Vintage Pens today - An Observation

[penwash]

Not having kids, I'm thinking about the fate of my pens. Should I sell them and donate the proceeds to a charity? Leave the collection to an institutution or some as yet unidentified pen aficionado?

What would you do?

I found out early in this hobby that I like vintage pens, and I love to restore them.
What follows is the realization that if I want to continue restoring, I have to find new homes for some of the pens that I restored, otherwise I will go broke in no time.

So I started making my restored pens available and back them up with satisfaction guarantee.
This way, my collection will not grow into the size that would be a hassle to keep or get rid of (at least that's the plan, hahaha).

A funny side note: At the beginning, I thought I would keep some of the most pristine, popular and desirable pens in my collection. Years later, what I found out is that my collection gravitates towards pens that I spend the most time restoring, or the ones that I love just because, warts and all

[scrivelry]

I have wandered back around to Fountain pens and clearly, there is far, far less posting on the forums. Various types of platforms seem to come and go, and I suspect that those who figure many younger enthusiasts are using Instagram and reddit and who knows what the next things after those - I certainly don't keep track. So that is part of it, I agree. I somehow - no, I have no idea how - ended up in a Youtube video I then had to jump out of so someone else could use the computer, so I can't link it, but it was by a young woman who had just bought her first vintage pen from Peyton Street pens and from what she was saying it seemed like she had been hesitent before because they seemed something to be dealt with.


I would put good solid cash on any pen coming from Peyton Street pens - unless there has been some drastic upheaval there that I have not heard about - being absolutely as ready to write as any pen manufactured yesterday, if not more so. I know them from several years ago as a very very reputable and helpful company. No need to worry about a vintage pen from them, or any other reputable dealer.

But then, if you are trying to amass 50 of any one brand of pen, you are probably looking at the bigger online stores which carry every single color of a new pen, or maybe at Amazon for some of them, rather than operations which do a wonderful job with vintage, so you might not know that. Even if you use a bigger store that also sells vintage, you might not realize they do - and vintage pens from those sources are often (not exclusively) the high end ones, and not necessarily that old.

I do know that it used to be a little easier to get lots of vintage celluloid that needed work. I mean, lots with many pens, and more in my price range. I bought several of these 6-10 years ago - I have been looking lately and not seeing lots I want to bid on, or that I can afford if I do.

[christof]

A funny side note: At the beginning, I thought I would keep some of the most pristine, popular and desirable pens in my collection. Years later, what I found out is that my collection gravitates towards pens that I spend the most time restoring, or the ones that I love just because, warts and all

A good collection needs a topic or a focus. Your focus seems to be the personal relation you have to the pens in your collection. This is great.

I have started to sell pens that I absoultely wanted to keep in the past. But our lives don't last forever and I love the idea to influence who gets my treasures in future.

I have also started to sell some of my pens with very flexible nibs because I think that writing with a flexible nib is an wonderful experience that many people should be able to have.

[penwash]

A funny side note: At the beginning, I thought I would keep some of the most pristine, popular and desirable pens in my collection. Years later, what I found out is that my collection gravitates towards pens that I spend the most time restoring, or the ones that I love just because, warts and all

A good collection needs a topic or a focus. Your focus seems to be the personal relation you have to the pens in your collection. This is great.

That's one good way to put it.

I have started to sell pens that I absoultely wanted to keep in the past. But our lives don't last forever and I love the idea to influence who gets my treasures in future.

I have also started to sell some of my pens with very flexible nibs because I think that writing with a flexible nib is an wonderful experience that many people should be able to have.

You hit the nail on the head.

Last weekend at the Dallas Pen Show, I get to do one of my most favorite thing in this hobby, that is introducing vintage pens and flexible writing to those who has never seen them (and there are many of those who came to a pen show, can you imagine how many more out there?)

The way faces just light up, is something that I cannot get tired of.

[penwash]

It's frustrating to hear you both talking about flexible nibs which are out of reach for me!

How come?

I thought you and others already found "the one" with the Blue Dew (?) nib.

[FredRydr]

...I thought you and others already found "the one" with the Blue Dew (?) nib.

Will, I don't know the context of your comment, but I'll address the BlueDew. There is an aspect of that pen that is rather vintage in character. IMHO, the BlueDew is for all practical purposes a dip pen with a reservoir attached to it. That is, the nib feels and behaves like a dip pen, and it must be respected as such or suffer the consequences. I have a difficult time using those kinds of nibs, but the convenience of the steady ink supply in this pen keeps me trying. As much as I prefer my vintage fountain pens for flex nibs, I prefer the Blue Dew over my 19th century dip pens. I think I'll keep it, for a while, anyway. It only cost 88 bucks.

[guyy]

It's frustrating to hear you both talking about flexible nibs which are out of reach for me!

I believe there was/is a Waterman pink for sale right here. Someone enjoying a windfall might grab it. I’m sure shipping to NZ could be worked out.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Too rich for my tastes. I am a bit gun shy when prices go over a certain level, irrespective of how much cash I have on hand. Old habits die hard I guess. On the plus side, I just received an ebonite feed for my 912 FA, and it works a treat!

The Blue-Dew is interesting, and I did provide a link in a different thread to a calligrapher's review of the pen. I was rather hoping the nib units would fit a Jowo compatible pen, but alas they are Bock housed.

[penwash]

...I thought you and others already found "the one" with the Blue Dew (?) nib.

Will, I don't know the context of your comment, but I'll address the BlueDew. There is an aspect of that pen that is rather vintage in character. IMHO, the BlueDew is for all practical purposes a dip pen with a reservoir attached to it. That is, the nib feels and behaves like a dip pen, and it must be respected as such or suffer the consequences. I have a difficult time using those kinds of nibs, but the convenience of the steady ink supply in this pen keeps me trying. As much as I prefer my vintage fountain pens for flex nibs, I prefer the Blue Dew over my 19th century dip pens. I think I'll keep it, for a while, anyway. It only cost 88 bucks.

Fred, I was referring to David's thread https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread...ex-enthusiasts

It appears to me that the Blue Dew has good enough flex to satisfy a lot of people.
Your experiences with that nib may be useful in that thread for the education of many.

[Chuck Naill]

Okay, I’m late to this dance, but my interest is for the times of which I grew up and those of my grandparents.

I suspect subsequent generations to be interested In the ‘70, ‘80’s, and later. That said a small subset might want to go back further.

In my new abode, mid century modern is the theme.

[welch]

As a person fairly new to the hobby (~6 months), vintage is intimidating. Modern pens are much easier to deal with, and by the time I'm getting comfortable enough with the knowledge to where I might look at vintage I already have plenty of pens.

My personal problem with most vintage pens is that they're tiny, and the large ones are expensive. I'm most comfortable with a section that's around 11mm, and that's hard to find on vintage pens. Anything under 10mm I don't want to bother with unless it's a pocket pen, and even those are just because I have a thing for pocket pens and not because it's more comfortable on them. I would guess that many people who get into the hobby now might find something similar, since pens now are just bigger. They're not mandatory to have like they used to be which makes size less important, so they become more like show pieces with the large forms and bright colors/designs. Small vintage pens don't have that presence for me.

Again, this is just what I've found after 6 months so maybe my whole attitude will change in another 6.

Interesting angle.

Try a Parker 51, the best fountain pen ever made, the "pen everyone waited for" because Parker (and Sheaffer ant Onoto, for three) shifted to making parts for the Allied war effort. The 51 is just big enough, at 5 3/8 inches capped, and they last forever. Millions were made and sold, meaning there are many 51s waiting for you and many parts waiting if needed.

There are several people who check over pens before selling them. Some are on Ebay and some have websites. A few, of many: Parker51.com, Vacumania, and several on EBay. You can spot the EBay sellers who have cleaned out and checked and, if necessary, repaired their P-51s.

A nifty thing about the aerometric 51s is that the sacs seem never to wear out. I accumulated about two dozen beginning about 15 years ago, and each was happy to write as soon as I flushed it. Of course a few had fine nibs that I replaced with a medium, and I've sent a few off to have nibs tuned, but that is no big deal.

The earlier model, the Parker 51 Vacumatic, used a "sac" that usually wears out, but there are many, many fine repair people who will replace the "sac" inexpensively.

By the way, people collect some of the rare colors in the Parker 51, so look first for an aerometric in black or "burgundy", and don't be stunned if you see a "buckskin beige" for $600. That's an unusual pen, very collectible.

The downside of a Parker 51: it was designed to write, rather than be a piece of jewelry. Parker design-engineers thought through everything about it, figuring a way that a slip-off cap could keep a pen from dring out, creating two sort of ink reservoirs, one of which wraps around the nib so it is ready to write as soon as the nib touches paper. Sheaffer followed with a nib that stored some ink inside, and, later, all pens figured out ways to do the same, such as the "modern" pens that have "plastic" leaves under the nib. Parker was the first.

Finally, the beauty of the 51 is in its streamlined shape. Previous pens usually looked like 1920s hotels, with decorations hanging every which way. Like comparing the shape of a Model-T Ford to nearly any car sold today. Yes, a streamlined pen, one shaped like a jet fighter or a rocket or a P-51 fighter, might look ho-hum today, it was part of the design revolution that made such shapes "ho-hum". And, meanwhile, "modern" pens are going for glitzy decorations, a design that rolls back to the 1920s hotels.

Price? Last I looked, a 51 could be had for $80 - $120 on EBay. Total renovation might add another $40, if a pen needs it.

[ralfstc]

A funny side note: At the beginning, I thought I would keep some of the most pristine, popular and desirable pens in my collection. Years later, what I found out is that my collection gravitates towards pens that I spend the most time restoring, or the ones that I love just because, warts and all

So true, that! It's the troupers that keep on trouping that are hard to let go . . . .

R.

[KrazyIvan]

My first fountain pens were modern C/C filling pens. I naturally progressed into vintage pens starting with Esterbrooks. At the time I was a PBX admin for a large call center and found out Bell Systems Esterbrooks existed and then it just went into a downward spiral when I found out about this really cool-looking celluloid material. Oh, then I discovered ebonite. Can't forget the ebonite. My oldest pen is over 100 years old and the vintage pens still fascinate me.

I think Jon hit it early in this thread. The people that really matter in the vintage pen arena don't really use social media that much or stick to older formats with less exposure. As an example, I have noticed the big Youtubers don't really talk vintage pens that much. SBREBrown has said he does not prefer vintage pens and keeps to modern pens.

[An old bloke]

'SBREBrown has said he does not prefer vintage pens and keeps to modern pens.' Given that he is a youtuber and youtube is more about acquiring sponsorships ($$$) than it is about providing information, one wonders if that is motivated by hopes of acquiring current manufacturer sponsors.

I doubt any vintage (now defunct) manufacturers are likely to provide sponsorships.

[fountainpenkid]

'SBREBrown has said he does not prefer vintage pens and keeps to modern pens.' Given that he is a youtuber and youtube is more about acquiring sponsorships ($$$) than it is about providing information, one wonders if that is motivated by hopes of acquiring current manufacturer sponsors.

I doubt any vintage (now defunct) manufacturers are likely to provide sponsorships.

That's surely a bit cynical--I think while SBREBrown's reviews are often surprisingly incurious for an academic, he is honest.
The point generally is taken though--as pointed out earlier, there is less media incentive for vintage pen-related content. It does make me wonder if there would be interest in historically informed vintage pen content--such media does get traction on youtube at least, in the general vein of what I'd call "entertaining explainers."

[catbert]

'SBREBrown has said he does not prefer vintage pens and keeps to modern pens.' Given that he is a youtuber and youtube is more about acquiring sponsorships ($$$) than it is about providing information, one wonders if that is motivated by hopes of acquiring current manufacturer sponsors.

I doubt any vintage (now defunct) manufacturers are likely to provide sponsorships.

That's surely a bit cynical--I think while SBREBrown's reviews are often surprisingly incurious for an academic, he is honest.
The point generally is taken though--as pointed out earlier, there is less media incentive for vintage pen-related content. It does make me wonder if there would be interest in historically informed vintage pen content--such media does get traction on youtube at least, in the general vein of what I'd call "entertaining explainers."

Time was that every other SBRE Brown review seemed to mention the size of his hands. Having big mitts may be a factor in his preference for larger, modern pens.

Pelahale had some good vintage pen commentary on YouTube — his Parker 51, Aurora 88 and Sheaffer PFM videos spring to mind — as well as some interesting musings on other subjects. Sadly, all his pen content has vanished.

[Chuck Naill]

This is a odd thread. I suppose if you sell pens there is an interest, but otherwise much to do about nothing.

[silverlifter]

It does make me wonder if there would be interest in historically informed vintage pen content--such media does get traction on youtube at least, in the general vein of what I'd call "entertaining explainers."

There was a series of youtube videos that were a mix of information and musings about classic pens: The PFM and Parker 51s among them. Unfortunately, the author took them down some years ago. They were, as far as I am aware, well received by vintage fans.

[An old bloke]

'SBREBrown has said he does not prefer vintage pens and keeps to modern pens.' Given that he is a youtuber and youtube is more about acquiring sponsorships ($$$) than it is about providing information, one wonders if that is motivated by hopes of acquiring current manufacturer sponsors.

I doubt any vintage (now defunct) manufacturers are likely to provide sponsorships.

That's surely a bit cynical--I think while SBREBrown's reviews are often surprisingly incurious for an academic, he is honest.
The point generally is taken though--as pointed out earlier, there is less media incentive for vintage pen-related content. It does make me wonder if there would be interest in historically informed vintage pen content--such media does get traction on youtube at least, in the general vein of what I'd call "entertaining explainers."

Is it being cynical or is it simply an honest and realistic question about motivation? I offer that it is the latter.

[KrazyIvan]

It does make me wonder if there would be interest in historically informed vintage pen content--such media does get traction on youtube at least, in the general vein of what I'd call "entertaining explainers."

There was a series of youtube videos that were a mix of information and musings about classic pens: The PFM and Parker 51s among them. Unfortunately, the author took them down some years ago. They were, as far as I am aware, well received by vintage fans.

I remember those videos and I was a subscriber to his channel up until recently when I finally figured he is not going to post them again or create new videos. I wish he would have left them up.