Shame Using Collectables?

[Tom Aquinas]

Anything I collect, I use, and enjoy using them.

[migo984]

Isn't it a bit like buying artworks? Some people buy expensive, highly collectible art, put it on the wall or display stand and enjoy it. They allow others to enjoy it, for it to be viewed & admired (or not). It's meeting its intended purpose, as all artists must surely desire their art to be seen.

 

Others buy because they see the artwork purely as a monetary investment or because they collect works by that artist & must own it. Ownership is a purpose in itself. It's a possession, an object. Often these pieces of art are locked away in vaults, out of sight. A very sad place to be.

 

I know which approach I empathise with. Bet you can't guess! LOL. Often there is instrinsic beauty and worth in an object fulfilling its purpose, reflecting the generosity of spirit of people who buy, use and share. It's like enjoyment versus desire.

I see pens the same way.

 

However, each to their own. That's the way of the world. There is surely no right or wrong answer and we'll all behave according to our own fountain pen creed.

 

(NB This is from someone who has palpitations if she spends more than £100 on a pen and when she sees pens advertised for many £000s thinks the world has gone bonkers LOL)

 

And why on earth have I started to refer myself in the third person? Probably because I now feel an idiot for having a philosophical theory about something I use to write shopping lists :-)

[pajaro]

Isn't it a bit like buying artworks? Some people buy expensive, highly collectible art, put it on the wall or display stand and enjoy it. They allow others to enjoy it, for it to be viewed & admired (or not). It's meeting its intended purpose, as all artists must surely desire their art to be seen.

 

Others buy because they see the artwork purely as a monetary investment or because they collect works by that artist & must own it. Ownership is a purpose in itself. It's a possession, an object. Often these pieces of art are locked away in vaults, out of sight. A very sad place to be.

 

I know which approach I empathise with. Bet you can't guess! LOL. Often there is instrinsic beauty and worth in an object fulfilling its purpose, reflecting the generosity of spirit of people who buy, use and share. It's like enjoyment versus desire.

I see pens the same way.

 

However, each to their own. That's the way of the world. There is surely no right or wrong answer and we'll all behave according to our own fountain pen creed.

 

(NB This is from someone who has palpitations if she spends more than £100 on a pen and when she sees pens advertised for many £000s thinks the world has gone bonkers LOL)

 

And why on earth have I started to refer myself in the third person? Probably because I now feel an idiot for having a philosophical theory about something I use to write shopping lists :-)

 

I think you have it right.

[FarmBoy]

I remain unconvinced a pen or baseball can be compared to a painting. A painting is not altered by use as intended (display). A baseball or pen is altered by use as intended. To me, to compare the two would mean I need to practice my paint-by-numbers skills on that Dutch Master hanging in the Louvre.

 

FarmBoy

Edited November 28, 2013 by FarmBoy

[pajaro]

A painting is affected by light and dust as it is displayed. It requires cleaning and conservation.

[Inkysloth]

And every time a NOS pen gets inked & used, the pool of existing NOS pens decreases, increasing the rarity - and value - of those remaining NOS.

 

I love to use pens, but I have one in box with paper band intact. It's a late 20s / early 30s WH Smith pen made by Conway Stewart. Uncommon, not rare, not priceless, but special for its surviving in such crisp condition ( the CBHR is SHARP. Seriously.) So I will save it. I have another CBHR early CS that is very enjoyable, I don't feel a need to make my mark on an unusual pen, I'm happy to look after it for the next generation.

[pajaro]

See, it does feel good to have some old pens in new condition.

 

I just received yesterday a Parker Insignia fountain pen which turned to be never used, never inked, with packaging and converter and two cartridges. I had meant to use it, but now I will have to decide what I want to do. Code IIP, second quarter of 1997. The Insignia appears to be a USA made pen like the Sonnet but of lower quality, if that's possible. Thinly plated cap, gold plated nibs. the section and nib will fit in a Sonnet, and Sonnet sections will fit the Insignia. The Insignia does not dry out as quickly as the earlier Sonnet, even with a Sonnet nib.

[maksim]

No worries, no feathers were ruffled

 

I suppose Parker stopped making the 51 because it was out-of-date and the pen market had changed. When Parker discontinued the 51 in the USA in 1972 it was a design that had been in production (more or less) since 1941 and in the 1940s most people used a fountain pen (or pencil) for daily writing, but by the 70s the fountain pen market had nearly collapsed because of disposable ballpoint pens. Parker decided/needed to become a niche, luxury, gift company to survive (like Montblanc, Waterman etc.). The need for a utilitarian, workhorse fountain pen had been superseded by the gift market that saw fountain pens as luxury items.

 

However, the 51 ceased being Parker's top-of-the-line pen when the 61 was introduced in 1956, even though they were still selling 1 million+ 51s a year. By the 60s, Parker stopped actively advertising the 51. The 61, was designed to compete with the Snorkel as a "clean" filling fountain pen. Only the Snorkel tube was covered in ink when being filled. In the 61 only the Teflon coated tube was covered in ink, it filled by itself (through a sponge that soaked up ink) and the ink just fell off the coating. In 1960, Parker introduced the 45 (supposedly named after the Colt revolver). It used the revolutionary cartridge/converter system, which was easy, convenient and required no bottled ink at all (no mess, stains, spills or inky fingers). The 45 was truly a "clean" filling pen. By the end of the 70s, all American Parker fountain pens were C/C fill.

Thank you for this post.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Every time someone inks a vintage NOS pen, the pen gods eat a kitten.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[Barry Gabay]

One of my favorite double-band, late 1920s senior-size orange Duofolds came from a side of the road Florida flea market my family & I encountered while on vacation about a decade ago. The barrel & cap appeared very bright in the afternoon light, and the imprint was especially crisp. When I unscrewed the cap to check the nib and feed, guess what filled my hand? Orange dust! Orange dust! The cap & barrel threads were still filled with dust from the lathe which had cut them in the factory. Apparently, that pen had not been unscrewed since leaving the factory approximately 75 years earlier. That's what I call mint, NOS, or simply unused. That night in the hotel, guess what I did? Filled it with ink, which I always carry, and happily wrote in my journal. Did I diminish the dollar value of the pen? Certainly, but I purchased that Duofold, which I still own, because it is a beautiful piece of history, a functional fountain pen, and a comfortable instrument to hold and use in my hand.

[maksim]

One of my favorite double-band, late 1920s senior-size orange Duofolds came from a side of the road Florida flea market my family & I encountered while on vacation about a decade ago. The barrel & cap appeared very bright in the afternoon light, and the imprint was especially crisp. When I unscrewed the cap to check the nib and feed, guess what filled my hand? Orange dust! Orange dust! The cap & barrel threads were still filled with dust from the lathe which had cut them in the factory. Apparently, that pen had not been unscrewed since leaving the factory approximately 75 years earlier. That's what I call mint, NOS, or simply unused. That night in the hotel, guess what I did? Filled it with ink, which I always carry, and happily wrote in my journal. Did I diminish the dollar value of the pen? Certainly, but I purchased that Duofold, which I still own, because it is a beautiful piece of history, a functional fountain pen, and a comfortable instrument to hold and use in my hand.

 

Awesome story. =) Thanks for the visual. =)

[pajaro]

I just bought another unused pen on ebay. This pen is a recent Parker Insignia in a green multicolored pattern with a lacquered cap and fine nib. It is a recent but out of production pen. I will ink this pen. There are lots of others around, but it's not as common as the Sonnet. It's a relatively inexpensive pen, no worries. I have inked a number of NOS pens, mainly Parker 51s, and not observed kitty fur descending from the heavens.

 

With relatively common pens, there's no need to preserve every one in new condition, or any of them for that matter. If every new and pristine pen should be inked the world will not end. I do not see why many of you get worked up over others inking NOS pens. The existence of these pens in someone else's collection benefits you not at all unless you are able to scavenge them from an estate sale upon the collector's demise.

 

Back in the 1950s and 1960s a lot of pens like Parker 51s were given as gifts. Many recipients were ballpoint users, and the 51s given as gifts were just stopgap gifts -- what the heck to give Uncle Joe? Give him a Parker 51, Sheaffer Imperial or whatever. Uncle Joe gets the pen, and puts it in a drawer. I know this because of buying several such pens for a few dollars at garage sales and listening to the seller's stories of how their mother or father got the pen for Christmas, birthday, etc., and never used it. It was the thought that mattered, not the pen. There are no doubt still many such put-away gifts out there. Do not get upset when someone gets a break, buys one of these for a few bucks and uses it. When all the NOS pens have been inked, what difference will that make to any of us?

 

Now hear this -- NADA! Someone, however, will have the pleasure of using a new pen as back in the day. If you are among those lucky ones, I say good fortune to you. Fortuna fortes.

 

The consertators will leave their pens to be sold anyway, by those who will have a yard sale.

[FarmBoy]

I noted today a NOS in wrapper 51 Special set with bidding over 200 USD with ~20 bids. Same pen restored but used in another auction was sitting at 23 USD and just a few bids.

 

I guess NOS pens don't command much of a premium after all, the price difference must be the pencil or the wrappers...

[pajaro]

That's beyond NOS, that's a mint set. Those are rarer than NOS or never inked sets, where all that stuff gets pulled off. If you pay a big premium to have such a set, you will likely save it as is for as long as you have it. After your demise or after you sell it, it's up to someone else. Financial investment gives you an incentive to keep it pristine.

 

Low purchase prices tempted me to use never inked pens, even though I had other pens in that model, color and nib size. I usually resisted, waiting for the right moment, which rarely came. Sold most. A recent manufacture NOS item costing $20 is a different story.

 

Years ago I could skim the recent buy it now items on ebay and sometimes find never inked 51s for $30 or $40. Now, not so much.

[Eduardo]

Today I start to use a NOS Parker 61 capillary fill... A NOS set, btw... Turquoise + gold filled cap, FP + MP (0.9 mm). The bird finally reaches the sky!!! Vive la liberte!!!

 

http://www.willeime.com/liberte.jpg

Edited December 3, 2013 by Eduardo

[pajaro]

Nicely done! That's my favorite color of the 61.

[FarmBoy]

I guess the 61 has been saved from dry rot. Is the hood cracked yet?

[Eduardo]

The 61 is perfect... An uninked capillary unit use to be full functional...

[georges zaslavsky]

writing with a vintage pen is like driving a 1970 charger or a 1970 eldorado

[Eduardo]

I drive a 1968 Karmann-Ghia...