Mont Blanc Inheritance, Sell Or Keep?

[Decjhf]

Hello, I've been browsing this forum for a while now and have finally decided to seek some advice.

I've decided to shorten this from my original version, since I wrote the whole thing out and then my internet browser crashed and deleted it all.

To cut a long story short my grandfather recently passed away and left me some MB pens, one I have at the moment and I am to receive more.

The pen I have at the moment is the MB Meisterstück Platinum-Plated Facet Fountain Pen (Piston Converter) More info HERE. RRP: £750 (for reference I live in the UK)

 

I was given it without the box or piston converter in a used condition (maybe one cartridge used), but no scratch marks or anything. I bought a piston converter so I can flush it.

These pens are obviously amazing items but I have no need for them, being 18 and an aspiring photographer I have been saving up for sometime for a camera setup.

I am not looking to sell the pen I have at hand or the others I have yet to receive, but I do need advice as to selling them. (I know the forum rules about selling pens etc.)

 

My first question is; if I took my pen(s) to a Mont Blanc boutique and explained my situation they could provide me with documentation (certificate of authenticity etc.) and/or a nice presentation box? (It might seem a silly question but I thought I'd ask)

If not, how much off RRP is a used pen generally sold for?

 

My second question is; should I keep the pen(s) for sometime until it is out of general production? (Would it gain value if I kept it for a while?)

 

I know the pen I have now is genuine and the others I'm sure will be, but if anyone would like to see pictures of the pen I'd be happy to take some and post them up or link to them.

 

As stated before I am not trying to sell this pen at the moment, I know the people of this forum to be knowledgeable about this sort of thing and I, obviously, am not. When I do decide to sell I will hopefully have enough posts to sell on this network.

 

Any advice and answers are greatly appreciated.

Regards, Declan.

[Multiechelon]

Hi Declan,

 

Welcome to FPN. The boutique won't give you any kind of authenticity documentation. For some really high end pens, I know auction houses have sent pens back to Hamburg for a cleaning and a letter that says they are authentic. But for a pen like you are talking about, I would not go through the effort. Since you are a photographer, just take really clear pictures of the pen from every angle and it will be clear to buyers that it is authentic.

 

These types of pens usually just have standard MB boxes. Some boutiques will give out a box if they have extras around. Some boutiques won't. Even if you pen has seen light use it will still be considered a user-grade pen and for pens like this the box is not very significant. I would not worry about it.

 

Speaking just from a financial viewpoint, there is no need to delay the sale of this pen. It likely won't be discontinued anytime soon and even if it was discontinued it won't affect value. I would just take careful pictures and post it on ebay.

 

Good luck,

Sean

[markc]

Why not keep the pen?

 

Right now you might not have any interest in fountain pens.. But having something that was your grandfathers in say 30 years might mean more to you. I recently acquired my father's fountain pen that he got when he was 13.. When I was 18, I had no appreciation for such things... But I do now!

 

My advice would be to keep the pen somewhere safe. Save up the money for the camera(s) and move on.

 

FWIW, I'm also a photographer (mainly Leica equipment and some Nikon digital) and Pens will ALWAYS be more valuable in the long term than ANY digital camera is today.

[Makar]

Right now you will get 30% of its new value on a good day. This is the time for hanging on to what you've got and if you can't, expect little in return.

[Ghost Plane]

It's a bad economy for selling pens. With proper maintenance and use, that pen will last until you're an old, old man. The older you get, the more you will miss your grandfather. I'd hang onto it. The memories will be far more valuable than any money you get now to put toward cameras that will be obsolete long after the pen is still usable.

[lsmith42]

+1 more opinion to keep it. Regret is a lousy thing to live with.

[rogerb]

If it were convertible into a LOT of cash, and you really needed the money, then I'd support your selling it .... but it isn't and I agree with those who think you'd probably regret selling it, sooner or later.

 

I am not at all sentimental about 'inherited possessions' and 'family heirlooms', but many people are, and tend to become more so as they get older.

[yachtsilverswan]

Evening Declan (wicked cool name) -

 

A Montblanc Boutique, like the Flagship Store on Old Bond Street will authenticate your pen, but they will not provide you with documentation of that authentication. The Boutique is not likely to give (or even sell) you a box, unless you are a good customer and have bought from them previously (sorry, I know this seems petty).

 

You can occasionally find Montblanc presentation boxes - just the boxes - on eBay - look here: http://desc.shop.ebay.com/i.html?rt=nc&LH_TitleDesc=1&LH_PrefLoc=2&_nkw=Montblanc%20empty%20box&_fln=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m283

 

The pen you showed us is a nice pen, and as others have said, if you decide to keep and use the pen it will last throughout your life. If you decide to sell in the next year or so, you can expect about one half to one third of the full retail price.

 

Keeping the pen in hopes the pen will be discontinued and therefore appreciate in value is not a credible plan. Montblanc pens are produced in such high numbers that except for the very rarest and priciest pens (think $10K and above), these pens do not often appreciate in value. Now keeping the pens until the economy improves and until people feel comfortable shopping for luxury goods again - well that may indeed be a good strategy - and in two years you may be able to sell your pens for substantially more than they will bring now.

 

What are the other Montblanc pens you are expecting from your Grandfather's estate? Maybe you'll choose to keep one to use and remember your grandfather, and sell the rest to fund a camera or lenses. If one of the pens happens to be a Montblanc 149, then I would highly recommend you keep that pen - it is Montblanc's flagship pen, and the design is over fifty years old. The MB 149 is the iconic nice pen. The Montblanc 149 is not as expensive as the pen you showed us, but it is a better pen to write with and to carry - the larger nib is more springy and comfortable and the internal piston reservoir holds more ink. If your grandfather bought the pen you showed us, then he likely also owned a Montblanc 149.

 

Keep the Montblanc 149. Have it restored or serviced if need be (FPN Member Niksch does that kind of work, as does Montblanc's official Service Center). Use the 149 and remember your grandfather. That's really what he wanted. I recently bought a Montblanc 149 for a friend's birthday - and they tell me every time they use the pen I bubble up in their head - nice.

 

If you choose to sell the other pens here in our Classifieds Board, read the rules, take lots of pictures, including macro shots of the front and back of the nib, and do your due diligence to research a fair price. You can research prices of closed items on eBay, or in our Classifieds. Be warned - overpriced pens do not sell here.

 

Good luck Declan (such a cool name)

[daenghafez]

It's a bad economy for selling pens. With proper maintenance and use, that pen will last until you're an old, old man. The older you get, the more you will miss your grandfather. I'd hang onto it. The memories will be far more valuable than any money you get now to put toward cameras that will be obsolete long after the pen is still usable.

 

+1 here..

[sunnerd]

Welcome Declan. Hmm, how I wish my grandad left me a Montblanc... I would definitely keep them. What's the worth of a heirloom...

[uglyblue66]

If he had multiables,I would keep the 1 or 2 I knew he had held

and used and convert the others to cash if you need it.I would not

sell all of them.that is my humble opionion.You will find these folkes to be wise in thier

advice.

[pelman]

If it were convertible into a LOT of cash, and you really needed the money, then I'd support your selling it .... but it isn't and I agree with those who think you'd probably regret selling it, sooner or later.

 

I am not at all sentimental about 'inherited possessions' and 'family heirlooms', but many people are, and tend to become more so as they get older.

 

Agree with Rogerb. If you really need the money then sell it, but take Yachtsilverswan and others advice on the value of the pen etc... Many of us get hung up on "heirlooms". I too get hung up on heirlooms but realize that these are just a way of holding on to people long gone. Enjoy their memory in any way you can and don't get hung up on the bits and pieces (however valuable they maybe).

[meghan]

Oh yes, please keep them! As others have mentioned, they will increase in sentimental value to you over the years. I'm a chronic "de-clutterer" and I can't tell you how many times I've gotten rid of things only to regret having done so. I once gave a piece of inexpensive Sarah Coventry jewelry to Goodwill after having never worn it in the 10 years since I'd inherited it from my great grandmother, and I'd pay 100x its value today just to have it back.

 

For him to have spent the money on those Montblancs, your grandfather must have loved them. Hang onto them and in time you'll come to cherish them beyond just a simple inheritance.

[FrankB]

If I were lucky enough to have inhertited the pens, I would not even consider parting with them. My motivations would be both sentiment and the fact that I use FP's. The pens will not take up a lot of room, so let them be part of your life.

 

Then, spend some time with us here at FPN and learn more about the pens, and ink and paper, etc. :clap1:

Edited January 12, 2011 by FrankB

[Decjhf]

Wow, hey everyone, thanks so much for all the responses, your advice really is helpful. I've thought about and I think I'll wait and see what the other pens are. The 149 looks good and not overstated so could be a pen I think about keeping. I just don't tend to write long hand and haven't really used a fountain pen since I was 12 or so.

However I don't need loads of luxury fountain pens (I tend to lose things, especially pens and such.) So for the moment I'll wait and see, I'm not in desperate need of money, I'll just stay frugal.

 

@ markc: I understand that pens like these remain valuable whereas buying a camera is pretty much money down the drain. I see the camera as an expense not an investment, seeing as I want to do a photography BA or an art degree incorporating photography. (However superb lenses can often be a good investment, less so nowadays but no less true.)

 

@ Ghost Plane: I agree with you that it is a bad market for selling almost anything now, much less luxury items. But I don't think the market/economy will improve much in the next 3-5 years, especially in the UK, it'll be a very slow recovery. So I think if I keep 1 or 2 pens I will have them for a very long time as long as I don't lose them.

 

@ rogerb: It may seem odd to many people but at my stage in life £350 (thereabouts) is a lot, (but I think my perception on the value of money changes a lot.) For the pen I've shown so far I know my grandfather did not use it that much it was left in his flat in the UK which he almost never visited. (The others are in his house in Ireland and thats why I haven't got them yet) Although I never considered selling them all, just some, as the one I have at the moment is a (from what I gather) a slightly more expensive Meisterstück.

 

@ yachtsilverswan: Thanks for the advice, I doubt I'll go to a boutique, I have a feeling stores like that wouldn't like me in there. As for the 149, if I receive one I'll keep it. My grandfather left me specific pens but I wasn't at the will reading and no one took down exactly which ones they were. (Although I don't really know how wills work..) The ones not left to me have gone to cousins and my sibling. And one to each of his children (There's 4 of them, but I think they were left LE's). P.S. I'm glad you like my name (:

 

As for the sentimental value of the pens, I appreciate that as I grow older I may become fonder of them, but we have to clear out his house in Ireland and as we do this I'm sure stuff I remember from my childhood will hold much more sentimental value and much less monetary. Furniture and ornaments etc haven't been stipulated so we'll see.

Thanks again for the responses, I'm sure I'll be hanging around here more often, and I'll make update threads or posts on the other pens.

Declan.

Edited January 12, 2011 by Decjhf

[Deirdre]

First, my condolences on your loss.

 

Second, I wouldn't sell it ever. Sometimes you can pick up (real, though there are also counterfeit) boxes and stuff on eBay if that interests you.

 

Third, many of us, including MarkC, lsmith42, and I, are camera gearheads in addition to being pen fiends.

 

Doing a BA in Photography does not require expensive equipment. Seriously. Sure, it requires good lenses, but a Canon AE-1 and a 50mm f/1.4 is a great place to start and you can probably find them for under $200 or at most $300. Of course, you'll have film to deal with….. Obviously, you can proceed to nearly infinity price-wise from there, but more expensive gear doesn't mean better necessarily.

 

Of course, this is said by someone who probably has four grand of camera gear on her desk at the moment, so take it with a grain of salt if you like.

[Decjhf]

First, my condolences on your loss.

 

Doing a BA in Photography does not require expensive equipment. Seriously. Sure, it requires good lenses, but a Canon AE-1 and a 50mm f/1.4 is a great place to start and you can probably find them for under $200 or at most $300. Of course, you'll have film to deal with….. Obviously, you can proceed to nearly infinity price-wise from there, but more expensive gear doesn't mean better necessarily.

 

Of course, this is said by someone who probably has four grand of camera gear on her desk at the moment, so take it with a grain of salt if you like.

 

Thank you for your considerations, I do miss him, but he had been ill for around 3 years now. 94 years is a good run.

 

 

To take up your point about photography, I understand that expensive gear is not a requirement for a BA in Photography or photography in general. I've been working with a Canon 350D (Rebel XT) and kit lens for at least 3 years now, although only in the past year or so have I become adept at using it. I'd like to think I have a fairly high knowledge base for photography now and as I've been considering an upgrade for a while now I wanted to go full frame, because the lenses are generally better and can be used with film. I actually own a Canon AV-1 and Canon A1 and I love film. If/when I get into art school I can develop my own film and I'm sure I'll love it.

But I do know exactly what you mean and I could talk for hours about this subject and I've spent many many going over it in my head. Thanks for your advice.

 

FWIW here is my flickr, it's not amazing but it will grow substantially. My Flickr. Thanks (:

Edited January 13, 2011 by Decjhf

[Deirdre]

Wow, Declan, I really like this picture of yours. I also see you're as fascinated with the London Eye structure as I am.

 

The photo geekery mostly happens in Pictures and Pen Photography forum. Initially, I thought this was supposed to be mostly pen photos, but it turns out that all kinds of photos are welcome.

 

I'm on more photo forums than I care to admit to (and moderator of one), but I'm mostly a Leica shooter, and mostly digital, but I do have one film camera. I hope to get a film Leica body to get double use out of my lenses.

Edited January 13, 2011 by Deirdre

[niksch]

I vote for you to keep the pen. I have a number of my grandfather's fountain pens (mostly Sheaffer's), the original octagonal Regulator clock AND the old hand cranked telephone from the one-room schoolhouse he in which he taught in southern Illinois...way back in the day.

 

I have the Regulator clock in my home, but I keep the old telephone in my office at work. It's a reminder of how technology has improved.

 

Eric

[Francois_uk]

Why not keep the pen?

Indeed !