Indeed. When I began using/collecting/hoarding, eh innerwebz didn't exist as such.
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
Indeed. When I began using/collecting/hoarding, eh innerwebz didn't exist as such.
My other pen is a Montblanc.
And my other blog is a tumblr!
And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
I wish I had known how much all of my pens, inks and papers were going to cost me over my lifetime. I might have decided on a less expensive hobby.
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
Originally Posted by Chrissy
I wish I had known how much all of my pens, inks and papers were going to cost me over my lifetime. I might have decided on a less expensive hobby.
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
1. Back in 2000 when I first started using a fountain pen, that vintage fountain pens would have a major increase in resale value, some models rather significantly. Knowing then what I know now, I would've scoured flea markets, garage sales, eBay, and so on. From what I saw, it was sometime around 2005 or so when the "surge" began... where more collectors started appearing on eBay and pen selling sites and began to drive prices up. There were some old timers who would laugh about how they'd pick up BOXES of old Parker 51's at garage sales for just a few dollars prior to 2000, sometimes finding an uber rare model that they'd later sell for hundreds or over 1,000 (like an Empire cap 51). I got active on the scene a bit late, although I did score a few wonderful vintage Japanese pens that have since gone up in value.
2. Buy a Nakaya or Danitrio when the prices were still good. Compared to 2009/2010, the prices today have nearly doubled. I also wished I'd picked up one or two Danitrio pens that I found so incredibly compelling, but were not made for long and now I can't find except for practically triple original prices. Completely out of reach.
3. Buying used instead of new. It took me a while to eventually discover how many treasures could be found in used pens. Of course, one must exercise a lot of discretion, realizing that a pen nib can be "off" or an unseen crack can totally ruin a pen bargain.
4. Professional nib tuning is worth it! I tried my hand at it a few times and found myself not doing all that good a job. Real nib meisters can do absolutely beautiful work and they're worth it. I wish I'd taken more advantage of Richard Binder before he officially retired.
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
I wish I had not tried so many inexpensive pens and moved on more quickly to explore what more expensive ones were like. Now I know price is only one indicator of whether or not I may like it, and it is often not the major factor. I have experienced some really great pens under $100. Some not good over $500.
I did learn I have to try them in person, buy or pen show. Especially refers to inks for me also.
Sandy
We don't know what we don't know
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
This. Don't be cheap to yourself. Get the one quality pen you want instead of wasting money on many cheap pens. Always, choose quality over quantity.
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
I had to learn what that (these) were first. I just stayed there too long playing around.
This. Don't be cheap to yourself. Get the one quality pen you want instead of wasting money on many cheap pens. Always, choose quality over quantity.
Sandy
We don't know what we don't know
Hawk (February 10th, 2018), Jon Szanto (February 8th, 2018)
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
I wish I had known about pen maintenance! But in the 80's and 90's I had no idea. I was not a collector, just a writer who loved fountain pens, and when after some years I couldn't get one to write, I'd finally throw it out. I discarded a Parker 75 and a Waterman Laureate.
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
Yeah, me too. At least, if I didn't chuck that Waterman Expert that cracked a tine, I can't find it! And now, I know I could have bought any Waterman of its time and just swapped the nib over... darn it!I wish I had known about pen maintenance! But in the 80's and 90's I had no idea. I was not a collector, just a writer who loved fountain pens, and when after some years I couldn't get one to write, I'd finally throw it out. I discarded a Parker 75 and a Waterman Laureate.
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
All hobbies are expensive if you do it rightI wish I had known how much all of my pens, inks and papers were going to cost me over my lifetime. I might have decided on a less expensive hobby.
Hawk (February 10th, 2018)
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
This is my least expensive hobby! Compared to photography and cycling anyway. But I see your point--even though I haven't spent over $100 on a pen yet, I've spent 5 times that much in my first year at this. Not sure how that happened...I wish I had known how much all of my pens, inks and papers were going to cost me over my lifetime. I might have decided on a less expensive hobby.
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
I'm still thinking about all this...
"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."
~ Benjamin Franklin
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
OK. Buy that one expensive pen you like, with a fine nib, say. Then forgo all the pleasure you would get from M nibs, Bs, BBs, and all the italics, cursive italics, stubs, musics, and flexible nibs. Buying cheaper pens may allow you to do everything instead of limiting yourself. Don't buy an expensive house and then not be able to afford furniture.
This. Don't be cheap to yourself. Get the one quality pen you want instead of wasting money on many cheap pens. Always, choose quality over quantity.
"Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little." -Epicurus-
AzJon (February 9th, 2018), Sailor Kenshin (February 9th, 2018)
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
To expand on this: DO buy cheap pens that you can explore different nib options. You never know what you'll like until you try. I started with BBs and stubs and turns out I'm not a huge fan (partly because I have the small, cramped handwriting of a psychopath). I did learn that I love medium nibs and there are nibs that can be too fine and, at the end of the day, I would happily use a soft-to-flexible nib for my day to day writing over any other nib type. I would not, however, have discovered that had I stuck to one pen. So, yes land on a nice pen, but I think you need to stumble through a few nib styes/pen sizes first to know what you really like/enjoy.OK. Buy that one expensive pen you like, with a fine nib, say. Then forgo all the pleasure you would get from M nibs, Bs, BBs, and all the italics, cursive italics, stubs, musics, and flexible nibs. Buying cheaper pens may allow you to do everything instead of limiting yourself. Don't buy an expensive house and then not be able to afford furniture.
This. Don't be cheap to yourself. Get the one quality pen you want instead of wasting money on many cheap pens. Always, choose quality over quantity.
amk (February 10th, 2018), Sailor Kenshin (February 9th, 2018)
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
'Cheap' pens are much of a muchness but can cover a lot of the necessary bases i.e. a Lamy Joy calligraphy set will have you set for a range of cursive italic needs, and two 'must-have' pens are both of the Sailor Fude and Brush calligraphy pens.
All things being relative, the Platinum Century #3776 is a relatively cheap pen, and with a soft-fine nib is also a 'must-have'.
amk (February 10th, 2018)
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
Quality doesn't have to mean expensive. Don't know where you got that notion.
P.s. Not sure I understand your analogy. Don't buy an expensive house and then not be able to afford furniture? Don't buy an expensive pen and then not be able to afford... ink??? Am I missing something?
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
Fair point but I don't think you have buy multiple cheap pens with various nib widths to find out your preference. First, every brand writes differently. Your preference of nib size for one brand may not be valid for another. Even the material may not behave the same way - a gold nib of one brand may be stiffer than a steel nib of another. In the end, the trial-and-error approach may not be effective way to find out your preference at all. You'd end up with a lots of cheap pens that you didn't like. Not good for your time, your wallet, or the environment.
My point is that you can save a lot of time and money by minimizing trial-and-error through research. For example, many people have stated that Lamy nibs wrote wider than stated size. So when I got Lamy 2000, I got a fine instead of my usual medium. It worked out fine for me (pun intended).
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
Just an aside, but weird that - my recently acquired L2000 BB is not even half as broad as i expected.For example, many people have stated that Lamy nibs wrote wider than stated size. So when I got Lamy 2000, I got a fine instead of my usual medium. It worked out fine for me (pun intended).
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
I wish someone had put me wise to the poor feed designs present in vintage pens. The feeds in Parker 21 MK I and MK II spring immediately to mind. These would warm up in your shirt pocket in the morning and hork a blob of ink down the side of the section where it would run in the recess around the clutch ring. There, it would lie in wait for your fingers. Judging from the number of these pens available in the flea markets, Parker must have sold a Godzillion of them.
Sheaffer was not immune to knot-headed feed design, either. The feed on some of the VacFill pens has no fins. You can be writing with one of these and notice the words are getting juicy. The pen is about to drop a load onto your paper then. You have to be ready with a blotter if you are going to avoid a mess.
Even Esterbrook was not immune to feed design disease. The fins on the 1554 nib unit are deficient to make an adequate ink buffer.
Wearever Pennants have flat feeds and can misbehave under certain conditions of temperature change.
This is probably why, when you ask people of my age about the pens they used in school, they usually say something like, “Oh I hated those pens! All I could do was make a mess with them.” So pen manufacturers sold a blue billion pens with poor design and paved the way for the ball point. Good goin' you dimwits!
I had to find all this out the hard way. When I saw what was going on, I culled the pens that “had their little ways” from my hoard and took them to our woods. I loaded each one into my muzzle-loading rifle and blew them into an embankment. Some day, an archaeologist will be looking for a grave to rob and dig up that deposit. He will scratch his wee, fuzzy haid right raw.
"Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little." -Epicurus-
jmccarty3 (February 12th, 2018), Sailor Kenshin (February 15th, 2018)
Re: What do you wish you'd known when you started collecting?
I think that is pretty common.I had to learn what that (these) were first. I just stayed there too long playing around.
This. Don't be cheap to yourself. Get the one quality pen you want instead of wasting money on many cheap pens. Always, choose quality over quantity.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Brad "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain
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