trip. It was that much brand new, and probably more like $1,500 on resale value. He'd gotten a good solid two years of use out of it, but still had plenty more to go... and just got careless. Someone swiped it from him in the Charles de Gaulle airport, in Paris France. Some years later, I suffered a theft there as well. I accidentally left a shopping bag in the men's room, with a gift inside it. Just a very nicely made Danish decanter by Eva Solo. It was gift wrapped. I was gone for about *3* minutes, when I realized the bag wasn't with me. I went right back. Too late. A group of kids rushed past me, and when I got into the room I saw the wrapping paper torn to shreds lying on the floor. The bag was torn. The item was gone. Conversely, when I'd accidentally left a small pack containing a digital camera in a Swedish church (where plenty of people were roaming about), nobody touched it... for hours, and so it was still there when I returned.

[zaddick]

Let's not blame the victim. As noted, this is not a case of traveling but just theft around home base. I am sure there is no bad intention, but I feel it is not helpful to suggest what should have done or not to take expensive pens out of the house.

[Bo Bo Olson]

In Germany many do not use checks or paypal but bank transfer to sell and buy on German Ebay.

Sadly, you have to keep a sharp eye out on German Ebay, and other E-sales outlets.

[Mulrich]

If I'm going to buy a pen I'm not going to restrict its use to my home or office. Obviously there are a couple places I won't take a nice pen but I rarely visit those areas. I buy a pen to use which means I carry it with me wherever I go. Even if you leave all but one pen at home there's a chance someone will break into your house (I actually prefer to carry pens with me because I'm more afraid be someone breaking into my house than stealing my backpack). This situations sucks but it's not Rubicon's fault.

 

I hope the pens are recovered and if not that whoever took them has a Les Miserables candlestick experience and reforms his/her life.

[Polanova]

S*** happens, as they say… and I`m really sorry to hear about your loss!

Bear in mind that the theft happened during a move & that the expensive pens were not EDC for the OP.

I had my rucksack stolen many years ago under similiar circumstances.

 

Since then I`ve been lucky but do know quite a number of people who had their briefcases & backpacks stolen (here in Berlin), which made me quite conscious of the valuables I`m carrying in my shoulder bag.

As long as it`s on your body, it`s alright, but once one takes it off, like in a restaurant, café etc the danger of theft arises & one can`t be vigilant enough! Like others here I DO sometimes carry a really nice pen with me, because, simply, life`s too short. Btw, losing an almost full sketch book, which has value only to myself, would be worse than losing a 300 $$ pen.

 

I can`t imagine the pens popping up on Ebay or similiar sites & wonder how a thief would turn these pens into money?? (Even a mentally simply structured thief would easily find out the pen`s value)

Edited July 8, 2016 by Polanova

[rudyhou]

sorry to hear of the incident. may the stealer get caught and you get your fps back.

[marcelo]

I am so very sorry for your loss! Yikes... those pens were so beautiful, and costly.

 

It's a very hard lesson... but you've learned it now -- no sense in traveling with very expensive pens. I know, one would just love to use their best and most expensive pen in a glamorous place far from home, but... I never feel the risk is worth it. You never know how you can end up losing things on a long trip, especially to a different country. The only exception I can see is taking only one valuable pen and either keeping it in your possession at all times, or locking it up somewhere safe when not going with you.

 

I had a friend who lost a $3,000+ camera on a trip. It was that much brand new, and probably more like $1,500 on resale value. He'd gotten a good solid two years of use out of it, but still had plenty more to go... and just got careless. Someone swiped it from him in the Charles de Gaulle airport, in Paris France. Some years later, I suffered a theft there as well. I accidentally left a shopping bag in the men's room, with a gift inside it. Just a very nicely made Danish decanter by Eva Solo. It was gift wrapped. I was gone for about *3* minutes, when I realized the bag wasn't with me. I went right back. Too late. A group of kids rushed past me, and when I got into the room I saw the wrapping paper torn to shreds lying on the floor. The bag was torn. The item was gone. Conversely, when I'd accidentally left a small pack containing a digital camera in a Swedish church (where plenty of people were roaming about), nobody touched it... for hours, and so it was still there when I returned.

Typical of Sweden, I'm sure.

 

If you left your bag in the bathroom of Galeão (Tom Jobim) airport your gift would have been stolen in 30 sec, not 3 minutes. :-(

[Mulrich]

Were the pens ever found? I didn't see an update so I assume no.

[AD43]

If I had lost them and I was a wizard I would turn myself into a sheep, losing a vintage omas must be like losing a pet! Hope you find It, and Ill keep my eyes peeled...

[inkstainedruth]

I had a friend who lost a $3,000+ camera on a trip. It was that much brand new, and probably more like $1,500 on resale value. He'd gotten a good solid two years of use out of it, but still had plenty more to go... and just got careless. Someone swiped it from him in the Charles de Gaulle airport, in Paris France. Some years later, I suffered a theft there as well. I accidentally left a shopping bag in the men's room, with a gift inside it. Just a very nicely made Danish decanter by Eva Solo. It was gift wrapped. I was gone for about *3* minutes, when I realized the bag wasn't with me. I went right back. Too late. A group of kids rushed past me, and when I got into the room I saw the wrapping paper torn to shreds lying on the floor. The bag was torn. The item was gone. Conversely, when I'd accidentally left a small pack containing a digital camera in a Swedish church (where plenty of people were roaming about), nobody touched it... for hours, and so it was still there when I returned.

 

My husband's father was a POW in World War II, after the Battle of the Bulge. The head of the prison camp told all the guards not to touch his nice watch (American prisoners were apparently treated better than French ones).

The camp was liberated by a Russian unit (the prisoners woke up one morning to find all the guards had fled in anticipation of this). Every former prisoner, including him, was given a tumbler full of vodka by the Russians. 3 days later (after he woke up!) he started heading west, and was eventually given a ride. While waiting to ship home, he and another guy decided to celebrate the end of the War by hitchhiking to Paris -- where the watch was stolen....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Miaxina]

This is terrible, I do hope and pray your pens will reach home safe.

[corgicoupe]

My husband's father was a POW in World War II, after the Battle of the Bulge. The head of the prison camp told all the guards not to touch his nice watch (American prisoners were apparently treated better than French ones).

The camp was liberated by a Russian unit (the prisoners woke up one morning to find all the guards had fled in anticipation of this). Every former prisoner, including him, was given a tumbler full of vodka by the Russians. 3 days later (after he woke up!) he started heading west, and was eventually given a ride. While waiting to ship home, he and another guy decided to celebrate the end of the War by hitchhiking to Paris -- where the watch was stolen....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

How is it, Ruth, that I can read the first line of a post and say to myself, "Aha, Ink Stained Ruth"?

[inkstainedruth]

How is it, Ruth, that I can read the first line of a post and say to myself, "Aha, Ink Stained Ruth"?

 

So, you're saying I'm becoming predictable?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[corgicoupe]

I think it may be because "my husband" often enters the text. But I do, for some unknown reason, enjoy your posts, probably because they are personal and less technical.