When would you say someone is a pen collector?

[Bristol24]

I have, at last count, about 82 fountain pens eight of which are various versions of the Parker 51.  I have at least a dozen 1930s Wearever celluloid combos and all four colors of 1937 Parker Parkettes along with three additional Parkettes from 1935 and a 1938 Parkette Deluxe.  Then there are my dozen or so celluloid Majestics all from the mid 1930s to early 1940s.  In addition, I have a couple of Sheaffer flattops, some military clip Balances, a couple of Watermans (Taperite and Corinth), a Parker Vacumatic from 1946, 4 Parker 45s, 4 Parker 21 Supers and then more odds and ends.  Am I a collector?  I joke and say that I am an accumulator but, within that accumulation are several small "collections" (Parker 51s, Parkettes, and Wearevers).  If I were to curate my pens better one could say that I am developing a functioning "collection" of pens from the middle class of the 1930s and 40s.  At least that makes my addiction seem more worthwhile.  The truth is that I need to sell off some of the odds and ends and focus more on the ones I enjoy which, at this time, would still include the third tier Wearever combos (there are soooo many examples out there) the Majestics, and the Parkettes...but that dosen't mean I will never buy another 51 or flattop or who knows what.  Oh...and I completely forgot to mention my Esterbrook J Pens and Dollar Pens...sheesh...I am hopeless.

 

Cliff

[TheRedBeard]

In my humble opinion, the one becomes a pen collector on the day when he/she has purchased his/her first vintage pen in NOS/uninked condition with a strong clear intention to never ink it  

[Chimera01]

I probably own more fountain pens than a person could reasonably use in a lifetime. Each has some unique quality that I find interesting, beautiful, useful or curious. Many of these are sitting in their boxes, waiting for me to find the time to ink them, play with them, and log them. Maybe you become a 'collector' when you need to keep a written record of your pens, just to keep them straight? 🤣

[rochester21]

4 hours ago, TheRedBeard said:

In my humble opinion, the one becomes a pen collector on the day when he/she has purchased his/her first vintage pen in NOS/uninked condition with a strong clear intention to never ink it  

 

Not possible, sir. I tried. It can't be done. 

[Parker51]

9 hours ago, TheRedBeard said:

In my humble opinion, the one becomes a pen collector on the day when he/she has purchased his/her first vintage pen in NOS/uninked condition with a strong clear intention to never ink it  

A, well, I actually removed a sticker from an older, though not vintage MB. It was not however NOS/ uninked and that sticker was in poor shape. 
 

And, I have had stickered maybe NOS/ maybe uninked pens restored and use them.

 

I had one Parker 51 vacumatic double jewel restored that has the crispest, cleanest cap and furniture I have ever seen. When Ron disassembled it he showed me how very clean the translucent feed was & indicated it likely had seen either no ink or extremely little. I got it without stickers and do use it, but only at home and I use it as the Parker 51 set in my vintage Parker 51 display.

[USG]

3 hours ago, Parker51 said:

A, well, I actually removed a sticker from an older, though not vintage MB. It was not however NOS/ uninked and that sticker was in poor shape. 
 

And, I have had stickered maybe NOS/ maybe uninked pens restored and use them.

 

I had one Parker 51 vacumatic double jewel restored that has the crispest, cleanest cap and furniture I have ever seen. When Ron disassembled it he showed me how very clean the translucent feed was & indicated it likely had seen either no ink or extremely little. I got it without stickers and do use it, but only at home and I use it as the Parker 51 set in my vintage Parker 51 display.

Hey Very Nice.... I have the same set, unrestored.   The cap on the pencil is tarnished.

[TheRedBeard]

15 hours ago, rochester21 said:

 

Not possible, sir. I tried. It can't be done. 

I can easily prove quite the opposite  

I am a dedicated Parker collector (I do not buy, use or collect any other pen brands at all), and more than a half of my Parker pens are NOS/uninked ones and I have no intention to ink them in a future  

Moreover, I have known a few great Parker collectors (and their collections are many tomes more than mine) who own collections with more than 90% of NOS/uninked pens....  

 

[rochester21]

59 minutes ago, TheRedBeard said:

I can easily prove quite the opposite  

I am a dedicated Parker collector (I do not buy, use or collect any other pen brands at all), and more than a half of my Parker pens are NOS/uninked ones and I have no intention to ink them in a future  

Moreover, I have known a few great Parker collectors (and their collections are many tomes more than mine) who own collections with more than 90% of NOS/uninked pens....  

 

I love parker pens. Can we see a picture? 

[Parker51]

I actually applaud those who are preserving NOS pens. Given the large number of pens made, it does not seriously restrict the supply of pens and it means that there will be pens available for the next generation and possibly the ones after that. 
 

So much of tangible history is lost that it makes me a little sad. My daughter at 29 feels bad because many of the activities and places she experienced as a youth she can’t share with her young son because they no longer exist. 
 

I suspect that as more and more B & M stores disappear what has largely happened in our hobby will hit the rest of the world. Already hobby shops have declined with the survivors having been changed significantly. In our area the number of bike shops is declining from a high a few years ago. The same with book shops, fishing and outdoor stores. Even the number and size of thrift stores and antique shops is decreasing around here.

[TheRedBeard]

4 hours ago, rochester21 said:

I love parker pens. Can we see a picture? 

What particular one would you like to see?  

[rochester21]

44 minutes ago, TheRedBeard said:

What particular one would you like to see?  

What do you have?

How about a Parker 75 assortment, or 51, or Vacumatic? 

 

Q: What's better looking than a Parker FP?

A: A whole bunch of Parker FPs! 

 

[inkstainedruth]

Agreed -- especially the vintage ones!

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[TheRedBeard]

57 minutes ago, rochester21 said:

What do you have?

How about a Parker 75 assortment, or 51, or Vacumatic? 

 

Q: What's better looking than a Parker FP?

A: A whole bunch of Parker FPs! 

 

Well... a few 75s, 61s, 51s, 100s, etc...  

I will make a few photos by next weekend  

[sandy101]

I think the difference between a collector, accumulator and a writer is the purpose of mind.

 

I started as a writer, looking for a good pen to write with, then I became an accumulator buying as many pens as I could, because they were there. I became a collector when I started to buy with a theme in mind.

 

I have a collection of Parker's - a range of English, USA and Canadian pens that go from 1936 to 2022. I also have a collection of pens from different countries.

 

These are pens I chose to buy because they fitted within the next ange I had defined for myself.

 

For example the Waterman Carene fits with my collection as it is the pen I bought to fit in my nationality collection. It a flagship from France. The Gentleman is a random pen I bought and repaired as part of my accumulation phase.

 

 It's not all it & dried as the ST Dupont I have isn't particularly of my " collection" but sits in my writer pens. Thoseams that it doesn't fit within my collection, but is one of the pens that is permanently inked as one of my everyday writers, because it writes so well.

 

It's not a pen that fits I my "collection" bit works for me as an everyday writer. It's always inked and used. 

 

I can point to my Parker collection and say I have a range of Parker's from different places and times.

 

I can point to my "flagship" collection and can say I have some of the best pens made in Japan, Germany, England, the USa &'Canada.

 

I won't lend you my ST Dupont, because I'm using it.

 

It almost makes sense. At least it's a cheaper midlife crisis than motorbikes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[A Smug Dill]

2 hours ago, sandy101 said:

At least it's a cheaper midlife crisis than motorbikes.

 

That's right; at least pens won't cost you an arm and a leg!

[sandy101]

15 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

That's right; at least pens won't cost you an arm and a leg!

Yes, just an arm or a leg. 

[Parker51]

2 hours ago, sandy101 said:

Yes, just an arm or a leg. 

So, you like Nakoyas? 
I like them also, but not enough to buy one, yet, maybe someday.

At this point I am reluctant to spend more than a few hundred on a pen and rarely spend more than a couple hundred, mostly much less. 
The thing is I don’t need any more pens, I am thinking of selling some, but can’t decide which. 

[Checklist]

I'm definitely a user, not a collector.  I have 8 pens, all of which I use; I have decided not to buy some pens that caught my eye just because it wasn't worth using the other pens less.  To me, a collector is someone who buys pens just to own them, without  actually intending to use the pens.

[sandy101]

On 10/3/2022 at 4:13 AM, Parker51 said:

So, you like Nakoyas? 
I like them also, but not enough to buy one, yet, maybe someday.

At this point I am reluctant to spend more than a few hundred on a pen and rarely spend more than a couple hundred, mostly much less. 
The thing is I don’t need any more pens, I am thinking of selling some, but can’t decide which. 

Yes. I like Nakayas - well I like Japanese pens in general. It was a 50th birthday present to myself. 

 

It also features in my collection, as I wanted a collection of one of "the best" examples of an FP from fountain pen.making countries around the world.

 

With the Nakaya, it's a lovely pen, beautiful to use and write with, but I don't feel I need another.

 

I've got one, the nib is cut/polished for my hand and is an excellent writer. So, I don't need one - and the cost of shipping and tax Inthe UK adds an extra 20% to the cost.

[amberleadavis]

15 hours ago, Checklist said:

  To me, a collector is someone who buys ... just to own them, without  actually intending to use ...  (edited by amberleadavis)

 

So, the fact that I buy pens - and I use them - means I'm not a collector?  

Let's look at my inks - I now have more inks than I can use in my lifetime.  I use ink every day.  So, under that definition I don't have an ink collection.  . I'm excited, I'm off to tell my kinds that I don't have a problem.