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Questions on buying a used Montblanc Writers Edition fountain pen


allanofcalifornia

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I am considering buying a used Montblanc Writers Edition fountain pen and I have a few questions:

 

1.  Have you ever bought a used Montblanc writers edition fountain pen?

2.  What concerns do you have in buying a used Montblanc writers edition fountain pen?

3.  Do you always buy a used Montblanc writers edition fountain pen with box and papers or would you buy a fountain pen only?

4.  Do you have any Montblanc writers edition fountain pens without the boxes and papers?

5.  How important are the boxes and papers?

6.  Do you only buy a used writers edition in “new” or “mint” condition?

7.  Have you had any bad experiences buying a used Montblanc writers edition fountain pen?


Thank you

Allan

 

 

 

 

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  • HogwldFLTR

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- Yes, I've bought 4 used

- None really

- Bought two with and two without (later sold the two with and one of the pens without)

- 1 right now

- Not important to me, but I don't buy them as collectors items, buy them to write with.

- Only one was new/mint the others were in very good used condition

- Not so far

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I've not only bought writer's editions but also some of their characters editions. They are both pretty nice and I'm not certain why just the focus on the writers? As far as concerns they need to be in excellent condition and  I need to really like the writer and or celebrity. I've got both Swift, Faulkner, and James Dean in fountains and Swift and John Lennon in ball points. With these I think part of the charm is having the complete set. With the Dean and Swift I've bought matching ink. With the Dean I also bought a matching journal. The Dean is the only one I've bought new. I've bought new and used and have had issues buying used. I've seen screwed up nibs and fakes. Not too likely with the LE and SE pens!!! I hope this helps.

 

-Lee

 

 

6034A306-9479-4EBD-AE18-05C6D4C259DA.jpeg

Edited by HogwldFLTR
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I'd buy any pen for the right price... I have many writer series and patron of the arts series up until around the year 2000. Then they kind of lost my interest. I have many 146 and 13 149's I've acquired over the years.

 

Are you considering buying the used pen locally, so you can see it and test it to make sure the piston is smooth and the nib doesn't look damaged? I always run my finger under the cap lip to feel for any chips or cracks. Check the clip to make sure it firm. I visually insect the pens, just with my eye and make sure they appear to be good, undamaged.

 

I personally use all my pens, but I like them in mint condition. I've found I can keep the writers editions in Mint condition. My stainless steel 146 is unavoidable to stop surface scratches, but on that pen, I like the modest wear and tear. I've purchased a few more heavily used LE's over the years and found that even though I bought them cheap enough, I've actually sold them because they weren't pristine like I like them.

 

If the seller is unwilling to ink the pen, but the pen looks very nice, I would not be concerned. If the nib needs a minor adjustment (a slight bend), there are excellent people for that and its very cheap to do, just like $30 bucks maybe. I think I've sent out over a dozen pens (MB and Pelikan to have the nib adjusted).

 

Boxes and papers are nice to have. You ask if they are important - well important for what? For resale, sure... for the pen to work properly, absolutely not.

 

Lastly, I guess we have all seen some fakes even of these Writer Edition MB, so make sure you buy a real pen. Not very hard to tell if they are real, if you are familiar.

 

Good luck

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How do you enjoy and use the Faulkner pen? That is a writer’s edition that I find very attractive. I only own the Mark Twain — which I treasure. I purchased it new from an authorized dealer about ten years ago. It has seen constant use and is in near mint condition.

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17 hours ago, meiers said:

How do you enjoy and use the Faulkner pen? That is a writer’s edition that I find very attractive. I only own the Mark Twain — which I treasure. I purchased it new from an authorized dealer about ten years ago. It has seen constant use and is in near mint condition.

Frankly I haven't used it since before my June birthday when my wife gave me the Dean. I need to make certain it works and use it some more. I don't do a very good job of keeping my pens in rotation. Maybe today I'll get it flowing and let you know a bit later.

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I have a Faulkner, which bought used via EBay a number of years ago. I had read that these pens were prone to leakage at the section but that has never been a problem for me. It is a handsome pen — very dependable medium nib, which sometimes skips a bit. But, I like the pen a lot and it is in my normal rotation. 

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1.  Yes.  Just one, 1997 Dostoevsky.  My understanding at the time of purchase was that it had been dipped and/or filled at least once and then emptied and put away, so in used condition.  I made an offer to the seller, and it was accepted. 

2.  Concerns?  Service and repair costs, and time of such.

     I found upon my receipt of this pen that the piston was nearly inoperative.  I think I've read this might be a known issue with this model, but also I'm mindful that this pen is 20+ years old.  Also, the nib was a medium and I particularly wanted a F or EF.  I knew in advance the cost could be ghastly, since for WE the service level (there are threads in this forum regarding this) is different/higher priced than for standard Meisterstuck models.  So I sent the pen to the service center in Texas, received a service estimate, accepted the estimate and okayed the service, and some five months later (January of 2020) received a final bill of $392, which came to $435.49 with shipping/handling and tax.  So this ended up being a + $1000 pen for me.  I know full well I will never recoup this in resale, should I lose my mind and want to sell it.  Worth it?  ABSOLUTELY.  I've used this pen daily since its return a year ago, and each time it fills me with delight.  The aesthetics of the pen match its writing quality, something quite rare in my experience.  I had wanted this particular model for years, perhaps since it was first announced way back when, due to a personal affinity I had for the author in my school days and also Russian culture. 

     So in summary, be forewarned that there may be a cost beyond the bare asking price, and decide in advance if the whole potential cost is worth it for you.  There may be service options outside of "official" channels, but I have no good information on this myself. 

3.  I would be okay with the pen only without the box/papers.  There might be limitations in terms of resale value, though.  I like having the Dostoevsky box, though I never look at it.                      

4.  No.

5.  See under #3.  More experienced members have better insights, but I would think resale value would be affected.

6.  I've only bought one, so limited experience. 

7.  I've only bought the one, so limited experience.  I don't think of the story I wrote in #2 above as a bad experience.  I knew in advance it would cost me and at the time I could afford it.  Were I to purchase a newly issued WE, I would consider limiting myself to authorized dealers, unless I really HAD to have the pen and couldn't afford the dealer price.

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On 1/14/2021 at 5:09 PM, HogwldFLTR said:

I've not only bought writer's editions but also some of their characters editions. They are both pretty nice and I'm not certain why just the focus on the writers? As far as concerns they need to be in excellent condition and  I need to really like the writer and or celebrity. I've got both Swift, Faulkner, and James Dean in fountains and Swift and John Lennon in ball points. With these I think part of the charm is having the complete set. With the Dean and Swift I've bought matching ink. With the Dean I also bought a matching journal. The Dean is the only one I've bought new. I've bought new and used and have had issues buying used. I've seen screwed up nibs and fakes. Not too likely with the LE and SE pens!!! I hope this helps.

 

-Lee

 

 

6034A306-9479-4EBD-AE18-05C6D4C259DA.jpeg

FWIW, clearly I forgot to mention the Kafka which is certainly a writers edition and one of my favorite of the Existentialists. It is my favorite of the group with its blood red translucent barrel and cap!!!

 

-Lee

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18 hours ago, meiers said:

I am out hunting for a Faulkner these days. 

I inked it today with some Unicef blue; it writes nicely but like many of my MBs can hesitate at the beginning of a new word for a sixteenth of an inch or so. I do like the pen as I'm a Faulkner fan. It's part of my collection for that reason (not to mention it looks nice). Good luck in your search!!!

 

-Lee

IMG_4990.jpeg

Edited by HogwldFLTR
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  •  

 

1.  Have you ever bought a used Montblanc writers edition fountain pen? Yes but I tell Mrs Pen Nut that the WE editions cost waaay less than the 'standard. ones due to the lack of precious resin in them.

 

2.  What concerns do you have in buying a used Montblanc writers edition fountain pen? The seller realising the worth of what they have.

 

3.  Do you always buy a used Montblanc writers edition fountain pen with box and papers or would you buy a fountain pen only? Done both, do prefer the boxes and associated booklets if at all possible.

 

4.  Do you have any Montblanc writers edition fountain pens without the boxes and papers? Yes

 

5.  How important are the boxes and papers? all revolves around the £'s involved

 

6.  Do you only buy a used writers edition in “new” or “mint” condition? No as I do use what I own

 

7.  Have you had any bad experiences buying a used Montblanc writers edition fountain pen? No. Stick to FPN where the sellers know their stuff but are far way and above very honest and describe the peas as they are.

A wise man once said    " the best revenge is wealth "   but a wiser man answered back    " the best revenge is happiness "

 

The true definition of madness - Doing the same thing everyday and expecting different results......

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14 hours ago, meiers said:

Thanks for the wonderful image. It made my day.

 

And thank you for your interest; that made my day. Your follow-up made my morning!!! If I ever decide to sell it I'll look you up!!!

 

-Lee

Edited by HogwldFLTR
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