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Wancher Is Selling Restored Vintage Japanese Pens For An Insane Price!

Honeybadgers

By Honeybadgers
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Honeybadgers Donor Pen

Honeybadgers

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https://www.wancherpen.com/pages/japanese-vintage-fountain-pen?mc_cid=c1144a93db&mc_eid=9e4a3b54e5

 

Scroll to the bottom. I had to buy two, they're just so damn pretty. I don't know if they're urushi coated and it says the ebonite ones are vac-filled, but I wonder if they're eyedroppers and it's a mis-translation.

 

They also come with a wooden giftbox I believe.

 

Either way, $100 and $130 for the pens is a stupid good deal, and if you order today, 6/19, you get a free bottle of ink

 

 

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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ChiakiAkira New

ChiakiAkira

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I am so happy that you support this project. I hope you will also enjoy this video about Japanese vintage fountain pens:

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Intensity Collectors Item

Intensity

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Just about all sold out :(

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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inkstainedruth Ancient Artifact

inkstainedruth

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I got their email yesterday about this. And had to ask them to unsubscribe me, on the grounds I hadn't signed up for the emails in the first place.... :(

They're just lucky that I recognized Wancher as an actual pen company name (from seeing posts on FPN) -- otherwise they would have just ended up in the junk mail folder as presumed spam. Of course that begs the $64K question of just how they got my email address to begin with....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: Of course, in rereading the initial post, it occurred to me that if they DID get my email address from FPN (which I sure hope is NOT the case) they clearly haven't read any of my posts in the past concerning my opinions on the topic of urushi.... Which of course is "Pretty, but not touching one without wearing disposable latex gloves because I can't take the risk of having an allergic reaction...."

Edited by 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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Intensity Collectors Item

Intensity

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I think you must have subscribed at some point in the past and forgotten about it? Though I see you list your contact e-mail on your profile explicitly, which might invite more e-mail "scrubbing" advertising services to send you spam to that e-mail address from any random companies, not even pen-related. I would suggest you don't post your e-mail explicitly, only privately per requests. Some people post things like "name at gmail dot com", but perhaps there are algorithms even for that to recombine to complete e-mail address.

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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Jamerelbe Antique

Jamerelbe

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Wancher send me emails because I bought a couple of things from Engeika, back in the day. Engeika is no more, but I think Wancher is owned and run by the same guy...

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Lloyd Donor Pen

Lloyd

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Why is the price insane? The nibs are steel

Would you post a thread here about pens selling for what they're worth?

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."

Oscar Wilde

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shalitha33 Vintage

shalitha33

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If you consider the pen alone, then its a vintage pen with a gold plated steel nib. But what you are getting in this case i believe is a pen + a restoration with all original & period correct parts (correct me if i am wrong). Not to mention the warranty on it if something goes wrong. If you want something to display, then may be this might not be the one. but if you want to write with it then this def is a good deal.

 

A quick search ebay search using the brand names displayed on their images (on nibs and caps) will show some that goes for a bit less. But then you have to include the cost of restoring, shipping. sourcing original parts, nib tuning, plating etc. (i am assuming the nibs don't have any plating loss by looking at the images btw)

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A Smug Dill Museum Piece

A Smug Dill

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Would you post a thread here about pens selling for what they're worth?

I would, if a pen that I personally think is 'worth' €100 (say, a Leonardo Officina Italiana resin pen with a steel nib) is being offered by an authorised retailer at that price, which is significantly less than the typical market price of €125–€150 for such pens. This is, after all, the 'Market Watch' forum in 'The Market Place' section.

 

If I see a pen that I think is 'worth' $500, but typically sells for $900 (after 'discounts') in the market, is being offered for $650, I'd probably still make a post here about it, even if I wouldn't be interested in buying one myself at that price. :)

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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1nkulus Collectors Item

1nkulus

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Not to my taste but glad it was a success.

 

The buyer gets a hassle free, restored vintage pen. The premium/value is subjective.

Engineer :

Someone who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge.

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Honeybadgers Donor Pen

Honeybadgers

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I got their email yesterday about this. And had to ask them to unsubscribe me, on the grounds I hadn't signed up for the emails in the first place.... :(

They're just lucky that I recognized Wancher as an actual pen company name (from seeing posts on FPN) -- otherwise they would have just ended up in the junk mail folder as presumed spam. Of course that begs the $64K question of just how they got my email address to begin with....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: Of course, in rereading the initial post, it occurred to me that if they DID get my email address from FPN (which I sure hope is NOT the case) they clearly haven't read any of my posts in the past concerning my opinions on the topic of urushi.... Which of course is "Pretty, but not touching one without wearing disposable latex gloves because I can't take the risk of having an allergic reaction...."

 

No idea how they'd email you without permission. You sure you didn't sign up for a giveaway at some point, possibly through a collab through goulet or something? They don't -only- sell urushi stuff. I get a lot of unsolicited emails from the hangar project and stuff whenever I sign up for a giveaway, that I then have to unsub from.

 

I hope you see the tiny bit of humorous irony in that you'd wear a highly allergenic kind of glove to touch a highly allergenic finish :P

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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Honeybadgers Donor Pen

Honeybadgers

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Not to my taste but glad it was a success.

 

The buyer gets a hassle free, restored vintage pen. The premium/value is subjective.

 

$100 for a restored japanese eyedropper is, while everything is subjective, a pretty extreme good deal relative to what other vintage japanese pens cost.

 

This is their second go-around with these vintage pens. The first giveaway was what sparked my email to them and now they're restoring a pen for me that nobody else could.

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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Honeybadgers Donor Pen

Honeybadgers

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Posted (edited)

If you consider the pen alone, then its a vintage pen with a gold plated steel nib. But what you are getting in this case i believe is a pen + a restoration with all original & period correct parts (correct me if i am wrong). Not to mention the warranty on it if something goes wrong. If you want something to display, then may be this might not be the one. but if you want to write with it then this def is a good deal.

 

A quick search ebay search using the brand names displayed on their images (on nibs and caps) will show some that goes for a bit less. But then you have to include the cost of restoring, shipping. sourcing original parts, nib tuning, plating etc. (i am assuming the nibs don't have any plating loss by looking at the images btw)

 

A shiro semiflex nib is a glorious, glorious writing thing. I have one and it's one of my favorite writers. Wet and juicy, super fine, real, honest to god vintage semiflex.

 

They're not a great deal by "vintage semiflex" standards, but by "japanese vintage semiflex" They are.

Edited by Honeybadgers

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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Honeybadgers Donor Pen

Honeybadgers

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Why is the price insane? The nibs are steel

 

God this forum needs an auto-merge. Sorry for the multi-post

 

Steel shiro flex nibs are superb, possibly the best flex steel nibs ever made. They're very flexible, very high performance nibs. They were still premium pens, the shiro nib was created from the gold rationing of WWII. So even the highest end pens still had steel nibs, so the japanese went full on montegrappa and just perfected the steel nib.

 

Unrestored vintage japanese shiro nib pens range in the $50-90 range. Getting them restored is very expensive (expect $60 or more plus shipping, and that's only if the pen itself is restorable, which some are not due to their design) if you can even find someone who can do it within a reasonable amount of time. And they don't come with a warranty, that usually doesn't involve a polishing or any extra nib tuning...

 

Restoring vintage japanese pens is a nightmare. I would know, I've been hunting for someone to restore my old kohaku from a sunken ship for two years, not even finding anyone who could re-seal it, let alone find a new cap, and Wancher of all people took it in and offered to restore it for free.

 

On top of that, the attention to detail in their restoration is pretty impressive, at least regarding their communication with me. Giving me lots of options and asking explicit permission before replacing or altering anything. Better than some of the more unscrupulous "restored" pens out there. With my order on this one, they even asked if I wanted the two I ordered polished or with the original patina.

 

I guess I'm a little biased :P but I love my japanese ED's so much that I bought two from this round.

Edited by Honeybadgers

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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1nkulus Collectors Item

1nkulus

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Restoring vintage japanese pens is a nightmare. I would know, I've been hunting for someone to restore my old kohaku from a sunken ship for two years, not even finding anyone who could re-seal it, let alone find a new cap, and Wancher of all people took it in and offered to restore it for free.

 

On top of that, the attention to detail in their restoration is pretty impressive, at least regarding their communication with me. Giving me lots of options and asking explicit permission before replacing or altering anything. Better than some of the more unscrupulous "restored" pens out there. With my order on this one, they even asked if I wanted the two I ordered polished or with the original patina.

 

I guess I'm a little biased tongue.png but I love my japanese ED's so much that I bought two from this round.

 

Full marks to them for going the extra mile. I would be very pleased with that level of CS. thumbup.gif

Engineer :

Someone who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge.

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