Early Hours Local Sunday Bazar Finds

[mitto]

My supply of Pens remained, until recently, from antique stores / antique dealers in Karachi. I did not know anyone dealing in vintage pens locally. Then one day a friend told me there were junk sellers in local (Islamabad's) Sunday, Tuesday and Friday Bazars (huge organised and liscenced flee markets) who sometimes have old pens for sale. I paid two visits during last month to all the three bazars and found two shops that had some old Chinese pens that I did not buy. Last Tuesday, in the Tuesdays Bazar, I found a shop whose owner asked me to come on Sunday as he would have some vintage Parker pens by then. Fearing someone else may pick the pens, I reached his shop today early in the morning (0900 sharp). And true to his words, the shop keeper had some Parkers. I picked whatever he had. After initial outer cleaning the pens turned out good and pleasing to eyes.

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_v0YzkCPJQ3bURMeVpvcko5bGs/view?usp=drivesdk

 

A VS, two aero 51s, five S21s, a new style English aero Duofold Junior and a GT metal capped P17.

Have made arrangements with the shop owner to keep picking up pens from other shop owners and then selling these to me with good margin of profit. He would keep sending me pics and fixing the prices with me before he picks the pens.

 

Happy to have found a local source.

[usk15]

Well done!

[penmanila]

not bad at all!

[JWil]

A major score!!

[johnboz]

Great haul! And to top it off he's now your supplier! Nicely done.

[mitto]

My next point of exploration would be the Pak-Afghan border city Peshawar - the Capital of KPK Province - where there is a huge market for second hand goods called "Karkhano Market". It is a one hour drive via M-I Motorway from the National Capital - Islamabd - where I live. My doughter and grand children live there.

 

A glimpse of the 'kharkhano market':

 

[JotterAddict62]

Excellent Khan. Networking, networking to find the good stuff.

[mitto]

Excellent Khan. Networking, networking to find the good stuff.

That is the only way to compensate for my inability to access nether ebay nor live auctions.

[Dr. Saleem Ali]

Acheivement !Making me envious.Congratulatiins !My attempts so far in Karachi failed.

[DrCodfish]

The military gear aside, this market sounds like it would be a fascinating place to roam.

 

In the small rural town where I live (think logging and farming) there is a 'second hand' store that runs more to old worn out chainsaws and carpentry tools. There is another place that hosts estate auctions and a couple swap meets in the summer, but this far west it is rare to find any fountain pen much less one with age. I do stop in from time to time because, you never know when that little nugget of gold will pop up.

[PaulS]

well done, as usual Khan. Understand your difficulties in view absence of ebay and live auctions, but I'd guess that your success with finds from the wild are less fraught and easier than the places I trawl - plus my opinion is that the unpredictability of such finds makes for more excitement and possibly better bargains.

I can visit a very large antiques market 8/10 miles from the centre of London (U.K.) and know that I'm in competition with dozens of others looking for the same things as me, and it means a very early a.m. start - none of this 9.00 o'clock stuff. In my part of the world there are simply too many people looking for pens.

Anyway, congratulations again.

[mitto]

Acheivement !Making me envious.Congratulatiins !My attempts so far in Karachi failed.

Dr. Sahib. Casual visits to Zainab market or other antique markets would rarely pay 'dividends'. It is as Ken above said networking and networking. I have invested too much time and money to reach to this stage where every other antique dealer in Karachi would make sure that any and (almost) each vintage pen he comes across is kept hidden for me. Just for me - mitto - and not for anyone else including Dr. Salamat Ali.

My relations with dealers in Karachi are currently at such a stage where, residing a thousand miles away in Islamabad, I receive literally minute by minute information as to what dealer / antique shop owner got what pen / pen lot at what time for how much money.

 

Secondly, although a Karachite, you live far far away in S. Arabia and, hence, are not in a position to keep in touch with antique sellers/dealers in your own city.

 

Wish you best of luck, Dr. Sahib.

[mitto]

The military gear aside, this market sounds like it would be a fascinating place to roam.

 

In the small rural town where I live (think logging and farming) there is a 'second hand' store that runs more to old worn out chainsaws and carpentry tools. There is another place that hosts estate auctions and a couple swap meets in the summer, but this far west it is rare to find any fountain pen much less one with age. I do stop in from time to time because, you never know when that little nugget of gold will pop up.

 

Yes, it is a great market. But somehow I feel I wouldn't be safe roaming in that market situated in an area where the writ of the government is either non-existant or just feable. Let us see what 'networking' I manage that leads to my getting hold of pen stashes in that huge market.

Edited October 3, 2017 by mitto

[jslallar]

Acheivement !Making me envious.Congratulatiins !My attempts so far in Karachi failed.

and my efforts in Pindi come to naught too

[mitto]

and my efforts in Pindi come to naught too

In Pindi (Urdu Bazar) I once found an inoxcrom FP, a vintage schneider FP,a gold plated body Sheaffer Fashion-II model 271 (full size) FP+BP set and four NOS Vector nib sections plus a couple Parker squeeze converters.

[jslallar]

In Pindi (Urdu Bazar) I once found an inoxcrom FP, a vintage schneider FP,a gold plated body Sheaffer Fashion-II model 271 (full size) FP+BP set and four NOS Vector nib sections plus a couple Parker squeeze converters.

i know the shop

 

the owner was an elderly man who had had repair training form Parker PEns in 50s or 60s. He used to carry some pens and spares. Since his death though some 4 to 5 years ago his sons no longer deal in old pens

i have seen a P45 all gold, Shaeffer Lady steel cross hatch design and a P180 among others in his shop but the prices he was asking were out of my range

 

i did get a couple of Inoxcroms from Sadar Bazar Rawalpindi

Edited October 8, 2017 by jslallar

[mitto]

i know the shop

 

the owner was an elderly man who had had repair training form Parker PEns in 50s or 60s. He used to carry some pens and spares. Since his death though some 4 to 5 years ago his sons no longer deal in old pens

i have seen a P45 all gold, Shaeffer Lady steel cross hatch design and a P180 among others in his shop but the prices he was asking were out of my range

 

i did get a couple of Inoxcroms from Sadar Bazar Rawalpindi

 

Yes, I also saw the P180 with him but did not buy it because of the price he was asking. The Sheaffer Lady and the P45 may have gone by the time I visited his place/shop. The rest I managed to pick up not for a bargain price but not so bad either. He also offered me some parts and a nice Dutch made Parker 3 pen box for free. And you are right now there is nothing like old pens in the shop. And I don't see the elderly bearded person in that shop either but I didn't know he has expired. May his soul rest in peace.

[pepsiplease69]

Congratulations Khan Sahab.

 

I would say that buying from a lively market is a far richer experience than resorting to fleabay. You can very easily wind up with a jallopy and spend more money on shipping and returns with nothing to show for.

 

I was in search of a Yashica TLR camera. I bought one off ebay. It was billed as excellent condition but it was clearly not. All told I spent $60 on shipping both ways and returned it back to the seller.

 

The happy ending is that I found a Yashica Mat 124 in a much better shape for the same price at my local used camera market here in Hayward, CA. Im quite happy with what I got.

[mitto]

Congratulations Khan Sahab.

I would say that buying from a lively market is a far richer experience than resorting to fleabay. You can very easily wind up with a jallopy and spend more money on shipping and returns with nothing to show for.

I was in search of a Yashica TLR camera. I bought one off ebay. It was billed as excellent condition but it was clearly not. All told I spent $60 on shipping both ways and returned it back to the seller.

The happy ending is that I found a Yashica Mat 124 in a much better shape for the same price at my local used camera market here in Hayward, CA. Im quite happy with what I got.

I agree.

 

A friend of mine deals in old cameras, typewriters and landline phone sets but I somehow couldn't develope taste in any such things. Wrist watches and glassframes, yes to some extent.

 

And thank you, pepsiplease.

[mitto]

well done, as usual Khan. Understand your difficulties in view absence of ebay and live auctions, but I'd guess that your success with finds from the wild are less fraught and easier than the places I trawl - plus my opinion is that the unpredictability of such finds makes for more excitement and possibly better bargains.

I can visit a very large antiques market 8/10 miles from the centre of London (U.K.) and know that I'm in competition with dozens of others looking for the same things as me, and it means a very early a.m. start - none of this 9.00 o'clock stuff. In my part of the world there are simply too many people looking for pens.

Anyway, congratulations again.

 

I am afraid I too have created lot of competitors for myself by disclosing my sources here. I get the news others are reaching out to my sources and offering more for this or that indiuidual pen. But they want to buy only their choice pen(s) while I buy lots as well parts. So I am still holding ground.

 

Thank you, Paul.