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To Use Or Not To Use Nib Sheaffer's Snorkel?


marlinspike

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I have 2 NIB Sheaffer'S Snorkels. One is a pastel green Special, still has the sticker on the section telling you the nib width. It used to have the price tag, but sadly over the course of several moves I lots that. It is in its box which is in pretty nice condition. The other, now that I look at it, I think is not NIB, but is an aqua Saratoga in very good condition and with its paperwork and its very rough condition box. I no longer care to own pens I don't use, and I do rather like the Snorkel. Should I ink these and use them, or at least for the NIB one should I sell it to someone who might appreciate it's NIBness more and buy a used one to use?

Edited by marlinspike
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I think that you should restore the pen if you intend to use it. When you got through with the selling of that NOS pen and the purchase of a used pen, I don't think you would be a whole lot ahead. I have bought a few NOS Snorkels, and they weren't very expensive, under $30, but two were desk pens. You might get more if you market it right. If you use it, though, I think you should restore it or have it restored. The sac and the O-ring might be shot or dried out.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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You might sell them, and let others keep them NIB. There are plenty of users you could buy and use. Up to you. I myself bought 5 Pilot M90s. Two are users. Three are NIB.

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I have one Snorkel which, while it no longer had the box, still had the nib sticker on it. Do I use it? Heck yeah. Although it cost more to get it checked out and repaired than it did to buy (happenstance find at a small antiques fair a year ago Christmas). Not one of the higher end models (an Admiral, I think) -- it's burgundy with a medium nib.

If I didn't intend to use it, I wouldn't have bought it. (Yes, the commotion in the back is several c-worders fainting.... B))

As for you? I can't say what you should do marlinspike -- to use the pens or keep and then maybe sell them at some point in the future. That's for you to decide. I can only tell you what *I* would do.

YMMV

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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I think enough Snorkels were made that collectors who want an NOS pen can find one without a person who wants to start with a basically brand new pen forgoing that pleasure. There is a pleasure in inking a new pen or an NOS pen, and it is just as legitimate an activity as collecting NOS pens and preserving them uninked and unused.

 

I have restored and inked three basically unused Snorkels. I also inked several NOS Parker 51 aerometric pens. I paid good money for the pens and I enjoyed puting them into service at that time. There is nothing wrong with doing this, and the people who claim that the pens must be preserved for posterity are entitled to their views. Sheaffer and Parker did not make the pens so they could be preserved unused.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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NOS snorkels are fairly abundant. As a collector you will not offend me if you restore it and put it to good use. Honestly you can restore fully stickered models and gently use them. Inking a pen does not change it's nature unless in the process you cause the pen damage which is a risk. The notion of uninked applies more to modern LEs than it does vintage pens.

 

Roger W.

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Out of curiosity, before I do this, what would the NIB one be worth? If I recall correctly, when I bought them they were around $35 each. I see these things on ebay for $100+ now? If that's really a selling price, I think these might be diminishing at too quick a rate for me to be willing to ink the definitely unused one.

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My preference is to use the pens in my collection. Of course, this is not for everyone especially those who wish to keep pens as pristine as possible. I would restore as needed and use, taking pride in knowing that I am the first user of a pen.

A consumer and purveyor of words.

 

Co-editor and writer for Faith On Every Corner Magazine

Magazine - http://www.faithoneverycorner.com/magazine.html

 

 

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Out of curiosity, before I do this, what would the NIB one be worth? If I recall correctly, when I bought them they were around $35 each. I see these things on ebay for $100+ now? If that's really a selling price, I think these might be diminishing at too quick a rate for me to be willing to ink the definitely unused one.

 

You can't necessarily use eBay as anything more than a baseline -- and then, only if looking at actual "sold" prices. eBay prices are all over the map. Some sellers think that ANYTHING old is valuable, even if it's junk. And some sellers are so clueless about what they have that you can get a great deal (assuming, of course that you don't get sniped at the last minute). And some buyers are completely clueless as well and will overpay. I have bought a lot of pens on eBay -- but not Snorkels; those I've all gotten in the wild, at antiques stores and (in the case of the Burgundy one) at antiques shows.

The NOS Snorkel I got (and got restored and inked) had a price tag of about $26 US, IIRC. Then the guy offered to sell it me for $14.... For the others, I've paid anywhere between $20 and $50, before restoration (figure another $40-60, depending on condition). But then, I'm a notorious cheapskate. As for NIB? No clue what they'd go for. But, as I said before, I don't buy stuff like that....

And the problem with Snorkels (besides the crazy fill system) is that you really need to know which were low-end models and which were high end ones. The *original* prices were all over the map too, depending on the nib and trim and whether or not it was a "white dot" model. And some colors are now (for collectors) more desirable than others -- I doubt, for instance, that I would ever be able to afford a Snorkel in Fiesta Red or Periwinkle (or even Sage Green), regardless of whether it was a low-end Admiral or a higher-end Valiant. And a lot of sellers couldn't tell you which is which, because they wouldn't know.

There's a good overview of the different models and colors (and original prices that Sheaffer marked the different models at) here: http://(bleep).com/website/sheaffersnorkelguide.htm.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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Out of curiosity, before I do this, what would the NIB one be worth? If I recall correctly, when I bought them they were around $35 each. I see these things on ebay for $100+ now? If that's really a selling price, I think these might be diminishing at too quick a rate for me to be willing to ink the definitely unused one.

If you think you can get $100 plus for the pen, I would offer it and see what happens. Then you can always buy a used sample and pocket the difference. Most of the people here are tending toward the "use it" school of thought. Frankly, I don't need to write much anymore, and so I have always hated writing and use pens as little as possible any more. I like pens as gadgets, so I have hoarded some NOS pens, because I like to look at them in the new state. I absolutely hate writing. I remember in school nuns telling me "write blah blah blah 500 times." Then I would have to write a bunch of blah. I hate writing.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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...a bunch of blah. Intersting. You got me smiles on my old looking wrinkled face.

Edited by mitto

Khan M. Ilyas

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If you think you can get $100 plus for the pen, I would offer it and see what happens. Then you can always buy a used sample and pocket the difference. Most of the people here are tending toward the "use it" school of thought. Frankly, I don't need to write much anymore, and so I have always hated writing and use pens as little as possible any more. I like pens as gadgets, so I have hoarded some NOS pens, because I like to look at them in the new state. I absolutely hate writing. I remember in school nuns telling me "write blah blah blah 500 times." Then I would have to write a bunch of blah. I hate writing.

 

This is the most beautiful ode to the written word I have ever read. :D

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We had a similar rant a year or so ago about a nun who insisted on converting lefties. Wonder what made them so mean?

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We had a similar rant a year or so ago about a nun who insisted on converting lefties. Wonder what made them so mean?

 

My mother (who was raised in a half Catholic/half Protestant family) used to swear that it was because nuns didn't like kids. Because if they did, they would have gotten married and had kids.

Of course, a woman I used to work with thought when she was young she wanted to be a nun. Then she discovered (as she put it): it was "nun of this and nun of that"....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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My mother (who was raised in a half Catholic/half Protestant family) used to swear that it was because nuns didn't like kids. Because if they did, they would have gotten married and had kids.

Of course, a woman I used to work with thought when she was young she wanted to be a nun. Then she discovered (as she put it): it was "nun of this and nun of that"....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

 

:lticaptd:

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