Hello! New User - Need Help on Rare Find!
Good evening,
I came across this website recently and wanted to post my story and ask for some help from the experts! I know nothing about fountain pens... so bare with me.
When I was about 8 years old (early/mid 1990s) I found a really neat item at a thrift/antique store in Texas. We would spend a lot of time at thrift stores when I was young. I thought I had found the coolest thing I had ever seen. It was a shiny fountain pen. This fountain pen also came with a matching ballpoint pen. Both pens fit into a leather case that shared the same logo as the pens. I convinced my parents to purchase this item for me (I remember it being relatively inexpensive). I have kept both pens and the leather case in my "memory box" that I have had since I was around that age, only taking it out a handful of times to play with.
I was going through this memory box over the weekend looking for some old photos of my grandparents. I ran across the case and decided to take it out for the first time in probably fifteen years just to look at them again. Due to high quality of the case, fountain pen, and ballpoint pen, I thought it would be cool to see if I could find any information on these items online. Again, I know nothing about this stuff nor do I have any interest in being a "collector", so it was a totally random thought. I thought they were just regular cool looking pens. Well, I started with a Google search of the brand noted on the pen caps, Montblanc. My interest heightened after going through their website and realizing how expensive their items were! I further searched for the additional item noted on each of the pen caps, which read "Hemingway". As it turns out, the pens and case I have had stored in my memory box for over twenty years were in fact rare collectible items! In fact, fairly rare AND valuable items. I was shocked. I couldn't believe how far these things have made it with me over such a long period of time. Here is a link to the Montblanc website for information on this specific limited edition set:
https://www.montblanc.com/en-us/disc...hemingway.html
I have attached a picture of my set.
Unfortunately, they're not in perfect shape. I remember vividly that one of those handful of times I played with the fountain pen and ballpoint pen when I was young, I made a couple of bad decisions. For the fountain pen, I lightly chewed (I know - I am not very smart...) on the end that unscrews to add ink. Other than that, its in pretty good shape (as far as I can tell). The ballpoint pen is in a bit tougher shape. I remember trying to "unscrew" the cap of the ballpoint pen to open it up out of curiosity. Well, this style of pen is a push type. I snapped the plastic piece connected from the pen to the cap. I tried the ballpoint pen and the ink is actually still good somehow. I have attached a couple of pictures of the damage. The case is in near perfect condition and I have confirmed it is calfskin with crocodile print. A sort of maroon color. The black foam on the inside has become very brittle and is deteriorating due to age.
I recently asked asked my parents and they do not remember getting this for me. The folks who ran this business obviously had no idea of the value.
My questions for the experts here are as follows:
1. What do you think the estimated value is of the items (fountain pen, ballpoint pen, and case) in its current condition as a whole package and individually?
2. Do you think that the damage (small bite marks) on the screw-on cap for the fountain pen can be repaired? If so, what is the estimated cost and wait time from Montblanc? Probably a long shot - just curious.
3. Do you think that the damage (plastic piece inside of the cap) can be repaired for the ballpoint pen? If so, what is the estimated cost and wait time from Montblanc? This seems doable... maybe?
I intend to keep the pens at this time since I have held on to them for so long. I just think it would be awesome to get them back into their original condition and fully functional! I live in Colorado and there isn't an authorized dealer. I am flying to California next week and intend to visit an authorized dealer to discuss at that time.
Any help or feedback or tips on a right direction (sale, keep, DIY fix, etc.) is appreciated - thanks for letting me share as I thought you all would get a kick out of it as well.
Thank you, J
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