Your best pen deal

[Shangas]

Best pen deals? Hmmm.

 

Conklin Crescent Filler.

Circa: 1915.

Condition: Near-mint, unrestored.

Price: $70, down from $85.

 

(Since restored and working beeauuutifully!).

 

Two Parker '51's; black w/rolled gold caps. Aeros.

Circa: 1950s?

Condition: Near-mint. Working, and with original box. A bit of a clean and it was all working great!

Price: $100 in total, for the box, and both pens.

 

Canadian junior-size Waterman box-lever filler.

Circa: 1935.

Condition: Very good. Unrestored.

Price: $15, down from $20.

My first repair-job. And it was a successful repair job too!

 

Regular-size Sheaffer Balance in black. Lever-filler.

Circa: 1935.

Condition: Good. Unrestored.

Price: $5.

 

Mabie-Todd Blackbird.

Circa: 1946.

Condition: Near-mint. Unrestored.

Price: $50. For this, I got the pen, the original box, AND the original instruction-papers.

 

Not a pen, but I'll chuck this in for "bargins"...

 

Waltham 7-jewel M1895 pocket-watch with gold-filled case.

Circa: 1899.

Condition: Very good.

Price: $200, down from $340.

Had it restored. Now running strong and keeping time. It's on my desk, ticking away right now. An additional watch-chain cost a mere $20.

Edited December 31, 2008 by Shangas

[The Bantam Scribbler]

I paid 5 bucks for a 10-pack of brand-new Hero 616's on eBay last month! The materials used in the construction of the pens sometimes gives away their price; but they are fantastic writers, very fun to use, and their "cheapness" means that I don't have to feel guilty about tossing two or three of them into a backpack without meticulously safeguarding them.

 

I still think it was the biggest "steal" I ever found with any pens, fountain or otherwise. I can't wait to load them up with my new bottle of J. Herbin Bleu Myosotis!

Edited December 31, 2008 by The Bantam Scribbler

[rroossinck]

I've been pretty fortunate in a handful of instances; here's a few that come to mind.

 

Omas 360 75th Anniversary & Stipula 22 TI - $64 as a package deal

Sailor 1911 & Pilot VP Carbonesque - $180 as a package deal

Sheaffer's OS Balance with a factory stub - $27

Parker Silver Pearl Vac Major (working) - $30

Parker Black Vac Major (working) - $5

Parker "51" Vac - $5

Parker Challenger Deluxe (slender model) - $14

Waterman's Hundred Year (working) & Parker Golden Pearl Vac Major - $30 as a package deal

Waterman's Hundred Year DeLuxe - $17

Sheaffer's Flat Top (Lifetime) with the BHR phone dialer attachment - $15

 

I'm pretty sure that there were/are a few others, but these are some of the better ones that come to mind.

[excarnate]

An incredibly kind FPNer sent me a faceted (old style) Vanishing Point gratis.

[Deirdre]

Nettuno Nautilus for $139, marked down from well over $600. New in box, and what a box.

[Silvermink]

Montblanc Kafka set (FP, RB, pencil) for $325. FP was uninked, papers were unopened, in box. Found it at a silent auction fundraiser where no one had any idea of what a Montblanc was. I almost sold it, but I decided to ink it and that kick started my current interest in fountain pens. That was about 2.5 years ago...

 

 

Wow.

 

Probably my best so far have been a new VP Raden for $220 and an 18K-nibbed Platinum pocket pen for $35.

[grimakis]

Parker "51" First Year in Black w/ Uncommon unmarked Lined Sterling Cap, Grey Vacumatic, Golden Pearl Débutante, Golden Pearl Pencil, Duofold VP w/o cap, all for $190.

[Okami]

I acquired a lightly used full size Sailor 1911 Naginata Togi with a 21k M nib for $128.00 and a Parker 51 (1949) Aerometric FP and Pencil set in good condition for $42.

Edited January 1, 2009 by jbynum

[tutelman]

My best deal is still posted (#22) in this topic. I did pick up another good deal recently; a Cross sterling silver Tennis Hall of Fame fp new in the presentation box, with all papers, for $36. (Yes, I know it's not everybody's cup of tea with the tennis racket clip and Swarovski crystal, but at 5% of list, how could I resist?)

[georges zaslavsky]

 

my best deals:

one pelikan m800 was 115 €

one french made parker vac, an oversize one for 180 €

one rare french made parker button filler for 120 €

an omas 360 magnum for 220 €

an omas 360 colonial for 220 €

[OldGriz]

OK, Time to yell and grouse at Old Griz.... AGAIN

 

Here is my deal of deals.... of course won on eBay for the outrageous price of 10.29 including shipping....

I had no idea what the pens were when I purchased them... and did not find out until I posted pics here on FPN.

They needed restoration and one pen needed a nib replacement so off to Richard Binder. Total price of restoration and new nib upped the total price of the pens to $155.00 or so...

They sold at the Columbus Show Saturday Evening Auction for $1800.00.... not a bad profit.... and believe it or not the buyer got a deal... but I am not complaining at all

 

They are a set of Chilton Golden Quills... a full size and a smaller size with matching husband and wife engraved initials...

 

 

[pixwriter]

Daedelus-Icarus LE Pelikan (like a blue ocean demonstrator but with sterling winged man on the barrel.) Box is a cloth bound book with text on the pen and the myth at the front, with the rest being cut out in the middle to make a velvet lined section, where the pen fits.

Front of the book has a (different) limited numbered sculptured of a winged man on the front, whole thing fits in cloth bound sleeve.....just beautiful...145 pounds sterling. Still don't know why it was that price...

[Zekay]

 

An vintage Sheaffer flat top junior for approx 35$ shipped. The pen is a nice black and marble, in overall good condition with some discoloration to the barrel. All I had to do was soak the nib to get rid of the dried out ink, remove remnants of the old sack and place a new sack, and it writes like a dream. A very smooth nib, which unfortunately is medium, so I'll probably have it reground to a fine some day.

 

I think that was a pretty sweet deal, because for a little money and some TLC I got a great pen. It also was my first vintage pen, so that also makes it a little special.

[penmanila]

i'm surprised i didn't answer this earlier. my best "sumgai" deals:

 

1. a 1920s swan eternal 148 with a huge no. 8 nib, in superb condition, for what today would be $10;

2. two sheaffer PFM V's, both in excellent condition, one for $20, the other for $50;

3. a wahl coronet pencil for 10 cents (in a rummage sale);

4. a 1928 parker mandarin duofold senior for $68;

5. a parker vac major with a two-tone double-broad nib for $23;

6. a pair of NOS mid-60s parker 75s in sterling silver for $195 the pair;

7. a clutch of french-made parker 75s, including a premier, for about $20 each....

 

the pen gods have been kind

[vonderlasa]

My newest FP: a lightly used Pelikan M800 in classic green stripes for $187.50 with free shipping. Bonus: arrived less than 72 hours after I paid via Paypal!

[tomscs]

1. Two MB 149's $25.00 each from jewelry store bankruptcy sale.

 

2. Parker Taperite red mottled HR with box and instructions including parts price list, $40.00 at estate auction.

[WhosYerBob]

My biggest haul for the least amount was an entire estate auction on eBay for $40. I was expecting - from the posted eBay photos - a small box of paper, a few books and a couple pens. Instead I received a ginormous box filled to the brim with all sorts of calligraphy pens - many never used, tons of paper, lots of ink, etc. Several hundred dollars worth of stuff at regular eBay prices...

[matt385]

Both from Ebay

A Parker 45 set for $9.95 It is engraved but I still use it regularly.

 

I bought a lite blue Shaeffer fp/mp set for $27. When I opened the box I realized it was a snorkel.

[knewmans]

A badly photographed pen on ebay which turned out to be a PFM V in perfect condition with a broad italic nib for £33

[Classics]

The local luggage shop was getting ride of there OMAS pens selection.

 

Picked up a new OMAS paragon (gold trim) (fine nib) for 250.00.

 

 

I thought it was a great pickup.

 

John