At last I am sumgai!

[carlos.q]

You read about it all the time. Some guy finds a very nice or rare pen for a few dollars at a flea market or garage sale and buys it just before you arrive. Usually sumgai is somebody else. Except this time it was my turn.

A couple of weeks ago I went to an antique fair that is celebrated yearly in the southern part of the island. While looking at some old things stuffed in a curio I saw a gold colored pen stuck in a corner. I asked the owner to see it and, upon inspection, I realized I had a Parker 51 Signet on my hands. "How much?" I calmly asked the gentleman. "Ten dollars" he answered, and before I could say anything he added, "After all I have to recoup my investment". While thinking, "How much did this guy pay for the pen that he can make a profit selling for this price?" I took out my wallet and paid the ten dollars.

Parker 51 Signet.jpg
My ten dollar investment.

A quick flush was all that was needed to get this beauty working again. The pen has a very tasteful inscription that tells me this pen belonged to a doctor during the late 50's or early 60's. How many prescriptions did he fill with this pen?

I left the fair extremely happy thinking "At last I am sumgai!". Or maybe the real sumgai was the seller? Well anyway I thought I should share my story and ask you all:

Have you ever been sumgai? Tell us your story. Show us your pictures!