Luxury/art Pens

[Brian K]

Namiki Emperor Cranes - hands down the most beautiful pen I have ever seen (only in pictures). Definitely an objet d'art produced by master craftsmen. And you can bet your sweet bippy that I would use it with joy...not likely an every day carry but it would be used.

[Art]

I've found this to be an interesting thread. I don't really know very much about the Art/Luxury pens but I have always (since maybe 1975 anyway) wanted a MontBlanc fountain pen. I have been admiring the Alfred Hitchcock pen and can say that would be my first purchase.

[mbankirer]

I like the combination of art/craftsmanship and utility. I would probably buy a couple of $5000 beauties and use them! I also like designer clothing but tend to shy away from wearable art because it goes out of fashion quickly....not so with beautiful pens!

[hbdk]

$10.000 for a pen? Nope, not even if I were stinking rich. But I am more of a user (and to e certain extend hoarder of cheap pens) than a collector.

[FountainPages]

Perhaps a Pelikan Raden but what I'd really like is an 800 Brown Tortoise which is far less. And just maybe an original Onoto Magna. That'd be about it.

[canibanoglu]

I'd probably buy Pelikan Sunlight and Moonlight. Those two are my grail pens.

[Yaakova]

$10.000 for a pen? Nope, not even if I were stinking rich. But I am more of a user (and to e certain extend hoarder of cheap pens) than a collector.

 

We are in agreement, hbdk. There comes a point when a fountain pen is too expensive to use, and then it has no point (no pun intended). If I had $10,000 worth of disposable income, I would not spend it on a single pen - a collection of pens, maybe, but not a single pen. When one pays that amount of money for a single writing instrument, one has crossed from the realm of practical use into the world of conspicuous consumption.

[jar]

Is there any reason that an everyday pen could not also be an art/luxury pen or limited edition pen?

 

I must admit I have never been able to understand why threads like this even come up?

 

 

[Yaakova]

Is there any reason that an everyday pen could not also be an art/luxury pen or limited edition pen?

 

I must admit I have never been able to understand why threads like this even come up?

 

 

 

A $1,200 Mont Blanc, sure. A $1.3 Million diamond-encrusted Aurora Diamante, not so much.

[legitimate3]

I would buy a maki-e pen, but not a Montblanc. Some of the maki-e pens have really intricate designs that you just can't help but admire. Some of them don't look over the top fancy, just beautiful.

[perth]

MontBlanc LE's are still somewhat more functional than a lot of dedicated jewellery pens. They have a higher percentage of "writing instrument" and less of "7kg of gold and diamonds". That bring said, I would still prefer to get an Imperial vacumatic or golden web over these any day.

[wspohn]

Nope, I'm not interested in spending $10K on one pen, or one stereo component or one bottle of wine.

 

I'd certainly spend that much on a small select collection - I just took a look and I have 19 pens from Classic Pens (what can I say, I'm a real sterling silver lover) including a complete set of the CP series, and spent more than that acquiring them.

 

But on one pen? Just not interested. I've looked at high priced pens and I just wonder what there is about people that would entice them to buy such things.

[jar]

 

A $1,200 Mont Blanc, sure. A $1.3 Million diamond-encrusted Aurora Diamante, not so much.

 

Why couldn't a $1.3 Million diamond-encrusted Aurora Diamante be an everyday pen?

[sandy101]

If I had to spend $10k on a fountain pen, I'd commission an artist and work with them to produce a unique design. Yes, it would probably be a bit bling, but I wonder what wou

 

Vintage is such a mixed bag - some pens arrive in great condition, some don't and most certainly are not worth a premium price.

 

A casual check on Amazon shows that the cheapest pen with a 14k gold nib is a Hero that costs £65.

 

Considering a P51 with a gold nib can be had for between £25-£45 it kind of shows you how vintage pens don't hold their value so much.

[jar]

If I had to spend $10k on a fountain pen, I'd commission an artist and work with them to produce a unique design. Yes, it would probably be a bit bling, but I wonder what wou

 

Vintage is such a mixed bag - some pens arrive in great condition, some don't and most certainly are not worth a premium price.

 

A casual check on Amazon shows that the cheapest pen with a 14k gold nib is a Hero that costs £65.

 

Considering a P51 with a gold nib can be had for between £25-£45 it kind of shows you how vintage pens don't hold their value so much.

 

 

I'm not sure how you arrive at that last assertion. The cheapest 1941 Parker "51" had a list price of $12.50 and today you would be lucky to find one at ten times the initial price. Would you like to hazard a guess what the Hero that costs £65 will sell for when it is about three quarters of a century old or if it will even last that long?

[Yaakova]

 

Why couldn't a $1.3 Million diamond-encrusted Aurora Diamante be an everyday pen?

 

You could use a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost as a taxicab if you were so inclined, but it wouldn't make it practical.

[tonybelding]

The cheapest 1941 Parker "51" had a list price of $12.50 and today you would be lucky to find one at ten times the initial price.

 

According to The Inflation Calculator: "What cost $12.50 in 1941 would cost $195.18 in 2013."

[jar]

 

According to The Inflation Calculator: "What cost $12.50 in 1941 would cost $195.18 in 2013."

 

 

And your point is?

 

The issue is whether or not a vintage pen would hold it's value better than a modern pen. The answer is some will, some won't. Fountain pens are not generally investments expected to increase in value.

[jar]

 

You could use a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost as a taxicab if you were so inclined, but it wouldn't make it practical.

 

 

Why not? How does that relate to whether a fountain pen could be used as an everyday pen.

[Yaakova]

 

 

Why not? How does that relate to whether a fountain pen could be used as an everyday pen.

 

If you have the wherewithal to acquire a $1 Million+ pen and a vintage Rolls, you can do anything your lil' ol' heart desires with them.