Are Demonstrators More Collectible ?

[Claud]

I have M805 Ocean Swirl and M800 Renessance as well as the 805 Stresseman. Would an M800 demonstrator be rarer and thus more collectible than these?

[Runnin_Ute]

Not necessarily. Of course, I don't view pens as an investment like I would a stock.

Just not a good financial investment.

 

None are particularly rare. All made in the thousands, and the Stresseman is current production as it in the regular line and not an SE. Some pens may appreciate in value in the short term. M600 pink is one that did. Those who bought it aren't selling, so those who are are getting good prices.

[BillH]

Some of us do not care much for demonstrators. The 800 sized demos have no appeal and thus no value for me. I may be a minority opinion here though

[invisuu]

A demonstrator has no value to me either.

 

Also seconding the idea, that pens arent an investment. Being able to resell them is cool for trying out different pens, not to consider investing money into them with the intent of having your money increased. Even those that do increase in value with time, and these are rare and seem to be quite random, rarely ever even cover inflation.

[Claud]

Thanks guys. I almost talked myself into the M805 Demo that has the parts labeled. I think I will just look for a high end Italian pen. A Visconti Homo Sapiens might be just different enough to go with my MB 149 and Sailor Pro Gear Relo !!.

[BillH]

Claud, don't let us dissuade you from buying any pen! If it appeals to you and you want it, that's all you need to know. That's where the value is in ANY collectible, pen, watch, old car... if you love it, you've found the real value. (I have a box of all the colors and variations of Sheaffer School pens that would probably cost me my heirs money to liquidate... but they have value to me because I love them)

 

And you know it is our sworn duty to help you spend money on more pens, right?

[sargetalon]

Claud, don't let us dissuade you from buying any pen! If it appeals to you and you want it, that's all you need to know. That's where the value is in ANY collectible, pen, watch, old car... if you love it, you've found the real value. (I have a box of all the colors and variations of Sheaffer School pens that would probably cost me my heirs money to liquidate... but they have value to me because I love them)

 

And you know it is our sworn duty to help you spend money on more pens, right?

 

 

Agree with everyone here except I enjoy demos so they are valuable to me. It's all subjective. Value comes from what makes you happy.

[Lam1]

Claud, pay no attention to BillH and Invisuu . It is our duty to convince them that demos are the most important birds to have and that they absolutely need a few of those .

I mean, how can someone not want to see the ink sloshing around in the barrel and forming different patterns?

 

All joking side, I love my demos and only wish I could get my hands on a M1000 Demo (without having to sell a kidney...). I don't think they are a particularly good investment, like others said. In fact, because of the strong opinions about them and the fact that they could get stained, demos are probably an even worse investment than other pens. But, for me, they are well worth having (they are also terrific for curing OCD ).

[Runnin_Ute]

There are probably a very small number of demonstrator pens that are truly "collectable". And none are modern. If the labelled M805 appeals to you, buy it.

 

Technically my M200 Cognac is a demonstrator - as is my Platinum 3776 Century Bourgogne. But have you ever seen how dark those two pens are?

 

20180206_194841 by Brad Merrill, on Flickr

[oregano]

I've always thought that the m805 engraved demo would become a collector's piece when they become impossible to find, in a decade. That's what happened with the m800 demos, isn't it? It is a classic pen in the sense that it shows Pelikan's inner workings.

 

I prefer colored demos personally, but I would get an engraved demo I found they came out in an m600 size.

[FPFan]

I like demonstrator cause you can always see just how much ink is in the pen! Never have to guess if there is enough ink to get you through the letter you're writing or the notes your taking in a lecture class!

 

I'm dreaming of the day I can find a reasonably prices Green M805 Pelikan!

[Claud]

Oh brothers, I got pen fever bad. The worst thing was that Mr Mottishaw at Nibs.com had the best price and free shipping and nib tuning. What more could you want. At some point an M805 with engraving( yes oregano, I agree with you) will be winging its way to me from sunny CA. I am not collecting this pen. I am a user rather than a collector which is why I chose to buy Pelikan. I think I have enough pens now. (famous last words!!)

[alanshutko]

My Ocean Swirl just shipped today from Mottishaw and company. I'm excited!

[invisuu]

Claud, pay no attention to BillH and Invisuu

As far as listening to subjective feedback goes, I absolutely agree! I sincerely hope my subjective opinion doesnt influence OPs purchasing decisions. Choosing a finish is really down to matter of taste.

[jkingrph]

I have a couple of demonstrators in smaller sizes, and they honestly do nothing to excite me. I will not spend the money for one of the larger sizes, Pelikan or other brands.

[marlinspike]

I think it depends. If it is a demonstrator from the days when they weren't sold to the public and just meant for store displays, I'm sure that is more valuable, but now that they make them mass produced, probably not anymore than any other LE.

[mitto]

I love pens. Not their colors.

[mitto]

...or finishes.