Advice For Buying Vintage Fountain Pens

[sirgilbert357]

Just looked up MidnightPen - not a pen in sight.

 

But I did come across this extreeeeemly rare classic:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/695823681/vintage-classic-black-fountain-pen-with?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=esterbrook&ref=sr_gallery-1-37&organic_search_click=1&cns=1

 

 

Ouch. That hurt to look at...

[cunim]

Vintage is a rabbit hole. Be prepared to learn from experience and stay away unless you have a good reason to jump in. If you want to collect, that's one thing and fairly easy to deal with. If you want to experience expressive writing with flex, that's another thing and much trickier because it is all about the nib. Those are so very fragile and dealers know the values of the few good ones that remain. Nib performance may not matter much to collectors. They may actually value a nib that writes just as badly as when it was introduced. It would bother someone who cares less about the pen and more about the writing experience. Would you be happy with a pen that was boring to write with but original?

 

Follow the advice of people here and try to stick with the honorable sellers, or be prepared to take a fling on the auction site. Expect trash from the latter and you might be pleasantly surprised - or not. Above all, there is no substitute for trying before you buy (pen shows). Ideally, you will also have the ability to return something that fails to meet your expectations or tastes. To be fair to dealers, however, it is so easy for a careless customer to destroy a valuable nib. Taking returns requires real courage.

[ThomasB]

I would agree with all others regarding doing research before you purchase a vintage pen. But I would say do not dismiss ebay as there reputable dealers there as well For full disclosure I am both a buyer and a seller on ebay...As a buyer, ebay has opened up a broad market through which I have built my personal collection--a market that in my opinion exists nowhere else.

 

As a buyer, here are my suggestions FWIW:

1. ASK QUESTIONS--If the description does not have the specifics you need, ask questions. If the seller doesn't respond or the response is less than acceptable, don't bid. I have found most sellers of fountain pens truly don't know enough about pens to post a decent description, but, if I ask specific questions and explain why I am asking, they will respond with the info I need
2. CHECK FEEDBACK--Pay attention to the content and recency. Is there a magic number? Don't know. But, even if a seller has negative feedback, look at it and decide for yourself if it affects you. I have found over time that most sellers with one or two negatives can have their feedback score skewed based on limited sales.
3. CHECK THE SELLER'S RETURN POLICY--A lot of sellers have a 30 day return policy. In fact, if a seller wants to be a Trusted Seller (there are $ incentives for the seller), they are required to have a return policy. But don't worry if the seller does not have a policy stated as I have found most sellers will gladly accept a return if they made an error in the listing. Lastly, and most importantly, ebay has a Money Back Guarantee and it WORKS. In situations where the seller has made a mistake and they refuse to take it back, you can escalate the case to ebay and they will usually find in your favor. I have never lost a case that I had to escalate

[MadAsAHatter]

 

I would agree with all others regarding doing research before you purchase a vintage pen. But I would say do not dismiss ebay as there reputable dealers there as well For full disclosure I am both a buyer and a seller on ebay...As a buyer, ebay has opened up a broad market through which I have built my personal collection--a market that in my opinion exists nowhere else.

 

As a buyer, here are my suggestions FWIW:

1. ASK QUESTIONS--If the description does not have the specifics you need, ask questions. If the seller doesn't respond or the response is less than acceptable, don't bid. I have found most sellers of fountain pens truly don't know enough about pens to post a decent description, but, if I ask specific questions and explain why I am asking, they will respond with the info I need
2. CHECK FEEDBACK--Pay attention to the content and recency. Is there a magic number? Don't know. But, even if a seller has negative feedback, look at it and decide for yourself if it affects you. I have found over time that most sellers with one or two negatives can have their feedback score skewed based on limited sales.
3. CHECK THE SELLER'S RETURN POLICY--A lot of sellers have a 30 day return policy. In fact, if a seller wants to be a Trusted Seller (there are $ incentives for the seller), they are required to have a return policy. But don't worry if the seller does not have a policy stated as I have found most sellers will gladly accept a return if they made an error in the listing. Lastly, and most importantly, ebay has a Money Back Guarantee and it WORKS. In situations where the seller has made a mistake and they refuse to take it back, you can escalate the case to ebay and they will usually find in your favor. I have never lost a case that I had to escalate

 

 

 

I'm pretty savvy in the ways of ebay. I've been buying and a little selling since their early days. It has it's bad sellers and they're pretty easy to spot but I try to think that most people are honest. I mostly buy guitar parts for my build & restoration projects. In the hundreds of transactions, I've had maybe 3 bad ones. Like you said, people don't always know what they are selling and don't have the best descriptions. I see this a lot in buying the guitar parts, but I have more than enough knowledge in that area to know what to look for and what questions to ask if necessary. At this point I lack that knowledge in the area of fountain pens. I'm not going to dismiss ebay. In fact I got a good deal on the most expensive pen I own, a Platinum 3776 maki-e, from ebay, The guy had a really good description, good pictures, and the pen was NIB so I felt comfortable enough purchasing. From what I've seen in the vintage pen listings there's a lot of "this had been sitting in a drawer for 50 years" descriptions and I don't have the knowledge yet to know what questions to ask and feel comfortable purchasing something as is. As my knowledge grows I'll slowly become comfortable taking a few chances. But if there's a reputable, recommended seller like you or speerbob who offer properly restored vintage pens I'd have no problem buying right now

[Estycollector]

Regarding eBay, I tend to look for estate sales.

 

Since I know how to restore old Esterbrook pens, I am more concerned with the exterior than interior. While I have yet to fail to restore, when the pen arrives I am always concerned if I will be able to remove the nib holding unit or the nib because of years of neglect.

 

Also, there is a satisfaction for me to restore my own. I learned early on buying a restored pen taught me nothing. The one I bought restored I gave away.

[MadAsAHatter]

Well, I took the plunge into the vintage pen world. I picked up an Esterbrook J and a Sheaffer Sentinel Deluxe. The Esterbrook arrived Friday but I haven't had a chance to use it yet. I didn't have any more of the Ink I wanted to put in it so I'm waiting on that. I ordered the Sheaffer over the weekend so I'm hoping it'll arrive one day this week.

 

I've read up on general care and maintenance for vintage lever fill pens. Is there anything specific to these two pens that I should know?

[Uncial]

Expect 99.99% of 'flexible' nibs on ebay to be in fact, manifold nibs, some of which will have been mashed into oblivion.

There are plenty of small, unassuming yet attractive black pens from Conway Stewart and Mabie Todd that can be had for a very good price; almost all lever fillers with firm but very nicely wet and smooth gold nibs. Look for a seller who states the pen has been tested and re-sacced. Probably a good place to start.

[inkstainedruth]

Well maybe not an affordable Pelikan 100 with gelb binde

 

Although in my experience so far it's not an affordable 100 with ANY color binde....

Okay, back on topic.

I have bought a number of vintage pens on eBay. For the most part I've done okay (with a few notable exceptions ). The advice I have is to:

1) be knowledge about what you're looking for -- and at;

2) ask lots of questions, and (if necessary) better photos;

3) be willing to walk away if you think an auction is going above what you think/know you can afford -- yes, there are still deals to be had on eBay, but I've seen prices creeping up over the past five or six years, and sometimes the prices are all in the seller's fantasy world: when I first joined here there were multiple threads about some "vintage Bock pen" with a 5 figure price (and a five figure SHIPPING charge) -- but sometimes people get into bidding fever frenzies and the prices go through the roof because someone decides "Must be MINE -- no matter the cost!"

I had the experience of the former (a seller with delusions) just today -- I got a "hey you've been following X listing, here's a [slightly] better deal for you...." Only problem? It was still, IMO, WAY too much for the pen -- even with all the paperwork and such; and additionally, it was from the ONLY seller I've actually had to file a dispute with (a couple of other times I should have but didn't). I sent them back a message saying "What PLANET are you from? Why would I ever buy ANYTHING from you ever again (clearly you've forgotten what you did to me about the so-called "set" I bought that was missing what was advertised -- but I HAVEN'T). Okay, here's my [completely insulting] lowball counter-offer. You can take that price -- or you can never contact me about anything EVER AGAIN...." Yup. I said more or less those words. I also told them that I knew where to go to look up Parker date codes (so I *know* the FP/BP "set" were only such in that they had the same color barrel...." I'm sure they'll go crying to eBay about how "mean" I was to them. But they jerked me around and then were @holes about it -- when it was a gift and I didn't have time to send the pens back and try to get them somewhere else in time. And I swore, NEVER AGAIN. So I don't care. If I had realized it was them, I wouldn't have been watching the listing in the first place -- any more, if I DO see it's them I walk away quickly. Because I can and have done better from other venders.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: What MadAsAHatter said is true -- some sellers are truly clueless. But if you know enough to ask the right questions (and that goes back to "doing your homework first") you can get deals. Several years ago I had a GREAT rapport going with a seller of Cordovan Brown 51 Vac. Seller was doing it for someone else who wasn't eBay savvy. Didn't know the answers to what I asked but would check with the original owner and get back to me with them.... Then, I got SNIPED with seconds to go and no time to react.... OTOH, the Plum Demi 51 Aerometric? I upped my maximum a couple of time due to nerves -- but must have spooked other bidders because it didn't even hit my intermediate maximum (even after the shipping charges). The previous one I'd seen and dropped out at about the same price point? That went for over $102 US. I paid a little under $72 with shipping for mine. Go figure. Okay, mine wasn't minty-minty. But that isn't what I wanted. Mine is user grade condition and the price reflects that and that's perfectly okay with me because I'm not a c-worder -- the only pens I don't use are the ones that haven't been fixed yet.

Oh, another thing I forgot to mention, which is a tip I got from FPN member Uncle Red back when I got started (I've actually known Red for almost as long as my husband). Don't overlook the second and third tier brands -- they can have great nibs on them. That advice got me a Cedar Blue 51 Vac for ten bucks in an antiques mall near me, because it had the cap for some third tier pen on it.... Pulled the cap and said to myself, "Hmmm -- that's a hooded nib.... Let me look a little more closely...." Then went upstairs to another booth and got a Burgundy 51 Aero with a Parker Frontier cap on it for $15.... And labeled as a Frontier by the seller! (I ended up paying more for 51 caps than I did for the pens themselves....)

Edited January 27, 2020 by inkstainedruth