Boxes

[writingrav]

Just wondering : After collecting more pen boxes than could fit in my largest desk drawer I trashed them all. Then I read an article about how much value they add to pen resale. I don't really collect with the intention of selling, but you never know. Have I made a huge blunder?

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[manoeuver]

Life is too short. Toss the boxes, ink your pens and get to writing.

[ianmedium]

I'm not a collector so the boxes ( with a Couple of exceptions) are just there to transport the pen so get thrown away. The only two I have kept are the Limited edition Montegrappa and the Hitchcock.

I have a thought on the fairly recent phenomenon of keeping everything because it may increase value. I wonder if all of us of a certain age who had kept their dinky toy cars immaculate with boxes would find they would be worth what they are now. They are worth more now because people did not Keep the boxes, likewise mint ones are only worth more because the majority were played with.

With this fad of keeping everything pristine and boxed there are going to be a heck of a lot of those mint things in fifty years time making me wonder if something used and loved will be rarer and this more collectible!!

As someone who has a couple of vintage watches they hold far more appeal if they show signs of use or even better, personal engravings.To be it means someone has loved it. The thing was special to them and they used it thus creating a history for it. That to me is part of the joy of old things.

I love that my vintage pens have patina, I often think who was the first owner and the story behind it, makes writing even more pleasurable for me!

So I say throw the boxes away and enjoy the pen and use it for it's intended purpose! I have had a few people shake their heads in disbelief that I use the Hitchcock every day but that is what Mont Blanc intended for it and I can't help but think if Mr Hitchcock were alive and owned one he would do the same!

One thing in pen collecting that I can never get my head round happens with these limited edition Mont Blancs is that people buy them and never even take the plastic wrap off them. To me those people are not pen collectors or enthusiasts but merely investors and the pen is just like a stock trade to them.. I think that is rather sad!

[writingrav]

Agreed!

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[Sailor Kenshin]

I dunno. I use all my pens, but save boxes. The few times I've sold pens I think it added somewhat to the value. Not a huge amount, but also people probably like having the box.

[fountainpenkid]

I keep my pen boxes. No need to throw them out!

[Bogon07]

I've kept all those Lamy slot boxes so far as the don't take up much space and I use one to carry a Safari to work in.

The other fold open type with space for three pens is useful for holding all those Lamy cartridges.

[jor412]

With this fad of keeping everything pristine and boxed there are going to be a heck of a lot of those mint things in fifty years time making me wonder if something used and loved will be rarer and this more collectible!!

As someone who has a couple of vintage watches they hold far more appeal if they show signs of use or even better, personal engravings.To be it means someone has loved it. The thing was special to them and they used it thus creating a history for it. That to me is part of the joy of old things.

I love that my vintage pens have patina, I often think who was the first owner and the story behind it, makes writing even more pleasurable for me!

This is so well-said.

[Tracy Lee]

I am with you ianmedium! I keep any paperwork in a zip lock bag, labeled, and toss everything else. The only value in the pens I use now is the way they feel and write. I am glad you use your Hitchcock regularly. I have expensive pens that I, too, tote around and use everyday and it makes me happy. - ink those babies up and get to writing. Boxes shmoxes.

[fountainpenkid]

I agree, almost. I think that wear and tear on vintage pen adds to the fun, but I take no interest in personal engravings. I would have no problem bringing a Omas Arco to school if I had one, but I think I would keep the box, so that I could remember the day I first got it...


Will

[KrazyIvan]

I think on vintage pens, a vintage box is nice to have just for the complete history. I will not make a buying decision on the box or absence of it. I do keep my boxes on hand but I do that with a lot of things, not just pens. I throw the boxes out or reuse them when the warranty is over.

[Okami]

I save my boxes. I put them in a big box and then store them in the top of my closet.

[snedwos]

So far I only have one pen with a box, which I keep. I expect I will keep all my boxes, or at least if they're nice. But the idea that someone would buy a pen with no intention of ever writing with it makes me need to sit down for a second. The thought of my aunt and uncle and the MBs they were given for their wedding always sitting in a cabinet, never to be used...

Bogon, do you have any non-Lamys yet?

[peterpen53]

I'm not a collector so the boxes ( with a Couple of exceptions) are just there to transport the pen so get thrown away. The only two I have kept are the Limited edition Montegrappa and the Hitchcock.

I have a thought on the fairly recent phenomenon of keeping everything because it may increase value. I wonder if all of us of a certain age who had kept their dinky toy cars immaculate with boxes would find they would be worth what they are now. They are worth more now because people did not Keep the boxes, likewise mint ones are only worth more because the majority were played with.

With this fad of keeping everything pristine and boxed there are going to be a heck of a lot of those mint things in fifty years time making me wonder if something used and loved will be rarer and this more collectible!!

As someone who has a couple of vintage watches they hold far more appeal if they show signs of use or even better, personal engravings.To be it means someone has loved it. The thing was special to them and they used it thus creating a history for it. That to me is part of the joy of old things.

I love that my vintage pens have patina, I often think who was the first owner and the story behind it, makes writing even more pleasurable for me!

So I say throw the boxes away and enjoy the pen and use it for it's intended purpose! I have had a few people shake their heads in disbelief that I use the Hitchcock every day but that is what Mont Blanc intended for it and I can't help but think if Mr Hitchcock were alive and owned one he would do the same!

One thing in pen collecting that I can never get my head round happens with these limited edition Mont Blancs is that people buy them and never even take the plastic wrap off them. To me those people are not pen collectors or enthusiasts but merely investors and the pen is just like a stock trade to them.. I think that is rather sad!

I agree with most you say, Ian, especially using your Hitchcock on a daily basis. Like you I buy pens because I like to use them, if only at home as with some special ones, and not to have them sit in their boxes forever. However, the market rules as they say, and having ventured into the field of MB Writers' Editions, I just accept it as a fact of life that should I wish to sell any of those at a given time, having well cared for boxes and papers to accompany them will fetch a better price (and I don't consider a pen an investment) than 'just' the pen. In that case I'm not willing to let that better price escape me since the difference can be substantial, so I let these boxes take up space in one of my closets. And since I'm currently trying to sell a 3-pen WE set that did not fit me, I'm now glad I do.

[inkypinky]

I'm not a collector so the boxes ( with a Couple of exceptions) are just there to transport the pen so get thrown away. The only two I have kept are the Limited edition Montegrappa and the Hitchcock.

I have a thought on the fairly recent phenomenon of keeping everything because it may increase value. I wonder if all of us of a certain age who had kept their dinky toy cars immaculate with boxes would find they would be worth what they are now. They are worth more now because people did not Keep the boxes, likewise mint ones are only worth more because the majority were played with.

With this fad of keeping everything pristine and boxed there are going to be a heck of a lot of those mint things in fifty years time making me wonder if something used and loved will be rarer and this more collectible!!

As someone who has a couple of vintage watches they hold far more appeal if they show signs of use or even better, personal engravings.To be it means someone has loved it. The thing was special to them and they used it thus creating a history for it. That to me is part of the joy of old things.

I love that my vintage pens have patina, I often think who was the first owner and the story behind it, makes writing even more pleasurable for me!

So I say throw the boxes away and enjoy the pen and use it for it's intended purpose! I have had a few people shake their heads in disbelief that I use the Hitchcock every day but that is what Mont Blanc intended for it and I can't help but think if Mr Hitchcock were alive and owned one he would do the same!

One thing in pen collecting that I can never get my head round happens with these limited edition Mont Blancs is that people buy them and never even take the plastic wrap off them. To me those people are not pen collectors or enthusiasts but merely investors and the pen is just like a stock trade to them.. I think that is rather sad!

Absolutely agree with everything said here, esp the difference between collectors/users/investors. However, I do keep some boxes. I know many people prefer to get a pen "complete" as it makes it feel more brand new to them,especially if it costs quite a bit. So, my rule tends to be that I'll keep the box if the pen is over $100. I keep it for a year. If, during that time, the pen and I have become inseparabl,e the box goes in the dustbin. If I haven't inked it up for months, I'll ask myself if I really need it or should I sell it on and buy something different with the proceeds. This way, I fund my 'habit' relatively guilt-free!

[manoeuver]

Absolutely agree with everything said here, esp the difference between collectors/users/investors. However, I do keep some boxes. I know many people prefer to get a pen "complete" as it makes it feel more brand new to them,especially if it costs quite a bit. So, my rule tends to be that I'll keep the box if the pen is over $100. I keep it for a year. If, during that time, the pen and I have become inseparabl,e the box goes in the dustbin. If I haven't inked it up for months, I'll ask myself if I really need it or should I sell it on and buy something different with the proceeds. This way, I fund my 'habit' relatively guilt-free!

that is an excellent approach.

[writingrav]

that is an excellent approach.

Agreed, but too late. I've thrown most of mine away. But good advice going forward.

[JustDaveyB]

I keep all the boxes but rarely ever look at them again.

As a buyer whether the pen has box and papers make no difference to me.

[brando090]

I keep the boxes, what was the article you read on the resale value of the addition of the box? Id like to read it...

[Saintpaulia]

Just wondering : After collecting more pen boxes than could fit in my largest desk drawer I trashed them all. Then I read an article about how much value they add to pen resale. I don't really collect with the intention of selling, but you never know. Have I made a huge blunder?

In one word: Yes. I never throw away things like that. Sometimes I don't know why but then later I find out why.