FOR SALE: Parker 28 1/2 Lucky Curve

[kirchh]

Great info! I am currently trying to get ahold of Michael to see if he's interested. I guess im just trying to get a fair deal seeing how the pen COULD sell for 1000+, thats all.

I think you're confusing fact with opinion here. It is not a fact that your pen could sell for $1,000+; it is the opinion of one person you've communicated with. Others have opinions at odds with that assessment (myself among them).

 

If you're not after a specific price, but are simply looking to get a "fair deal" -- that is, approximate market value -- a clear eBay listing with good photos will generally produce exactly that due to the natural forces of the auction venue. If such an auction realizes $400, for example, it wouldn't mean that you didn't get a fair deal because that is far less than $1,000+ -- it would, instead, indicate (bordering on proving, really) that the estimate you received was simply incorrect.

 

Alternatively, if you're convinced that the pen's market value is $1,000+, simply list it for sale here for, say, $1,000 (or $800, or whatever you've decided a "fair deal" would represent). This is a widely read site and your listing will be viewed by a sufficient number of interested parties that a market-value offering will likely be met with acceptance by one or more collectors. If, on the other hand, your price is not met, it can be reasonably concluded that your price is simply too high, and thus that the estimate is in error.

 

--Daniel

[vintpenz28]

Now theres an idea I can get behind Thanks for the idea kirchh! I think i'll try ebay first and leave this little post to stew? Although, ebay is not on my good graces after having some lady try and scam me with ups insurance. Oh well! haha thanks again (ps. should i make a new thread for this stating the selling price w/ new pictures? thanks!)

 

Travis

[david i]

well now i am thoroughly confused. Firstly, the reason I am selling this is that a box of pens (yes a box haha) is being sent to me from home that my dad literally found while salvaging a house. I know that this particular parker is of greater historical significance than others hence me selling it. the whole poor college student thing is also a mild factor :-D. anyways- Im not sure why you say the appraisal is inflated. Michael said that he looked at the posts on here (in the parker forum) as well as the pictures I sent him personally. I mean, given that the pen could go for anywhere up to 1400, I thought trying to get at leas 6-700 was a pretty good bargain. Perhaps Im wrong?

 

 

Hi,

 

I will dive in on this.

 

Whilst i believe i'm not the one who said any appraisal here is inflated (inflated has an active flavor to it that makes me uncomfortable), I do believe a couple points have become clear via this conversation:

 

1) Different views of pen value (different appraisals values) are not uncommon, and the highest found might be, but might NOT be , the most accurate

 

and

 

2) A theoretical appraisal at any level might or might not reflect a real world retail price, never mind wholesale price, or any gray zone price in between.

 

Further, i do not offhand know of which pens are in your lot, but historical significance is a bit of a nebulous term. No evil there, but the word does not help me when it comes to an ad soliciting bids. A pen might be older than another, but is that historically significant? I s'pose i lean more towards Collector Cachet- that mix of rarity and desirability- to describe the import- if not the price- of a pen.

 

Michael said that he looked at the posts on here (in the parker forum) as well as the pictures I sent him personally.

 

I sort of wish that names had not come in on this conversation, but we have what we have. Michael is a professional in every sense. A good guy, skilled restorer and respected seller of pens. I would rather debate the notion of the appraisal itself than perhaps have to see, "gee, this time i disagree with Michael", but hey, we are where we are now. It is possible to like and respect my fellow hobbyists even whilst occasionally disagreeing on some nuance.

 

I mean, given that the pen could go for anywhere up to 1400

 

And it is here that several of us at least seemingly disagree with what you cite from Michael, though perhaps we do not disagree as you have cited an appraisal of $800-$1400 (conveniently now described as "up to $1400") not an offer.

 

See, putting aside Michael and focusing on you, i assert the phrase "a pen could go for anywhere up to $1400" is a meaningless statement. I could find a chewed up bic and opine that it "could" go for $1400. I also might win a lottery. Many things "could" happen. A better question might be, "what have been prior price points for sales of pens such as this, accounting for model, condition and market".

 

In other words, I invite anyone to show me that in the entire history of pen collecting that a worn and olived Parker 28 1/2 has ever gone for $1400.

 

And, i imply in that invitation that none ever has. I greatly doubt claim that this pen could go for anywhere in the close range to $800 (a key part of that appraisal now being forgotten) never mind $1400.

 

What if five other people propose this pen could retail for up to $75? Which appraisal then is correct?

 

It seems you heard one very nice number and several other less nice numbers on this pen, and are convinced the high end is a rational retail target. That is fine, but i simply disagree. Indeed, i suspect a near perfect version of this pen would struggle to get to that $800-1400 that was cited, and this pen is 1/2 or less of a perfect pen. AOn the other hand, time will tell.

 

regards

david

Edited February 12, 2008 by david i

[david i]

Great info! I am currently trying to get ahold of Michael to see if he's interested. I guess im just trying to get a fair deal seeing how the pen COULD sell for 1000+, thats all. *fingers still crossed* I imagine i'll have more stuff on here soon after i start seeing what I have in my goodie box! haha. Anyone interested in this pen though? Im really looking to sell!

 

 

My Bic COULD sell for $1000+ too, but i generally don't hold my hopes out. It is important to separate "Could" from "is likely to"

 

 

david

 

 

[OldGriz]

Now theres an idea I can get behind Thanks for the idea kirchh! I think i'll try ebay first and leave this little post to stew? Although, ebay is not on my good graces after having some lady try and scam me with ups insurance. Oh well! haha thanks again (ps. should i make a new thread for this stating the selling price w/ new pictures? thanks!)

 

Travis

 

Travis,

A little advise from someone who has sold more than his share (and bought more than his share) of pens on eBay..

1. Make sure to post a load of pictures that are very clear and show the pen and nib at their best

2. Be extremely honest as to the condition of the pen (not saying you won't be, but make sure all little quirks are mentioned)... this will keep a buyer from later trying to return it because you might have left something out..

3. Make sure you sell it as a Reserved Price Auction and you have the reserve set at the minimum you want to get (Be realistic about this price) ... You can also post a Buy It Now price higher than your reserve.. sometimes people really jump on that BIN...

4. Post as much information as you can find about the pen, history, rarity, etc. Remember you are marketing it... you want buyers to really want the pen... short quick descriptions do not do that... But at the same time don't make is sound too schmaltzy (Yes that is a technical advertising term )...

Edited February 12, 2008 by OldGriz

[Rick Krantz]

I could see this pen bringing $400-500 on the bay. If you shoot great pictures, and detail the pen well. Include a shot of the rear blind cap, showing the 28 1/2, Show a picture detailing the nib, and all of the imprints. Show pictures of all of the imprints. I would suggest starting this pen off with a low starting bid, no reserve. That will attract a lot of serious buyers, and perhaps the hopefuls.

 

Not to go against Old Griz, but I too have bought and sold a pen or two on the bay, and even off the bay. I have handled many high end pens, and really think this is a good approach. Sometimes reserves scare off any serious bidders, thinking that the seller might just be testing the waters, or perhaps out of their mind. Only put it on eBay to sell, not for an appraisal.

 

One thing you might want to consider, is spending the additional $$$ and have the pen repaired, and brought to operating condition.

Edited February 12, 2008 by Rick Krantz

[jmkeuning]

When I was 14, I got really into baseball cards while working away from home one summer. I would get all these cards, open them up, file them, and look them up in Beckett's (The "#1 Authority on Collectibles") to tell me what they are worth.

 

I watched as my net worth grew with each "valuable" card.

 

Then someone told me that Beckett's says one thing, but the cards are only worth what someone will pay for them.

 

 

Look, I know that's a silly story, and states what we all know. But Michael is like Beckett's. He is just as correct as that magazine is regarding the value of the collectible.

[AllWriteNow]

I am an Antiques Road Show addict.

When they first started 'appraising' items, they would say it is WORTH $xxxx.xx

Then they couched that with "at a properly advertised well respected auction" it would sell for$xxxx.xx

Now they almost always say " for insurance purposes".

 

There may well have been some seriously dissapointed sellers.

 

 

I will echo Rick's suggestion re: ebay Don't put it up there if you don't want to sell it for whatever it sells for.

It's an auction after all.

My $.02

Now back to this daggone spors!

[Michael McNeil]

I wasn't going to reply to this, then after reading all the replies today, decided that I probably should explain a bit. Especially since the price range I gave "Nirvana5253" was taken somewhat out of context, and I didn't explain the price quote as well as I should, to a newbie pen collector.

 

As we all know, a price range is just that, a range "on a good day" for a pen in excellent to mint condition to lesser grade pens. Nirvana5253's Parker 28 1/2 is not in the high end of the spectrum. I told him it was in "rough condition", i.e. worn and discolored. I also told him he should have someone professionally restore it and, I say now, that it could be brought up a little in grade, by someone who knows what the heck they are doing. I also told him that he might someday regret selling it, as you don't run across 28's out in the wild often.

 

I do not collect large pens, and I thought it highly unprofessional to make an offer on the pen, since I was only being ask for an appraisal. I was ultimately ask to make an offer on the pen, which I refused. I also refused to accept future work from Nirvana5253 (nothing personal), because I have suspended custom vintage pen restoration, from new customers, and a temporary suspension from past customers. The explanation being, that I have not been able to get much work done for myself, on pens for resale and my personal collection. I keep buying and the pens literally keep piling up. Also I need to work out some bugs in my HTML editor and get my website rebuilt, and that will take some time.

 

Today I took a look at the old updated prices, for a P28, in the Fischler - Schneider "blue book" (these were from before the 2nd ed. came out), and I looked a Erano's "Fountain Pens - Past and Present. Paul Erano has a Parker 28 (smooth, no chasing) listed as a $450.00, whenever he wrote it a few years ago. In my estimations Paul's prices tend to be very conservative, in the real world. By today's market, I believe, you could ad at very minimum 1/3 over any high end of a particular price range he states in his book and expect to get it, depending on a given pen's condition of course. But that's my opinion and I'm sure worth every cent it cost you.

 

Oh, I'm not hard to find, people. Did anyone, other than Nirvana5253, bother to contact me backchannel about this thread? Only one friend who saw it and tipped me off about it... Someone please have the courtesy to contact me for any future court dates! If I'm on trial, I would like to be there. Just kidding!

 

Happy penning! Carry on!

 

Michael McNeil

 

 

 

[jmkeuning]

I redacted my comment.

 

I just re-read the rules: ". . .this area is NOT a discussion place. . ."

 

I do not know what that means, but I am steering clear.

Edited February 13, 2008 by jmkeuning

[Michael McNeil]

I redacted my comment.

 

I just re-read the rules: ". . .this area is NOT a discussion place. . ."

 

I do not know what that means, but I am steering clear.

 

It's not a place to post pens for sale either, but it seems like we all have bent the rules a wee bit. The discussion has been friendly, and we are only discussing what should be a fair market price on a pen. I think it fits "Market" place. If the admin. wants to move this elsewhere on the board, that is their privilege.

 

MMc

[david i]

I wasn't going to reply to this, then after reading all the replies today, decided that I probably should explain a bit. Especially since the price range I gave "Nirvana5253" was taken somewhat out of context, and I didn't explain the price quote as well as I should, to a newbie pen collector.

 

As we all know, a price range is just that, a range "on a good day" for a pen in excellent to mint condition to lesser grade pens. Nirvana5253's Parker 28 1/2 is not in the high end of the spectrum. I told him it was in "rough condition", i.e. worn and discolored. I also told him he should have someone professionally restore it and, I say now, that it could be brought up a little in grade, by someone who knows what the heck they are doing. I also told him that he might someday regret selling it, as you don't run across 28's out in the wild often.

 

I do not collect large pens, and I thought it highly unprofessional to make an offer on the pen, since I was only being ask for an appraisal. I was ultimately ask to make an offer on the pen, which I refused. I also refused to accept future work from Nirvana5253 (nothing personal), because I have suspended custom vintage pen restoration, from new customers, and a temporary suspension from past customers. The explanation being, that I have not been able to get much work done for myself, on pens for resale and my personal collection. I keep buying and the pens literally keep piling up. Also I need to work out some bugs in my HTML editor and get my website rebuilt, and that will take some time.

 

Today I took a look at the old updated prices, for a P28, in the Fischler - Schneider "blue book" (these were from before the 2nd ed. came out), and I looked a Erano's "Fountain Pens - Past and Present. Paul Erano has a Parker 28 (smooth, no chasing) listed as a $450.00, whenever he wrote it a few years ago. In my estimations Paul's prices tend to be very conservative, in the real world. By today's market, I believe, you could ad at very minimum 1/3 over any high end of a particular price range he states in his book and expect to get it, depending on a given pen's condition of course. But that's my opinion and I'm sure worth every cent it cost you.

 

Oh, I'm not hard to find, people. Did anyone, other than Nirvana5253, bother to contact me backchannel about this thread? Only one friend who saw it and tipped me off about it... Someone please have the courtesy to contact me for any future court dates! If I'm on trial, I would like to be there. Just kidding!

 

Happy penning! Carry on!

 

Michael McNeil

 

 

 

 

 

Well said, Michael

 

WIll you be in LA ? I vaguely recall you are a west coaster.

 

I am fond of Paul's book, and I note that his prices are- iirc- for pens in Excellent condition. Your point about separating Appraisal from Buy/Sell is well taken and not surprising. I had little doubt in my earlier posts that you had not made an offer on said pen. Appraising and Purchasing together tend to blur certain lines

 

Regards

 

-d

Edited February 13, 2008 by david i

[david i]

Hi daivd,

I can't wait knocking at your Dr for the price of a giant better a pm across if you have one

 

What Ray-Vigo said sound. Can consider.

 

Heck, in this condition in the originally cited price range and in the condition the 28 seems to be, I could probably sell a similar grade Parker Black Giant appropriately.

Come to think of it...

 

Still, I observe that lacking "rules" in the hobby, there is room for diversity in assessments.

 

-d

 

 

Ahhhh.... i was speaking in... retrospect. A certain Danza. A certain Black Giant. A certain startlingly familiar (re: this thread) price range. Ahhh... those were the days.

 

regards

 

david

 

[Michael McNeil]

 

 

 

WIll you be in LA ? I vaguely recall you are a west coaster.

 

 

Regards

 

-d

 

 

L.A.'s out for me this year. Maybe I'll go down and do a little buying next year. I don't have enough pens ready to go, to even go down to L.A., a this time.

 

I hope you can work Portland into your schedule this year. Maybe you can teach me more about pen collectors! LOL! I don't understand them sometimes...

 

MMc

[jmkeuning]

I redacted my comment.

 

I just re-read the rules: ". . .this area is NOT a discussion place. . ."

 

I do not know what that means, but I am steering clear.

 

It's not a place to post pens for sale either, but it seems like we all have bent the rules a wee bit. The discussion has been friendly, and we are only discussing what should be a fair market price on a pen. I think it fits "Market" place. If the admin. wants to move this elsewhere on the board, that is their privilege.

 

MMc

 

I agree with you 100%.

 

But I am not the one who decides to suspend myself.