Buy Nos (New Old Stock) Then Use It?

[Tseg]

If one finds a NOS sample that is 20-30 years old and that same "classic" is being produced today, would you buy the never-used NOS that is 30%+ discounted from the 'new' pen and start using it? I suppose that could make a real collector cringe. But I guess a real collector would not be buying 30 year old NOS that is selling well below the cost of a modern one. right? I understand it comes with risks related to degraded seals and what-not, but anyone make a regular practice of buying and using NOS?

[JonSzanto]

All pens are different. Just because it is NOS, and especially as *recent* as 20-30 years, doesn't automatically impart value or worth. Completely dependent on the pen, especially if it is already a collectible. When you say it is still being produced today I question the worth of the older product unless it is an unusual color or trim or a limited edition of some sort.

tl;dr - The question is too broadly and vaguely framed to give a universal answer.

[Fuzzy_Bear]

I bought an NOS Pelikan Stormtrooper and use it.

[carlos.q]

I have bought NOS pens and used them. If I don't somebody else will after I die. So why delay the inevitable?

[Tseg]

All pens are different. Just because it is NOS, and especially as *recent* as 20-30 years, doesn't automatically impart value or worth. Completely dependent on the pen, especially if it is already a collectible. When you say it is still being produced today I question the worth of the older product unless it is an unusual color or trim or a limited edition of some sort.

 

tl;dr - The question is too broadly and vaguely framed to give a universal answer.

 

One should always question older product... but plenty of Mom & Pop stationary stores that hang on for decades, then close their doors with no succession planning. Who knows what has been sitting on a shelf for many years that is now getting liquidated? If one searches "NOS fountain pen" on an auction site there are over 12 pages to peruse (much are NOS parts). I guess my real question is is buying NOS of a pen you are seeking typically end well or not well? Why/why not?

[Jerome Tarshis]

I write more with pens manufactured in the 1950s than in any other decade. I have never come to grief merely because of the age of the pen, although there are things that happen to pens of whatever age. At San Francisco Bay Area Pen Posse, a lot of help is needed by people who have bought new pens in current manufacture. My own favorite pen is the Parker Aero 51 and I am not in the forefront of troubled users.

 

Over the years I have bought and put into use a number of pens described as "mint" or as "NOS," the most recent being an unused Aurora 88 small fountain pen. I bought it as an unused pen, but have no idea whether it was manufactured in 1989 or three months before I bought it. For me, no problem.

 

As for the "true collector" idea, I would add that I haven't signed up to be a member of a religious order dedicated to obeying certain rules to do with (some) old pens. Other people have, it would seem. I respect those people, just as I respect those dedicated to the Rule of Saint Benedict, but do not in either case think I am or should be one of them.

[Intensity]

Ultimately it's up to each individual, as everyone has different ethics and approach to collecting (or not collecting per ce but just buying to look at or use). Some people buy pens and collectable items to keep in storage, unused. Usually as an investment and for personal satisfaction. Some people prefer to use what they have, or else why buy. And there's everything in between when it comes to individual pens.

 

Personally I see no point buying something I won't use, unless I get it with resale or gifting in mind. If you feel bad about using a NOS item with tags, get one that's obviously used. That an extend to modern pens and any items in general.

 

I have a NOS Montblanc 146 (I think from the mid-90s, need to check more precisely) with a sticker on it that I got as a gift. Despite some mixed feelings about putting ink into it, ultimately it was a gift, and the person who gave it to me wanted me to use it. So it will be used and hopefully enjoyed, and no hard feelings. Better to appreciate and get good use out of a writing instrument, as it was intended. I don't like supporting the cult of objects.

Edited February 16, 2020 by Intensity

[inkstainedruth]

For me, they're pens. NOS still means that they might need work. And if I've paid for the pen *and* then for repairs? Heck yeah, I'm going to use it. The only pens I own which DON'T get used are the ones I haven't gotten repaired yet....

YMMV

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Intensity]

P.S.: as someone else mentioned, age of a pen does matter in this consideration. If you have a 100-year old pen in mint condition, it might be valuable from historic perspective for documentation. In that case I would first take really good photographs, check with knowledgeable users who compile information about it, then once it's all recorded and any valuable insight is gained, I could probably use it. Unless someone legitimately thinks it's unique and valuable enough to put in some kind of a pen museum. And I don't consider many people's hoarding of pens and pen parts to be pen museums. These pens are not accessible to the general public, and the pens just sit locked up for specific people to stockpile, and so their value to the history of pens and pen users is zero.

[Parker51]

So far I have only done this with a Montblanc 221 and removed the sticker.

[jchch1950]

A NOS of certain pen that is still manufacture today and with a nice discount can give you the opportunity to buy a pen you want at a discounted price. But how you can know how old is the NOS pen?In some countries you can find NOS pens at the original price,if that particular country has a high inflation rate then you can get a real bargain .

[danielbird193]

For me, they're pens. NOS still means that they might need work. And if I've paid for the pen *and* then for repairs? Heck yeah, I'm going to use it. The only pens I own which DON'T get used are the ones I haven't gotten repaired yet....

YMMV

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

 

Ruth, I've long admired your words of wisdom. This comment once again shows how full you are of wisdom and sensible advice. Thank you.

[Mech-for-i]

NOW or not, Collectable or not .. ultimately its a hobby , so why not ... the only way to really enjoy a pen is to write / draw with it

[bbs]

I don’t consider that my use of a pen will damage it. It might degrade it in the eyes of someone who wanted a pristine product - but that’s their perspective and not one I share.

[hari317]

If one finds a NOS sample that is 20-30 years old and that same "classic" is being produced today, would you buy the never-used NOS that is 30%+ discounted from the 'new' pen and start using it? I suppose that could make a real collector cringe. But I guess a real collector would not be buying 30 year old NOS that is selling well below the cost of a modern one. right? I understand it comes with risks related to degraded seals and what-not, but anyone make a regular practice of buying and using NOS?

Very few models I can think of, which are still being made after 30 years. Lamy 2000, montblanc Meisterstuck line 146,149. Even though the models are still made there are subtle evolutionary changes. If you are getting the older nos version at 30% off todays retail I would buy and most probably use it. It depends on the pen. Can you share which pen you are asking about?

[Addertooth]

When I first started buying pens, everything I bought got used. As the number of pens on hand became unwieldy, a smaller percentage of my pens were "wielded". It just became tiresome to cycle through all the pens once the number got north of 50. Once a pen has been repaired, it certainly gets tested and tuned, and then drained and flushed (unless there is something truly exceptional in the writing experience the pen provides).

 

There are principally two brands I tend to acquire (Waterman, Wahl), and I like to have examples of all the major families of these two brands. As such, I sometimes buy a pen which I am not itching to write with, simply to have an "example of that specific family". A second Generation Wahl Golden Symphony which was NOS showed up for sale at a very low price. It was purchased. It should be thought of as being functionally like a Skyline, but wrapped in a different body style. I have plenty of Skylines to write with. So it will likely just sit in it's NOS state until it is sold. It has already rested in a box since 1949-1950 (70 years), a few more decades are unlikely to harm it. I suspect that 30 years from now, someone will salivate at the thought of a 100 year-old NOS pen/pencil set NOS with original stickers in a box. How they use the set will be entirely their choice.

[TSherbs]

Who wants to keep boxes of pens? I can't be bothered. Use the thing. It's a thing.

[KingsCountyWriter]

I recently bought a NOS Pilot Elite pen from a well regarded Ebay vendor. My plan was to use it. Upon arrival, it didn't write. I flushed it, switched inks but to no avail, it didn't write. The dealer made suggestions as to how to get it working, but at this point, I'm waiting for the replacement in the mail upon said dealer's suggestion.

 

I guess the modern Elite would have been less hassle. But I'm interested in the NOS and am waiting for its arrival. I'm a user, not a collector!

[como]

It's your pen, and you do what makes you happy. I admire, cherish and use my pens with care. I don't worry too much about the value. This would be a hopeless job if you primarily see the pens as investments. There are better ways of preserving your wealth. This is a hobby, or passion, so just have fun, responsibly.

[Arkanabar]

I don't care what kind of collectible is under discussion -- pens, pocket knives, bottle caps, baseball cards, art, cars, toys, any ol' thing -- your primary return on investment is going to be the enjoyment you get from having the thing. For some, that's going to be use. For others, it will be merely having it to have and look at. And others might get their enjoyment out of the anticipation of making a profitable sale at a later date (something that is actually pretty rare in collectibles, to be honest).

 

Don't expect to get money out of pen collecting. What you're going to get is enjoyment. Seek after that in whatever manner works for you.

Edited February 16, 2020 by Arkanabar