Where To Buy Vintage Pen For Affordable Price

[inkinbrushes]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm a complete newbie to fountain pens and am easing into this new world. I'm on a very tight budget of a maximum of $20, though I'm shooting for closer to $10, to buy a vintage fountain pen because I honestly just want to play around with it and explore. I have picked up a Pilot Metropolitan, but I'd like to pick up a vintage pen too so see what I like and what options there are. I've seen overwhelming positive remarks on the Parker 45, Esterbrook J, Shaeffer, and Wearever and after a cursory look on ebay, a lot of them seem to be within my price range. However, quite a few of them do seem to need repair, which for me is a no go, because I'm not comfortable enough with fountain pens to try repairing them. With that being said, does anyone have any sellers they would recommend looking out for, or any tricks to get a good functional pen? I'm open to other websites as well so long as they are within my price range because I tried a few of them from another thread back in 2011 and they were no longer working or the sellers had extremely expensive prices. I also do not have any thriftstores near me that sell fountain pens.

 

Thank you for your help.

 

PS I am aware there are some great and affordable chinese pens out there as well, but I just want to give some vintage pens a try because they sound very reliable and promising.

Edited February 27, 2017 by inkinbrushes

[AL01]

I'd recommend you go on classifieds or Ebay, but TBH you won't be able to find much....

For a working pen I'd say go with a USED C/C pen. Sheaffer school pens are phenomenal writers that just need a soaking to work. Parker 45s have not worked out in my experiences but you may have better luck than me.

 

A good seller... (Speerbob. Heard good things about him.) http://www.ebay.com/sch/Fountain-Pens/13999/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&LH_BIN=1&_ssn=speerbob&_sop=15&_pgn=2&_skc=50&rt=nc

 

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Fountain-Pens/13999/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=&LH_BIN=1&_ssn=cmogen-x-resale

 

I have seen some nice clean cheap vintage pens from 'em.

 

Good luck. Used Lamy Safaris are also nice - but don't suit all tastes...

 

CHECK DIS LISTIN OUT! - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Esterbrook-with-a-2556-tip-illusive-color-of-Turquoise-5-1-4-inch-fountain-pen-/252776031077?hash=item3adaa02365:g:gWYAAOSw4A5YnooM

 

(Ask the seller for some pics of the nib and the section and nib. Also ask for any cracks.)

 

I hope that helps ya out.

[inkstainedruth]

I've gotten deals on pens on eBay, but also from scouting out antiques stores (often you have to keep checking back -- there may be nothing one time, and incredible deals the next, and then the time after that overpriced junk). You're going have to expect that some vintage pens are going to need repairs, no matter what, though, and you will have to factor that into the price.

If you can get to a pen show, there are often dealers who have boxes or bags of inexpensive pens, although again, they may need repairs.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[fullfederhalter]

A $10 to $20 budget will make your search a bit challenging, but not impossible. The Parker 45 and Sheaffer school pen are good candidates. You might also consider the Parker 21 which often needs only a good flushing to deliver great service. The Sheaffer No-nonsense is also readily available and was inspired by the early flat top pens. Good luck!

[linearM]

If you can find an Easterbrook to repair, I'd go for it. Usually unscrewing the nib unit and let it soak a day then using a baby ear syringe to force water through should clear out dried ink. Replacing an ink sac is relatively easy. You might actually have fun restoring the pen and a feeling of satisfaction when you are done, plus Esterbrooks are good durable pens. They don't have 14K gold nibs but the nibs are usually smooth writers.

 

Depending on where you live you might find a pen club near you and members that would be happy to give you a hand.

Edited February 27, 2017 by linearM

[ac12]

What do you consider "vintage." Because I used a Parker 45 in college, so I do not consider it a vintage pen. But my nephew wasn't born yet, so he would consider it vintage.

 

IMHO, with your budget cap, the best you can do is go for older cartridge pens. Because all you have to do is clean therm. These are the ones that I can think of.

• Parker 45, 25, Vector, etc.
• Sheaffer school/cartridge pen

But you need to be VERY careful about some of the old cartridge pens, where the cartridge is no longer made. Then you would have a pen, but no way to ink it. Couple of these pens are: Wearever and Waterman CF.

 

With ANY sac pen, you WILL have to replace the sac. Even if the sac "seems" good, the sac could be 60+ years old and could fail tomorrow, next week, or next month. A gamble, where a failed sac will create an inky MESS. And you do not want ink on the metal parts of the pen (J-bar or lever), as it will rust. So you have to add $30+ plus postage to/from the pen tech to resac the pen. So the resac could cost you $45+. This is more than double your budget, just to resac the pen, not including the cost of the pen.

 

At pen shows, a restored Esterbrook would be about $40+, depending on model, condition and nib. Some difficult to find nibs could more than double the price of the pen.

 

Personally, I would not sell a resaced pen for $20. The cost of the sac, maybe a replacement J-bar, the base cost of the pen, and the time and effort to resac the pen, all adds up to more than $20.

 

If you are LUCKY, REALLY REALLY LUCKY, you "might" be able to snag a resaced pen off eBay for less than $20. But I would not hold my breath.

 

Caution, there are sellers on eBay who just clean the outside of a pen and call it "restored." Yet the ink sac in the pen has to be replaced. So "restored" does not always mean that the ink sac has been replaced. If not stated clearly in the listing, you have to ask, if the ink sac has been replaced by the seller. If they say "good sac," to me that means the sac works (for now) but has NOT been replaced. IOW, it could be an OLD sac that could fail next week.

 

gud luk

Edited February 27, 2017 by ac12

[ac12]

If you can find an Easterbrook to repair, I'd go for it. Usually unscrewing the nib unit and let it soak a day then using a baby ear syringe to force water through should clear out dried ink. Replacing an ink sac is relatively easy. You might actually have fun restoring the pen and a feeling of satisfaction when you are done, plus Esterbrooks are good durable pens.

 

I disagree that replacing an ink sac is relatively easy, even in an Esterbrook.

IF you are lucky, it will be easy to pull the section from the body.

IF you are not lucky, it could be DIFFICULT/HARD if the body has shrunk and stuck TIGHT onto the section, or even worse glued on.

Edited February 27, 2017 by ac12

[Jamesbeat]

I just got a Parker Arrow CF (like a 45 but with a plastic cap) and a Vector rollerball for $11.50 including shipping on eBay.

I haven't received them yet, but I'm not too worried about the 45 because they are easily stripped down to their component parts.

The 45 even has a gold nib!

 

The suggestions above about the sheaffer cartridge pen are good too - nothing fancy, but excellent writers in my experience.

I find the sheaffer non-nonsenses on eBay tend to be rather overpriced, but if you can find one for $10 including shipping that would be good too.

 

My first choice would definitely be a Parker 45 though.

Edited February 27, 2017 by Jamesbeat

[Bo Bo Olson]

Yep, put your money away....and add to it every day....soon you will have $30-35 or 40.

 

It's not 8 or so years ago, when you could have gotten a lot of working vintage pens for $25.....Germany pens like the Geha 790 that was once E19 or less, is now E30-50. That's something for your 4th vintage pen.

8 years ago everyone told every no or one pen noobie, get a $15 Esterbrook....and now they go $30-40 in everyone did....got 5 or 6 of them...so the prices skyrocketed.

Actually at $30-40 it's sill a good deal if re-sacked, considering how pretty some can be and how solidly made; different screw in nibs.....just you won't be buying lots of them....the first two weeks.

Do take a look over in the Esterbrook section.

 

?????Why should you want to fiddle around with a good pen like an Esterbrook?

What you want a vintage pen for is the better nibs than the modern semi-nail and nail nibs.

[sandy101]

Pen Shows - the best thing about a pen show is that you can inspect the goods before you buy and haggle.

 

The value of in vintage pens is condition,condition and condition.

 

There's nothing wrong wth taking on a pen as a project if you have the time, money and patience to do so. But if you wan tsomething go can go and write with, it's worth spending that little bit extra to get something that will fill and lay down a nice line without covering your fingers or clothes in ink.

 

The Parker 45 and Parker Slimfold can probably be found at your price range.

[Jamesbeat]

Yep, put your money away....and add to it every day....soon you will have $30-35 or 40.

 

It's not 8 or so years ago, when you could have gotten a lot of working vintage pens for $25.....Germany pens like the Geha 790 that was once E19 or less, is now E30-50. That's something for your 4th vintage pen.

8 years ago everyone told every no or one pen noobie, get a $15 Esterbrook....and now they go $30-40 in everyone did....got 5 or 6 of them...so the prices skyrocketed.

Actually at $30-40 it's sill a good deal if re-sacked, considering how pretty some can be and how solidly made; different screw in nibs.....just you won't be buying lots of them....the first two weeks.

Do take a look over in the Esterbrook section.

 

?????Why should you want to fiddle around with a good pen like an Esterbrook?

What you want a vintage pen for is the better nibs than the modern semi-nail and nail nibs.

It's ridiculous how much prices have shot up in so short a time.

Even something modern but discontinued will have a vastly inflated price tag.

I lost a Sheaffer Javelin a while ago, and I would like to replace it.

It is a basic school pen, and I think I only paid about 5GBP for it (I used to live in the UK).

I thought I'd get a used one for maybe $7-$10 shipped, but they are like $40 on eBay!

Edited February 27, 2017 by Jamesbeat

[Sailor Kenshin]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm a complete newbie to fountain pens and am easing into this new world. I'm on a very tight budget of a maximum of $20, though I'm shooting for closer to $10, to buy a vintage fountain pen because I honestly just want to play around with it and explore. I have picked up a Pilot Metropolitan, but I'd like to pick up a vintage pen too so see what I like and what options there are. I've seen overwhelming positive remarks on the Parker 45, Esterbrook J, Shaeffer, and Wearever and after a cursory look on ebay, a lot of them seem to be within my price range. However, quite a few of them do seem to need repair, which for me is a no go, because I'm not comfortable enough with fountain pens to try repairing them. With that being said, does anyone have any sellers they would recommend looking out for, or any tricks to get a good functional pen? I'm open to other websites as well so long as they are within my price range because I tried a few of them from another thread back in 2011 and they were no longer working or the sellers had extremely expensive prices. I also do not have any thriftstores near me that sell fountain pens.

 

Thank you for your help.

 

PS I am aware there are some great and affordable chinese pens out there as well, but I just want to give some vintage pens a try because they sound very reliable and promising.

 

 

First, as others have said, you need to define what you see as 'vintage.' The recommendations so far have been good, like Esterbrook, Sheaffer, Parker, Wearever, but if you do end up with a Wearever, I have an extra cart or two. They can be refilled.

[Manalto]

I find the sheaffer non-nonsenses on eBay tend to be rather overpriced, but if you can find one for $10 including shipping that would be good too.

 

 

+1

 

One strategy for finding a No-Nonsense at a lower price is to search them by name just to learn what they look like and then search the listings filtering only for "Sheaffer" so the results will include those pens offered by sellers who didn't bother to find out which model they are selling. It's more time consuming, of course, but may pay off. Another aspect of No-Nonsense pens that you may find appealing is the abundance of italic nibs. (The NN was also offered in calligraphy sets.) Be aware that the italic nibs are not particularly smooth but they produce nice line variation, if you like that sort of thing. (If you get used to a NN italic and then get a good, smooth-nibbed fountain pen, you will be in heaven.)

 

I also vote for the Parker 45.

[Jamesbeat]

Yes, sometimes including the word 'vintage' can miss some good ones too - make your search as broad as possible and resign yourself to having to trawl through a lot of listings.

 

Another strategy is to search for "ink pen" instead of "fountain pen".

I learned this from watching pen turning videos on YouTube.

Many people assembling kit pens often don't know the first thing about fountain pens and refer to them as ink pens.

I figured that if they don't know they are called fountain pens, maybe eBay sellers don't either, and sure enough, they do pop up occasionally.

[TheRealMikeDr]

If you really want a vintage pen then a pen show is the way to go. You get to try before you buy from reputable pen people.

 

Frankly at your price point you may have a hard time finding a vintage pen that meets your expectations.

[Manalto]

For the price (point?), you can get admission into a pen show.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Be glad you are doing it in English with only '2' words to look for...in German there are 7-8 words one has to use to trawl German Ebay.

 

I did tell you...what ever you do, do not join the Pen of the Week in the Mail Club.

Sigh....one is forced to buy dirt cheap pens....that have one looking the very next day in Ebay for another pen the day after it arrived.....instead of enjoying it.....I won't say too cheap to use, but it seemed that way....because the adrenaline rush of winning a bid became important....and when I joined Pen of the Month Club I got a better pen.

 

I got a real, real good pen in Pen of the Quarter Club. I had much time to research, to hunt hard, and to know exactly what I wanted....and what I'd be getting.

Ie....a better nib....better balance....in I was chasing 'cheap' old pens.....vintage....for then close to $40-50 .....now $70-80.

 

You are still in the $40 range....plus or minus....if you want a real nice vintage pen.

 

Remember you can get affordable Chinese pens for well under your limit. Some are quite adequate.

 

If you go hunting on Ebay....you need to be iron hard, on your budget....and make only one bid and no more than 10% more than your max.

It's too easy to slip into the Pen of the Week in the Mail Club.

 

 

Do look in our sales section, it costs a bit more than Ebay, but you get a pen that works...that you don't have to fiddle with. You get a fair pen at a fair price.

And you get to look at pens that were recommended at a glance....instead of working at it in Ebay.

[TheRealMikeDr]

For the price (point?), you can get admission into a pen show.

 

That's a good point. However do you want a pen just because it's vintage - or do you want a pen that's vintage but also functional and nice to look at?

 

Frankly I would look at getting a restored Esterbrook for $50 or so as a starter Vintage pen.

[truthpil]

+1 for Parker 45.

If you're patient you can grab one for $25 with a 14K nib on ebay. Just make sure the nib isn't damaged.

 

A 1960-70s Pelikan cartridge pen like a P20 or P21 with a 14K nib may also occasionally be nabbed for around $30. The nibs on those pens have more character then the nails on most Parkers, some getting close to semi-flex.

 

I got one with a white gold medium nib on Ebay for $25 a few months ago and another with yellow gold nib for $36 (alas, it disappeared in transit , at least I get a refund though).

[Noihvo]