Gold & Silver Pens - Out Of Fashion?

[mke]

What do think - are gold & silver pens out of fashion? Why? What is the problem with them? People wearing gold and silver jewellery.

 

Do you have some nice pens? Would love to see them. I have quite a few. The pens on IG are the ones, I intend to keep, my Parker 45/75/180 not, I prefer bigger pens.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0siOm0DuZy/

[silverlifter]

Not my cup of tea.

 

My theory is that they were gaudy status/wealth signifiers back in the day that eveyone carried one, and that stigma remains for me.

[Honeybadgers]

I just got a Cross Peerless London from JonathanBarboza, which is about a brushed, matte gold barrel inscribed with tower of london and big ben motif's, with a red swarovski crystal in the finial.

 

It's gaudy as HELL.

 

And I love it.

 

The brushed gold is a LOT more subdued than if it were all polished. But it's still screaming to be looked at. It just looks more like brass than gold, apart from the tone of the color.

 

I initially wasn't really into gold and silver until the last year. I got a grifos oikos in sterling silver and it all kinda made sense. I've since added another grifos oikos in all-sterling guilloche, a platinum coated lamy CP1 and platinum coated cross townsend, and I have a silver plated old wahl ringtop.

 

I still wouldn't pull the peerless out at work, because it is a little too over the top, but a silver pen wouldn't be too bad. Sterling silver itself isn't overly expensive, and sterling oikos is only about a hundred bucks.

[praxim]

I doubt that in the past "everyone carried one", in fact perhaps fewer than now considering changes in average wealth. Movies and exhibitions distort perspectives on past lives. I think about 5% of my pens (rather than trims) are gold or silver, which is for me a reasonable proportion to keep them enjoyable.

[mke]

People wearing gold and silver jewellery and that is not gaudy? Looks like double-standards?

Strange.

[silverlifter]

People wearing gold and silver jewellery and that is not gaudy? Looks like double-standards?

Presumably that is directed at me. No, it is not a double standard as long as you consider ostentatious displays of wealth, however they manifest, in the same light.

[A Smug Dill]

People wearing gold and silver jewellery and that is not gaudy? Looks like double-standards?

 

 

I doubt that even 1% of the population would find a gold or silver (or platinum, which is silver-coloured) wedding band to be gaudy, unless it's especially chunky and/or have the markings of the One Ring engraved on it.

[mke]

> would find a gold or silver (or platinum, which is silver-coloured) wedding band to be gaudy

Then why is a silver or gold pen gaudy?

 

Is a Waldmann pen sold at 400 Euro an "ostentatious display of wealth" while a 2000 Euro Visconti in acrylics is not?

 

The more I think about it, the more I think it has to do with social jealousy and also with puritanism (preached by some Christians). People from non-Christian countries have less problems with lots of gold.

 

Looks similar to the problem with the snow cap of Montblanc. It has a stigma. I know someone who HATES everyone with a 149 Montblanc fountain pen. He can distinguish between a 146 which is acceptable (he has one but is afraid to show it) and a 149 which is absolutely not. If this guy could, he would require everyone showing a Montblanc to be punished. He does self punishment by not using it. At the same time this guy drives a Mercedes convertible.

People are strange.

 

Anyway, I like glitter stuff - I admit.

[silverlifter]

.

 

I think it has to do with social jealousy and also with puritanism (preached by some Christians)...

 

People are strange.

People are different. That's no reason to accuse them of hypocrisy; particularly when you have absolutely no reason to justify the assertion.

[hari317]

I dont think they are out of fashion. There are choices available from Pilot, Platinum. Sailor used to have the all silver 1911. Montblanc offers silver and gold versions of their models. Then you have yard o led. I am a fan of gold and silver pens. But I dont think anyone notices what pen you use. Use pens for personal pleasure, why care what someone thinks?

[TheDutchGuy]

Going back to the OP’s question, I think it depends. A lot of silver or gold pens, as well as very ornate pens (such as some recent Montblanc pens, for example) strike me as gaudy or kitsch. Not my thing at all. But there are exceptions such as the Sailor Hanzi...

 

 

This doesn’t strike me as gaudy. This ticks all my boxes. Same thing with some of Yard-o-Led’s stuff, somehow that’s just very understated and beautiful.

[samasry]

What do think - are gold & silver pens out of fashion? Why? What is the problem with them? People wearing gold and silver jewellery.

 

Do you have some nice pens? Would love to see them. I have quite a few. The pens on IG are the ones, I intend to keep, my Parker 45/75/180 not, I prefer bigger pens.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0siOm0DuZy/

 

 

I think it relates to the material used for the body of the pen

If it is metal, then you can get silver and gold color , and you do in some cases. Body design just moved along compared to past designs.

If it is resin, or similar material, it would be strange to have it in gold or silver.

 

If we are talking real gold, real silver or even rolled gold , then we should get these back

[Addertooth]

I am a fan of precious metal vintage pens. The logic is simple, their price is depressed right now, and many of the old metal body pens have wonderful flex nibs.

There are some other advantages to vintage metal pens, they are almost always unfaded/uncracked/less brittle (due to the underlying celluloid and hard rubber not having been struck by UV)/etc.

There is frequently more interesting engraving or other decorations on them. Right now, there are some brands which have exceptional values in their metal pens, especially if they are seen as flawed with repairable issues. I picked up a Eversharp Skyline rolled gold pen/pencil set (Gold Award) for about $115. The low price was due to many repairable conditions. The price was well below many of its celluloid brethren, and it has a breathtaking flex nib. One of the best I have ever seen.

 

For me, my original hesitation was my experience with cheap silver/gold plated bargain pens decades ago.

Those pens diminished the overall view of metallic pens. A gold finish meant little, if it was thin and became "brassy" after a year. Because of this experience, I associated metallic pens

as cheap, lower end, and NOT durable. And then, I ran across vintage Watermans, Wahls, Eversharps, etc.... which were made of solid precious metal, or at least, rolled gold finishes which were thick

enough to be used for 50 years before they showed significant signs of brassing. This made me re-evaluate my position on metallic pens.

 

Currently, about half my collection is comprised of Gold filled, Sterling, or Solid XX Carat Gold pens/pencils. And yes, they do make some of my other Celluloid or Hard Rubber pens seem shabby by direct comparison. For me, repairing a damaged metal shell has more options than Celluloid or Hard Rubber. I have gotten quite proficient at removing dings and other blemishes. I have a silver pen (Wahl) which has a broken lever box, I will fabricate a new lever part out of sterling, do a bit of brazing, and it will look like new (although the new part will be stronger than factory, as it will be made slightly beefier).

 

As stated earlier, I really believe the cheap gold/silver plated junker pens did a lot to diminish public perception of metallic pens. It didn't help that many manufacturers started marketing resin pens as "precious resin" (chuckle, translation: overpriced cousin of plastic). They normalized that a resin pen was somehow superior to metallic pens, and diminished the whole market for metal pens. For the record, my two-year old "precious resin" pen, which has a parquet finish, has worn considerably, and the pattern is almost worn smooth from daily use. I am not impressed with the durability.

[Honeybadgers]

People wearing gold and silver jewellery and that is not gaudy? Looks like double-standards?

Strange.

 

It's the context.

 

We all wear underwear too.

 

But wear it on the outside and you're just doing something weird.

 

People don't use fountain pens at all these days, relatively speaking. So not only having one, but having a gold one, is as ostentatious as a giant thug chain.

 

But some people can pull off the thug chain. So it's all about the context.

 

I had someone make fun of my fountain pen at work the other day. She shut right the hell up when I told her it was my mother's, though. The context changed it from "weirdo" to "person who values their mother"

 

Was a good thing it was actually my mom's waterman, otherwise I wouldn't have the high ground and I'd just have to tell her that nobody cares.\

 

I personally didn't get silver until I got my first .925 guilloche pen, the grifos oikos. It all made sense after that. A metal pen to me before was always a monster of weight, like the jinhao 159. But feeling a large pen that weighs basically as much as a plastic one but has that amazing pattern rolled into it, feels so nice under the fingertips... That's when metal pens finally clicked to me.

 

I personally prefer sterling silver to gold though. I like warmer gold tones of copper, brass and bronze to gold.

Edited August 4, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[Bo Bo Olson]

Fountain pens have become esoteric; many are large see across the conference table bling pens. Why not go for the real thing instead.

 

P-75 is a perfectly balanced silver pen....when posted. I don't polish mine often, I don't want folks asking is that Chrome? Squeeze gadget, converter or cartridge. I like the gray gunmetal color if the pen has a tad of tarnish.

 

I have three silver barleycorn overlay pens from I think Phortzheim, the jewelry center of Germany...late '30's-late 40's. I had one of 'my' pictures over in Randsom Bucket, and the picture is rather unsharp, so never loaded it into imgur.

 

My rolled gold, MB 742, is a standard pen, and is heavy. It has a semi-flex + nib....at first I thought it a maxi, but it is my only one that lies half way between semi&maxi. There is a 14K 742....but it's up there at $10-14,000. Basic MB cigar shaped pen.

 

This 14K overlay has a Phortzheim clip, the MP no clip, a ring only. Is a maxi-semi-flex.....and a three piece suit is not out of the question should I carry both..............which I don't see doing, in I don't know how to carry nor why to carry the MP. (((Forgot it has an etui ) Actually never took it out the house...........should take it to the beer garden the next time I go scribbling there.

Most folks are only going to think it's fake gold or gold plated.....(Do have a Fake Gold Reform with a semi-flex spade nib. It really looks fake.)

I got it cheaper than expected at a live auction.....I wouldn't have bought it had it not had a good nib. Looks to be a size 2 nib. A.'Bison' nib, made by G. Rau, Pforzheim..... It's one of those nibs where I ask my self is it a maxi, or a 4 X superflex. I'm not sure if I got it for the start bid of E120 or E150, but none of the dealers bid on it; which surprised me. I'd not expected to win it.

 

 

A Fend.... Fendomatic Saftety Pen made in Milan in the '30's. It is 'only' 18K rolled gold or filled gold....one is 5% the other is 7% of weight is gold.

With permission of Penboard.de, in they take professional pictures and my 1950's Brownie is still state of the art by me. My chasing is slightly different. This is a pretty pen...classy...pre-bling

Great to carry when wearing jeans......you know, pocket watch, chain, fob and such a pen in a shirt pocket......straw hat in the summer, felt fedora in the winter......

Hummmmm...Looks like I have to pick up some Spats......one always needs some Spats on one's Adidas.

 

There are times when classy bling, is something to scribble with for the discerning Eye enjoyment. You know there might be someone who says.....that is an odd looking ball point.

Edited August 4, 2019 by Bo Bo Olson

[Mech-for-i]

Fashion and trend come and go ; I do not think gold or Silver pens are out of fashion what's out of fashion is all the gaudy show off kitsch or simply too decorated ones.

 

There is another part of it people today while recognizing pen as an accessory most do not consider it jewelery so some sane usability are to be expected .. And let say most gold & silver pen are not that great as functionality ; form & day to day usage goes ... They simply require too much upkeep for an accessory or even as a tool ( mostly the cosmetic upkeep ) and their status as well status symbol is no less and no more than say a MB 149 ( which is also why many people do not take to that )

 

And part of that is about that status symbol value which actually devalue its purpose as a status symbol ... In short todays social interaction see people using a fountain pen as an outtake on being composed ; elegant ; and being gentlemen / lady ... Where else a gaudy show off piece be it a 925 YOL or a MB 149 is just that ; a show off piece ; so too almost all the top end and usually gaudy pieces.

Edited August 4, 2019 by Mech-for-i

[mke]

That underwear comparison is certainly totally wrong. If you are using a gold pen, you are not doing anything wrong.

The stigma of using precious metal pens or snowcap pens is certainly based on jealousy. Generous people would accept it without even questioning you and your behaviour just because you have a gold pen.

 

So, I would need a solid gold MB149 to be the worst of the worst - or at least a Pelikan Majesty M 7000/7005. Anybody knows for how much it was sold originally?

 

Hopefully, people can enjoy precious metal pens without being stigmatized too much.

Edited August 4, 2019 by mke

[Bo Bo Olson]

A 742 is a very heavy pen, even in rolled gold (over brass), a 149 would be way, way too heavy in silver or gold, a pure desk signature pen.

 

As a child back in B&W TV days, a silver pen was upper class...a retirement pen, and a real gold pen.....was for those folks in the $250,000 mansion with the 3-4 car garage. (One could still buy a 2 bedroom house for $18,000, three bedroom $22,000.)

Even at 'only' $40 an oz a gold pen was not something one saw a teacher using.

Silver would not have been out of context.....but I don't think they took them to school....the place where pens did a walk about. (Every year pen collectors collected my pen from 4th to 10th grade, including Jotter....Bic solved that problem.)

 

It appears Sheaffer got into silver pens late....By then working folks had color TV's.

I'd gone over to a Bic by 10th grade, and never really got into Sheaffer, living in Germany, though a 1976 near Christmas, Life magazine shows some sort of silver, inlaid nibbed Sheaffer.

If I had such a pen, I'd not give a dam about the tiny thoughts of fools that don't see . Classic beauty.

[kazoolaw]

Not my cup of tea.My theory is that they were gaudy status/wealth signifiers back in the day that eveyone carried one, and that stigma remains for me.

That is a stigma to you, based on a broad over-generalization of every person who ever owned a gold or silver pen.

 

I understand you don't care for them, but extrapolating a social theory based on your personal taste is a flawed methodology.

[sidthecat]

Since my addiction is vintage ringtops, I have a number of metal pens. Their small scale makes them attractive things to wear.