Question for the experts.... on a WE MB...

I have a NIB Faulkner WE fountain pen. It is absolutely beautiful. I have never inked it and am interested. Owning fountain pens after receiving it around 2008 or so. A few questions...

1. I’m assuming inking it reduce la the value to collectors... if what is the expected reduction ?
2. I’m looking for a MB 149... would you try to sell or trade this?

I would hate to ink it and not enjoy it. I’m currently using a Boheme and starting to enjoy it. Any advise would be appreciated!

Some Montblanc WE pens are more sought after than others and that makes them more valuable to collectors. They therefore command high prices. They include at least the Hemingway, Proust and Christie, plus probably the Poe and Wilde, and maybe others that I forgot.

IMHO the Faulkner was never in the "everyone must have it" group, and probably only appealed to collectors who specifically wanted that pen or bought every WE just because that's what they always did. It has never commanded a particularly high price.

I had a Faulkner and had the same choice as you. Shall I ink it and write with it like it's just another pen, or sell it uninked and buy something else that I will write with. :confused: I chose to do the latter purely because it wasn't my favourite WE.

Inking it just to try it out won't particularly affect the value, as it's easy enough to clean out all of the ink within a short period of time. Inking it and writing with it enough to add some wear to the nib will affect the value, but for a Faulkner it won't really make a great difference. :(

As it is now it's just a pretty stick. Not particularly doing much for what you spent your money on. If you don't want to write with it then why not sell it and buy a 149 instead? If you do want to ink it then go ahead and do it. You will enjoy writing with it. :)

I love writing with my Woolf and use it very often. I have a Dostoevsky and a Twain that have been inked a couple of times but aren't regular writers. When the time comes for me to sell them to their next owners, they will be sold as inked but cleaned out. I will take whatever I get for them in the knowledge that I owned them for a while and used them if I wanted to. Whatever that ends up costing me will have been worth it. Like a rental for my term of ownership. I no longer think about whether the value is different now or not. :)

Try a 149 first to see if it is not too big for your taste, esp for longer writing sessions.
Most WEs handle like 146 pens and have a similar nib. If you link how it looks and the balance in your hand then you can try a 146 to see if you like the nib. And then you know of you’d prefer a 149.
I expect that your Faulkner will feel just fine to you because everyone likes the 146 nib.

As an aside, like Chrissie I have a Dostoevsky. Absolutely love its atmospheric design and pleasant experience.

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Originally Posted by Chrissy

Some Montblanc WE pens are more sought after than others and that makes them more valuable to collectors. They therefore command high prices. They include at least the Hemingway, Proust and Christie, plus probably the Poe and Wilde, and maybe others that I forgot.

IMHO the Faulkner was never in the "everyone must have it" group, and probably only appealed to collectors who specifically wanted that pen or bought every WE just because that's what they always did. It has never commanded a particularly high price.

I had a Faulkner and had the same choice as you. Shall I ink it and write with it like it's just another pen, or sell it uninked and buy something else that I will write with. :confused: I chose to do the latter purely because it wasn't my favourite WE.

Inking it just to try it out won't particularly affect the value, as it's easy enough to clean out all of the ink within a short period of time. Inking it and writing with it enough to add some wear to the nib will affect the value, but for a Faulkner it won't really make a great difference. :(

As it is now it's just a pretty stick. Not particularly doing much for what you spent your money on. If you don't want to write with it then why not sell it and buy a 149 instead? If you do want to ink it then go ahead and do it. You will enjoy writing with it. :)

I love writing with my Woolf and use it very often. I have a Dostoevsky and a Twain that have been inked a couple of times but aren't regular writers. When the time comes for me to sell them to their next owners, they will be sold as inked but cleaned out. I will take whatever I get for them in the knowledge that I owned them for a while and used them if I wanted to. Whatever that ends up costing me will have been worth it. Like a rental for my term of ownership. I no longer think about whether the value is different now or not. :)

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Thank you so much for your answer. I think the Faulkner may be let go soon. The rental thought is a great way to think about it as well. Reach out to me if you ever decide to let go of those pens!

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Originally Posted by BulkyFiller

Try a 149 first to see if it is not too big for your taste, esp for longer writing sessions.
Most WEs handle like 146 pens and have a similar nib. If you link how it looks and the balance in your hand then you can try a 146 to see if you like the nib. And then you know of you’d prefer a 149.
I expect that your Faulkner will feel just fine to you because everyone likes the 146 nib.

As an aside, like Chrissie I have a Dostoevsky. Absolutely love its atmospheric design and pleasant experience.

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I purchased a 146 and have heard the same from friends on the 149. Thank you for the good advice! Any other pens you enjoy?

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Originally Posted by sniper777

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BulkyFiller

Try a 149 first to see if it is not too big for your taste, esp for longer writing sessions.
Most WEs handle like 146 pens and have a similar nib. If you link how it looks and the balance in your hand then you can try a 146 to see if you like the nib. And then you know of you’d prefer a 149.
I expect that your Faulkner will feel just fine to you because everyone likes the 146 nib.

As an aside, like Chrissie I have a Dostoevsky. Absolutely love its atmospheric design and pleasant experience.

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I purchased a 146 and have heard the same from friends on the 149. Thank you for the good advice! Any other pens you enjoy?

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I have several favourites. Too many.
Esp of interest, I think, are these top faves of mine:

- the MB Dostoevsky as mentioned above is not super collectible yet elegant and special and writes well
- For an 149 nib in a very different package, the MB Homer is quite something. It looks a bit bizarre at first but is comfortable, maybe more so than a classic 149.
- I also love the rouge&noir. Thin, yet substantial and pleasant. It stopped my lust for a christie.

If we look at other brands, I esp love my:

- Conid Bulkfiller, regular size. High tech, innovative and perfectly tuned. Would be the one I keep if I could keep only 1 pen
- Onoto Magna classic, vintage look, smooth performance. Mine has a perfect steel nib. Absolutely perfect balance and handholding with the extra weight option
- Aurora Anniverzale - vintage style remake, very nice. Pencil feel of the nib.
- Aurora 88K or 88P from the 1950s-60s vintage yet reliable because of a nylon piston. Writes so well you wonder where the progress is since then ?
- Old style Omas Paragon, 1980s-90s vintage. Very, very pleasant nib, maybe the nicest one I ever used.
- Scribo Feel Verde Prato - kinda the new Omas with a similar nib. Very nice.
- Leonardo Momentum Zero Grande. Semi affordable with a good steel nib and absolutely gorgeous makes you wonder why pay more? Kinda the new Delta.
- Visconti Homo Sapiens Lava. A bit heavy but pleasant and gorgeous.
- rOtring 600 black with gold nib. A smooth nail, it is esp the toolish look and feel that attract me.

I forgot 1 interesting fave: Pilot 743 WA. WA stands for Waverly nib, which works astoundingly well for lefthanders like me.