Antique Stores

[penguinmaster]

Just wondering what everybody's thoughts were on finding fountain pens at antique stores. What type of luck have people had and were the prices reasonable?? I have a few in town I was thinking about stopping into later this week.

[jd50ae]

The few I have visited have either been overpriced or they have a regular who picks them clean.

[penmanila]

well, again you never know. some of my best pens have come from antique stores in places like milwaukee--such as a mandarin yellow duofold senior for $68, and mint-with-stickers vacumatics for $25 each

 

everytime i visit a new city, i always check the phonebook for nearby antique stores and resale or thrift shops. you'll just never know until you check them out.

Edited January 11, 2007 by penmanila

[rroossinck]

It's the thrill of the hunt...

 

Des Moines doesn't have a lot, and what's there isn't entirely rare, but there are some decent buys to be had. I picked up my first 51, a 1945 Vacumatic, for $5.

[Benjamin McFerret]

I've gotten some really good deals but I have also seen a lot of junk for outrageous prices. I once got a 1945 Vacumatic Major (in working condition) and an early Duofold Sr. Big Red pencil for $11 and $7 respectively.

Ben

Edited January 11, 2007 by Benjamin McFerret

[Taki]

I know most of the time I'm not going to find anything but I check out antique mall in town occasionally. Once I found Wahl and Sheaffer gold-filled ringtops for $10 each. I know there is a tiny Sheaffer Balance (vest pocket size?). I thought it was $47 and was overpriced, but when I asked to see it the tag actually said $97. It's sitting there for years

[George]

Its really hit or miss. Sometimes, you can get a Parker aztec for $10 when the people there never research the things they sell. Then, on the other hand, if its an antique dealer who knows everything, or just puts the pens high, a parker 51 aero could go for $100... You never know

[FrankB]

If you are into antique stores and enjoy the thrill of the hunt, then by all means enjoy yourself. For me, I have given up on antique stores, etc. I have found only high priced junk. I have also found that the dealers are very disinterested in talking about the pens or understanding how to price them. The prices are usually based on something the dealer found in a book, and based on pens in perfect cosmetic condition and perfect working order. Pen shows are far more fun, and the people and nicer by light years.

[Kelly G]

My experience is there are some good pens to be found at antique stores, but, you will have to comb through a lot of stores to find the good ones. I always ask the store owner if there are any fp's or related items - that saves time. I also follow a general rule of: "the less organized the better" I've never found great deals in Antique Malls, but there are some reasonable deals. I have a couple of shops that I check on a regular basis and have established a relationship with the owner, that helps. Overall, I've had much better luck at estate auctions.

[OldGriz]

Out here in the boonies of MD we don't have many antique shops, 2 I think and 2 antique malls.... both are nuts when it comes to pens...

For example.... last week we were out for lunch and I decided to stop at a shop I had not yet been too....

They had

1 Parker Vacumatic in sorry shape priced at $275.00... and I do mean sorry shape...

1 Sheaffer Snorkel with a load of scratches and a crack in the cap at the clip priced at $120.00

and the absolute winners

A Parker 21 pen/pencil set in a badly tattered box with a cracked hood priced at $300.00 and labeled as a Parker 51 Vac filler.

 

I attempted to talk to the owner about the condition and prices and got a rasher of attitude.... basically he told me I didn't know what I was talking about and I was trying to rob him....

When I told him the Parker 51 Vac was in actuallity a Parker 21 (and showed him the marking) he pulled out an old copy of Paul Erano's book and showed me a picture of a Parker 51 Vac and said that is the right pen... when I showed him the markings on the pen again.... YUP, you obviously have no idea what pens are worth...... He actually tried to tell me the Vacumatic with heavily brassed hardware, bent nib and scratches was in excellent condition according to the book...

So basically, NO I don't have good luck here with our antique malls and shops... of course they don't have good luck either... I would bet those pens have been sitting where they are since the places opened....

[rroossinck]

I know most of the time I'm not going to find anything but I check out antique mall in town occasionally. Once I found Wahl and Sheaffer gold-filled ringtops for $10 each. I know there is a tiny Sheaffer Balance (vest pocket size?). I thought it was $47 and was overpriced, but when I asked to see it the tag actually said $97. It's sitting there for years

I saw that exact same pen about two weeks ago at that same mall and I thought the price was outrageous, too.

[Mary P]

I haven't had much luck at local antique shops and malls but I've done quite well at the larger antique shows at the Tacoma Dome. If it is a several day show I go on Sat and return just before closing on Sunday. I'll make an offer for items on Sunday and usually my offer is accepted.

 

I once found an armless rocker I wanted, offered less than half the asking price just before closing, seller accepted, then I asked if her had any fountain pens. I left the show with the rocker, two fountain pens and two unused vintage blotters all for less than the asking price of the rocker.

Edited January 11, 2007 by Mary P

[RSVP]

You mean apart from the incomplete Platignums, distorted Osmiroids and leaking Papermates?

 

I did go in an Antique Shop once who informed me that if only I had been there a few months earlier I could have had my pick of a collection. I think it must have been good because I belive the remnant included some solid gold Mordan MPs, a lapis Lady's Duofold.

 

I did get a green flame CS though - but that had to go as I did not know how to change the sac.

[jirish1957]

I think that with the advent of the internet, most antique dealers know enough to be dangerous. Sharp dealers may price pens accurately, but in my experience Parkers, Sheaffers and other "name-brand" pens tend to be overpriced for their condition.

[rroossinck]

I did go in an Antique Shop once who informed me that if only I had been there a few months earlier I could have had my pick of a collection.

Same story here. Apparently there was a collection purchased somewhere in Iowa but by the time I got to it it was all but gone. A handful of Esterbrooks at obnoxious prices.

[Maja]

I think that with the advent of the internet, most antique dealers know enough to be dangerous.  Sharp dealers may price pens accurately, but in my experience Parkers, Sheaffers and other "name-brand" pens tend to be overpriced for their condition.

Around here, it's definitely hard to find good stuff for very little money, esp. with online prices out there for everyone to see. Also, as JD mentioned, some stores have their regulars who get all the good stuff and who don't collect broken Marxtons and Stratfords

 

Of course those antique shops pens are priced as if they were v.good or better shape, not the damaged condition many (most?) are in. I think when a pen has a 14K nib, that immediately causes the price of the item in an antique shop to skyrocket....but sometimes the nib is cracked, has a tine (or two) broken off, almost no iridium left, etc.

 

I know I should offer a lower price for an overpriced item (esp. if I want to buy >1 pen) but I'm usually too embarassed to bargain... Mind you, I did ask for a deal on a small Eclipse flat-top and CS pencil a few weeks ago, and the lady was nice enough to give it to me

[Guest PeteWK]

Antique dealers in Southern California speak about eBay with great distain. The monster who killed the goose that laid the golden eggs. The local Pasadena Antique mall folks tell me that floor traffic has been cut in half the last several years. That has probably driven up prices in a vain attempt to make enough money to pay the So. Cal. rent prices. That makes for a lot of dealer turnover.

 

Otherwise, like the others I've found mostly overpriced junk and a very few treasures.

 

The worst offender was a dealer who wanted 68 dollars for a smaller size Sheaffer flat top Black and Pearl Lifetime FP. It had a few chunks missing from the cap ring and deep scratches everywhere else. I got a near mint examply on eBay for 30 bucks.

 

PeteWK

[Johnny Appleseed]

I did go in an Antique Shop once who informed me that if only I had been there a few months earlier I could have had my pick of a collection. I think it must have been good because I belive the remnant included some solid gold Mordan MPs, a lapis Lady's Duofold. 

 

I think what we have here is what Don Fluckinger calls "The Myth of the Sumgai". For those who do not know, the Sumgai is a term for really great deals on pens, usually coming from the expression "Some guy just bought an x for ten dollars" or "There was a Y for sale for $20, but some guy got it before I did" and similar expression. It is also when a dealer says "I had a [fill in the blank with valuable pen] yesterday, but some guy bought it. . ." Don argues that many of the latter type comments are from dealers just trying to get you to come back and look at more of their stuff, and it is totally made up. See Extra Fine Point - May 2005

 

My own experience is mixed. Some antique dealers have nothing but overpriced junk, others have good pens that are overpriced, and a few have good stuff for fair prices. One of the dealers I frequent has some very nice pens listed a bit on the high side, but he will take 30-40% off at the drop of a hat. I just take the pen to him and say "what will you sell this to me for" and he drops the price right there. I've also found that dealer ignorance can work to your advantage - I picked up a near-perfect Parker 61 for $20 that was right next to a bunch of Parker 51s in various degrees of repair needed for around $35 each (which is a fair price for an unrestored 51). The dealer just didn't know what he had.

 

Also, I spoke with one dealer (who only has a few junky pens) and he said whenever he gets pens in he puts them up on Ebay, because they usually sell and the shipping is easy - so there is one place a lot of antique store pens are going.

 

John

[MYU]

Yeah, it sounds like a matter of just being in the right place at the right time. Probably no good deals to be had in major metropolitan areas. You have to head out to the countryside and run into a low-tech owner antique shop or flea market.

 

The eBay phenomenon is more of a seller's dream than buyer's dream. The basic fact is that the seller has significantly amplified the exposure of their product(s). For relatively low traffic categories, there are still decent buyer deals to be had... but that is gradually changing.

 

Recently I've noticed a lot more people from Asian and European countries bidding on pens. Everytime another bidder is added to the fray, the prices go up. Eventually we may see eBay deals on pens for buyers slip into extreme rarity. It all comes down to the market demand and the supplier economy. Look at Japan... there are "Japan market only" pens that I'll bet are sold on eBay for 5-10 times the seller purchase price. And then you have the Bangkok used pen market.

[a11en]

I think this may be the same for many people looking for vintage items. You have to frequent these places, ask for the items, and be slow and patient in doing both. I've found pens now at all three antique stores in town, not all of them to my liking, but at each store there has been at least one pen that I wanted to add to my extremely small and growing collection. (less than 10 pens here folks)

 

So, for at least the newest collector, I have to say that the antique store searches have been fun, and I've enjoyed what I've found.

 

My most recent is a beautiful little golden-striped Vac-fill Tuckaway. Love it to death. Great price, and it's working like a charm (completely unexpected).

 

So, try your hand at them, but don't be frustrated if you don't find anything. In time and patience you'll find something you'll like. I'm already trying to convince the SO that we need to go to these places when we go to new towns.

 

Good luck in the search!!

-Allen