Changes to ‘entry-level’ Platinum #3776 Century model numbers (again) and pricing

[A Smug Dill]

Notwithstanding official announcements and/or informal heads-ups from some individual retailers (much) earlier in the year about increases to retail pricing of Platinum pens in the regional markets in which they operate, …

 

It appears Platinum in Japan has very recently taken down its product catalogues from its Japanese and English language web sites, while they update the documents to reflect the changes to (at least) pricing of ‘entry-level’ #3776 Century models with either gold or rhodium trim and plain, single-colour (i.e. black, Bourgogne, Laurel Green, Chartres Blue, and Chenonceau White) AS resin bodies. Links to the catalogues I posted not even a week ago now return HTTP error 404; and looking at the model numbers, the gold-trimmed models are now PNB-15000 instead of PNB-13000 (which implies the ex-tax price has gone up to ¥15,000 from ¥13,000), and the rhodium finish (or “silver trim”) models are not PNB-18000CR instead of PNB-15000CR.

 

Note: The pricing is shown on the Japanese version of the product pages.

 

Spoiler

Just to pre-empt the question, no, I haven't given the product list a thorough check for changes to other models in the regular production line-up, and none had leapt out at me at a glance. I won't be adding more models to this thread if/as I find them later, either, since the focus of this thread that motivated me to post is only that very limited subset, which don't even account for a third of all the current #3776 Century models. However, if you bother to look and spot some change that is of interest or concern to you, and want to share with others, please feel free to add the information in reply to this thread.

 

[awaking]

I hate it when they change model numbers, it damages my nice little ordered view of the world 😱

[peroride]

 

Thanks for the tip. I noticed that too with the price difference between gold and rhodium during recent sales. It kinda confused me. I like gold (nib and furniture) for aesthetics but seeing the higher price for the rhodium may be wonder if that is worth the extra. I guess the rhodium plating confers some functional betterment. Ultimately, I went with a Pilot Elabo black/gold after all the waffling about. 😆

[A Smug Dill]

15 hours ago, peroride said:

I noticed that too with the price difference between gold and rhodium during recent sales.

 

Platinum has always priced the two differently. A long time ago, when the gold-trimmed models still had sunk-relief inscriptions on their cap rings, they were designated PNB-10000 while the ‘Black Diamond’ and Chartres Blue models with rhodium trim were introduced to the market as PNB-15000, if I recall correctly; so, at the time, there was a 50% premium to pay if you wanted silver trim.

 

15 hours ago, peroride said:

I like gold (nib and furniture) for aesthetics but seeing the higher price for the rhodium may be wonder if that is worth the extra. I guess the rhodium plating confers some functional betterment.

 

Ignoring resale considerations that would be driven by market demand of the day (for secondhand ‘modern’ or in-current-production pens), if it's purely for the balance of writing performance and personal aesthetic preferences, I'd say no, even though I have several rhodium finish and several gold-trimmed models.