Namiki No 50 with the "old" nib

[larsm]

Dear Penfriends

 

I am building my collection with Namiki pens - can't get enough of them... I love the look and feel of the Urushi. 

I do own a Vermilion No 50 from 2019 and I would love to get a black No 50 with the old nib.

 

It seems like Vintage Namikis (and Namikis on the 2nd hand market in general) are really hard to find... Does anyone know where I can get this pen?

 

Regards from Zurich,

Lars

[jandrese]

Namiki pens are indeed difficult to find second hand though it can be done. The really old stuff is extremely rarely encountered. Neo vintage (greater than 20 years old) pens can be found here and there in the West but also rare. These pens are generally owned by serious collectors who largely remain silent. To seriously collect old Namiki you will need a presence in Japan, ideally speak Japanese, have a lot of disposable income and even more patience. 

[mke]

Introduce yourself to the penshops in Japan and let them look for you.

Check Bonham Auctions:

 

> have a lot of disposable income

The pens can reach $100k.

 

 

[Linger]

100k US? Wow. That is seriously more than I ever thought possible.

[Maki-eMagic]

7 hours ago, Linger said:

100k US? Wow. That is seriously more than I ever thought possible.

I understand the very rarest are much higher than that. Even some pens only 20 years old or so are heading up into the 40k or 50k mark, although the auctions are rare enough that it's hard to know for sure.  Some of the early stuff worth an absolute fortune. 

[mke]

Here is a 60k one: LINK to Bonhams.

You should absolute see this pen.

 

> 100k US? Wow. That is seriously more than I ever thought possible.

Why? Even some Danitrios cost $30k+.

[Maki-eMagic]

32 minutes ago, mke said:

Here is a 60k one: LINK to Bonhams.

You should absolute see this pen.

 

> 100k US? Wow. That is seriously more than I ever thought possible.

Why? Even some Danitrios cost $30k+.

Yes, and that auction sale was in 2015, I'd expect it to be nearly double that by now. I've held quite a few 30k limited edition danitrios, for me they are quite different from the Namikis, clearly different aesthetic. I think my favourite Namiki that I've actually been able to spend time with is the Emperor Pavillion/Pagoda which is really pretty. Getting into Dunhill Namikis and pens like the Sakura Rose that aren't even especially old are 200k or so these days as there were just so few of them and most of the collectors who did get them will never sell.

[mke]

@Maki-eMagic

> most of the collectors who did get them will never sell

 

I heard that 2 years ago two major maki-e collections (probably Namiki) were sold in Japan from one Japanese collector to another.

[larsm]

hi all just a quick update on my hunt for an old namiki 50.

I got offered one from a trustworthy source - it comes with matching box. the price although seems a bit high to me (1800 EUR). What do you guys think?

[Linger]

Current RRP in NL is EUR 2150. You could wait for a 20% discount weekend at LaCouronneduComte and place your order then - that way you have a brand new one for EUR 1720. Appelboom did a 20% discount on FP day last November too. Against this background does the EUR 1800 seems a bit rich. OK, it comes with the papers/box, but it is still a pre-owned pen...

 

Anyways, this route this might require p a t i e n c e and when it does probably a lot of it. LCdC rely on stock at Pilot Europe and if they don't have it, it needs to come from Japan...I got a good deal on the Urushi #20 Vermillion once but had to wait 11 months...

[mke]

@larsm

 

Perhaps you need to show which pen the nib is in. It might be a really good offer. No-one can tell you if you don't spill the beans.

 

[larsm]

sorry, my bad - yes it's a namiki 50 with the old style nib pictures attached - have fun!

btw. I also saw videos, the condition is great.

 

 

[mke]

Looks nice. The old ones do not always look so nice.

Want to keep and use it? Get it.

 

There seem to be more of them, judging the background.

[liubrian]

If that's a whole tray of the same old-style nib pens in the background, I'd be interested to get in touch with your source!

[zaddick]

I sold my few over the last years and that price is about right for that pen in excellent condition. It would be more for the older Pilot marked nibs.

[Mew]

While we are on the topic of older namiki’s, any idea where I can find a vintage jumbo #50? One made in 1930’s. 

[liubrian]

1 hour ago, Mew said:

While we are on the topic of older namiki’s, any idea where I can find a vintage jumbo #50? One made in 1930’s. 

 

I last saw one on Yahoo Auctions in August 2018 - it went for 540,000 JPY.  There may have been listings since then but I can't say I've been keeping a close watch.

[mke]

May I ask, is there actually a difference between an old-style and new #50 nib - apart from the design?

[Mew]

@liubrian - Thanks. I remember that one. Mke had made a thread for that in this forum. I don’t want to buy from yahoo auctions. I have tried buying a few pens in 100,000-200,000 range, but almost all end up missing a few things that are supposed to be in the packaging, and some have even arrived cracked (not shown in the photos). For a vintage pen, it may be cracked or some other problem. Would rather pay 700,000-800,000 and get one in working order. 
yahoo is a decent place for lower priced stuff where if there is any issue, you don’t feel too bad about it. Not for higher priced stuff. 
 

@mke - some say that the older nibs were softer. 

[mke]

> I don’t want to buy from yahoo auctions.

Unfortunately, it is true that many sellers cheat. They don't show the problems - only the sunny side of the pen. Instead they say, we don't have ink, we couldn't test. No returns. And so on!

There are a few sellers which are honest but it is not the typical trait.