Engrave Or Not To Engrave?

[flybigj]

Interesting reading. My hope is to own a 146 or 149 by Christmas and I my initial thought was to have it engraved as I have no intention of selling it, but will pass it to my daughter eventually. Now, I'm not so sure. Food for thought.

[georgeb]

You could have it engraved with someone else's name it doesn't have to be yours.

[Chrissy]

I would never engrave any of my valuable pens because I think they are going to be around for much longer than I am. I'm just looking after them for the short time that I'm around. Then someone else will look after them when I have gone.

 

The answer to the question you asked is yes the value of a pen drops quite a lot after it is engraved. Many people are happy to buy a used Montblanc pen. Hardly any want one that has been engraved with someone else's name.

[mulrich]

My sisters and I bought my dad a MB LeGrand for fathers day a couple years back and had it engraved with something like "Grandpa Dave" to discourage him from giving away the pen (something he's been known to do).

 

Generally I would strongly discourage engraving.

[ScienceChick]

I'm not inclined to engrave my pens with my (or anyone else's) name but I did buy an engraved black 144. Initially the appeal was the OB nib but I've become quite fond of the engraving and wonder about Heidemarie Froitzheim every time I pick it up. I think it's sad that engraving a pen makes it less desirable even within ones own family.

[meiers]

I'm not inclined to engrave my pens with my (or anyone else's) name but I did buy an engraved black 144. Initially the appeal was the OB nib but I've become quite fond of the engraving and wonder about Heidemarie Froitzheim every time I pick it up. I think it's sad that engraving a pen makes it less desirable even within ones own family.

I agree! Here is Heidi's webpage.

http://heidiskunst.de/

[ROsk]

No. It hurts potential resale and it seems a bit tacky to me. Like monogrammed shorts.

[Bergerac]

Many thanks for the comments and thoughts.

I can see the subject is a bit of a mix mash. I have decided not to get any of them engraved, but that doesn't mean that if I receive one as a gift I won't get it engraved....

Edited May 12, 2016 by Bergerac

[ScienceChick]

I agree! Here is Heidi's webpage.

http://heidiskunst.de/

Wow, thank you!

[northstar]

Engraving is a deal killer for me, I own zero pens with engravings.

[Handschreiber]

After two MB I used to take with me to work "vanished" after a while, I engraved (reluctantly, to be frank) a third one - which can be found untouched by others on my desk at least since a decade.

 

If your name - unlike mine - doen't sound horrible enough, just engrave an Egyptian curse or so.

 

Cheers, Hannibal Lector :-)

Edited May 12, 2016 by Handschreiber

[Bergerac]

An Egyptian curse, that made me chuckle! It's clearly worked though!!

[Ceelo]

I'd also join the chorus advising not to engrave. I hunk it can really ruin the lines and looks of a pen. It also screams hotel pen to me.

[Baroz]

 

Well, it is not a MB but nevertheless it is about engaving....

 

A lovely pen were it not for the pig ugly banner on the barrel. I have the matching pencil in coral. The only one of its kind that I have seen. Will you be going to the Madrid pen show this year?

[KaB]

I don't quite get the urge to engrave a pen with your own name. Maybe to commemorate an event (or both names at mariage). But having your own name on a pen, shirt, ...? As if you're afraid you might one day need a reminder of your name? Or you are afraid someone's gonna claim it's his shirt? Or you're going to be so careless with your expensive pens that 'all the MB's in the meeting room miraculously got mixed up' and you and your collegues get into an epic discussion on which MB belongs to who?

So no own engravings on my pens.

I do have an old vacumatic with a name engraved (you have to look carefully for it). Doesn't bother me since you can hardly see it and it underpins I'm only a temporary caretaker of this timeless instrument. Did a search on the name without result

[Pen Nut]

Got a pen engraving story, will condense it and do a bit of 'blurring' as well.....

 

Someone sort of came into my life for a short time and was always using a 146 of mine, often when I asked for my pen back the reply was " hey it hasnt got your name on it you know " and to be fair she was right it didnt have my name on it. One of the few Christmas times we spent together I presented her with the said 146 with her name engraved on the cap and infilled in pink. It pleased her no end.

 

Sadly she had to go back to her other life as someone had returned and the day before she went she gave me a gift, it was the 146 with her name on it which baffled me a bit until I rotated it and saw she had got my name engraved on the opposite side of the cap.

 

Of all the pens that wash in and out of my life this is one of the few that stays with me, rarely on show but always within touching distance which in some small way makes up for the fact that she isnt.

 

Sometimes the engraving sentiment out weighs the cost of the pen many times. Dont always let the £'s & $'s be the ruling factor in life.

[Azuniga]

A lovely pen were it not for the pig ugly banner on the barrel. I have the matching pencil in coral. The only one of its kind that I have seen. Will you be going to the Madrid pen show this year?

 

Normally I will unless reality plays one of its tricks...

[zaddick]

Got a pen engraving story, will condense it and do a bit of 'blurring' as well.....

 

Someone sort of came into my life for a short time and was always using a 146 of mine, often when I asked for my pen back the reply was " hey it hasnt got your name on it you know " and to be fair she was right it didnt have my name on it. One of the few Christmas times we spent together I presented her with the said 146 with her name engraved on the cap and infilled in pink. It pleased her no end.

 

Sadly she had to go back to her other life as someone had returned and the day before she went she gave me a gift, it was the 146 with her name on it which baffled me a bit until I rotated it and saw she had got my name engraved on the opposite side of the cap.

 

Of all the pens that wash in and out of my life this is one of the few that stays with me, rarely on show but always within touching distance which in some small way makes up for the fact that she isnt.

 

Sometimes the engraving sentiment out weighs the cost of the pen many times. Dont always let the £'s & $'s be the ruling factor in life.

Thanks for sharing a touching story.

[Sasha Royale]

If you are going to re-sell the pen, personal engraving will tend to affect the price negatively. However, if you intend to keep the pen, resale value is irrelevant. If a personal engraving will add to the enjoyment of your Montblanc, certainly, have it done;

[asegier]

Just thought I'd add my 2 cents. If you're concerned about reselling the pen, I should not that if you're only engraving the cap, I'm pretty sure it won't be too hard to get a replacement cap, then suddenly you have a non-engraved pen.

 

I'm not sure if many people think of this. But I'm pretty sure that if I didn't think of this, I wouldn't ever think of purchasing engraved pens. The reason being, I don't like my pen to feel like it's not mine or look like it's stolen. I'm self-conscious like that. I like my pens to have either my name on it, or none at all.

 

I also think some pens look better engraved then others. I personally do not think MB's look that great with engravings. On the other hand, I have a Kaweco AC Sport engraved with my full name and it looks great. I proudly carry it around all the time

Edited October 21, 2016 by asegier