Greg Minuskin - Quite disappointed

[New York Scribbler]

Thanks for the advice. I will check the venders/sites provided and hopefully have better luck with my repairs and purchases.

Jason
New York Scribbler

[david i]

Thanks Greg for aiming this truly rare post-war 1940s Sheaffer my way. Fewer than 10 known so far to the hobby, an esoteric variant. Condition just as nice as Greg described.





regards

david

[Farmboy]

Am I allowed to say why it is rare?

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Why does it say 2000 on the barrel?

[Jon Szanto]

Why does it say 2000 on the barrel?

I believe that is the original MSRP of $20.00.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Wouldn't have killed them to stick a dollar sign on it, or even a decimal point come to think of it.

You sure it's not a limited run number?

[Jon Szanto]

Wouldn't have killed them to stick a dollar sign on it, or even a decimal point come to think of it.

You sure it's not a limited run number?

I think if you do just the smallest amount of reading up on Sheaffer pens, from possibly the 1930s through the 1950s (the true experts can dial that in better than I), you'll see that most of the pens sported these numbers by the imprint. Why or how they chose to do it this way, I don't know, but this is my understanding. The number referred to the price.

[Farmboy]

Jon, you are to kind.

A leading $ engraved on the barrel would look stupid.

FarmBoy

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Okay, just thought I'd ask, it's sometimes easier than trying to find books on the subject in a backwater country. The downside is of course it is often accompanied by insult.

[mhosea]

Engraving the price, regardless of the format, was a weird thing to do. Perhaps it was less about helping retailers remember how much to charge than helping retailers remember how much they were supposed to charge, vis-a-vis Sheaffer's attempts to control retail pricing.

[Jon Szanto]

Okay, just thought I'd ask, it's sometimes easier than trying to find books on the subject in a backwater country. The downside is of course it is often accompanied by insult.

I certainly hope my answer did not come off as insulting, as it wasn't meant to be. That being said, you needn't look for books, as even in that circumstance there aren't that many and not always in print or authoritative. As in many things, the age of the net is very helpful. One very good place to start, whenever I have a question like this, are the reference pages on Richard Binder's site. A rather major source of information on pens and pen history.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Thanks for the link, Jon, very useful! And no, it wasn't you.

[canibanoglu]

Thanks Greg for aiming this truly rare post-war 1940s Sheaffer my way. Fewer than 10 known so far to the hobby, an esoteric variant. Condition just as nice as Greg described.




regards

david

Wow, I'm quite at a loss for words after reading everything you posted in this thread. Eventually the thread convinced me to stay away from Mr. Minuskin's business and yours as well.

[Ego Id Veto]

So I'm not the only one!!

Here I was thinking he had it in for me!

He reneged in a quote he gave me, insisting on charging me more for nib repairs he'd given me a lower quote for weeks earlier. When I asked him to honour his previous quote, he blocked my email. But because I really wanted this nib retipped, I emailed him from a different account and he claimed that his antivirus had blocked me (a likely story, what a coincidence given his proclivity to block people).

He finally retipped my priceless Doric adjustable nib, but the damned thing is scratchy as all hell. He also didn't seat the nib properly in the feed, and refused to take it back to fix it (claiming the nib was meant to be so far out of the section that it would drip ink, blaming the ink for being too wet) meaning I had to fork out to another repairer to seat it again.

The worst bit? He's one of the only people who does what he does, so I have no choice.

I have all the emails to prove all of this, and as someone who has worked in the repairs and retail business for a decade, it's quite appalling to see this sort of disdain for customers.

[Ego Id Veto]

I'd really love to see Mr. David's attempt to excuse Mr. Minuskin's refusal to honour a quote, blocking my email even though I was perfectly courteous, not seating a nib correctly, and then claiming that it's "meant to be that way" instead of offering to fix his mistake.

I'd also like to see him find an excuse for the multiple examples in this thread of him losing his cool with and blocking people who took more than a couple of hours to pay.

Incidentally, Mr. David, it's not a good look to attempt to spruik the wares of the individual you are defending. It does not bode well for speculations as to your impartiality.

I have worked in retail for quite some time. Sure, customers can be awful. But the way I (and many others) have been treated by this man is inexcusable.

On a side note, you may like to look up the "fallacy fallacy".

[Detman101]

The one, true way you can come out smelling like roses in any kind of retail transaction dispute is put all emotion and drama aside, and speak in a calm and business-like manner. Especially in electronic communication, the need for leaving out any hint of irony, humor, sarcasm, etc is so important - unless the person knows you well, a phrase that would cause both of you to chuckle if you were eye-to-eye can easily be misconstrued. Be plain, speak facts, get stuff accomplished.

Great advice!

[Chuck Naill]

There has been several threads recently where the OP is complaining about a seller. We, as forum members, only have half the story. What is the OP hoping to accomplish?

[Jon Szanto]

There has been several threads recently where the OP is complaining about a seller. We, as forum members, only have half the story. What is the OP hoping to accomplish?

Sharing of information and experience.

[Pterodactylus]

Ahhhh, I see Detman turned out to be a new necromancer on the forum.

[wingwiper]

I have a 1/2 dozen purchases from Greg over the years and never an issue- exactly the opposite. That does not say anyone can never have a bad day.

Just purchased one of his Sheaffer FP's he had for sale, had him customize to a .30 stub, price was great and service was great. Greg's mods, like some are exceptional.

He has always been prompt, fair and polite. I highly recommend him and have been collecting for over 30 years.