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Hi, I have a Cross Townsend Lazuli Blue Lapis and gold fountain pen that I got as part of my divorce settlement. We purchased the pen new in London in 1998. It was used a couple of times by my ex, a part time calligrapher, but still looks to be in perfect condition. I want to sell this pen, but want to get an idea of how much its worth before putting it on ebay... and also if ebay is the best place to sell a pen like this. I've seen some prices online, but they range from $299 to $999, mostly from posts 5 years ago or more, so uncertain of its worth. thanks Lee

Sorry that the pictures of my last two posts had some problems showing.... This time I'm trying the "Attach files" function and photobucket, hope they both work! (they seem fine in preview, though...) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- J. Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey A grey ink with gold flakes, released in late 2014 by J. Herbin. This is my first bottle of shimmering ink, and I'm sure it will stay on my fascination list for a while. Look at the box and bottle design---even if you are not actually using the ink, it makes perfect decoration on the desk. It's said that the 1670 bottles are handmade, thus imperfectly shaped. I love this. (and I accidentally cracked the seal) There is a thick layer of gold flakes. I tried to take a picture of it but it sank really fast.... ....and formed an interesting pattern.... On cheap calculating paper, with Noodler's Creaper: http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/chingdamosaic/1670storm08_zpshyqjzjqq.jpg the color is a pure and clean grey, comfortable to read. When it dries, it gets a little brownish or purplish, depends on the paper you use. I didn't give it enough shake, so there weren't a lot of gold flakes here. Only visible at certain angles, http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/chingdamosaic/1670storm10_zpsbs4vm1rx.jpg or under sun light: http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/chingdamosaic/1670storm09_zpseoitpgrr.jpg And here is what it looks like if you get too many gold flakes: (with dip pen, on sketch paper) http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/chingdamosaic/1670storm11_zpsmb6npe2m.jpg You get a thick layer of gold shimmer..... and the grey ink vanishes. BTW, the bottom line is a diluted version; kind of looks purplish. And on another grid paper, with Noodler's Creaper again: http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/chingdamosaic/1670storm12_zpser4abb8j.jpg close-up 1: the shades http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/chingdamosaic/1670storm14_zps70ci3zed.jpg close-up 2: shimmer shows when tilting the paper. http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/chingdamosaic/1670storm15_zpsepobt7qx.jpg close-up 3: more shimmering http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/chingdamosaic/1670storm16_zpsyzxr4wtn.jpg Water resistance test, on MUJI grid paper with dip pen: http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/chingdamosaic/1670storm13_zpsovc5rkjo.jpg Unintentional ink drops: http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/chingdamosaic/1670storm17_zps1o2xdwkp.jpg Doodle with syringe, water, and Noodler's Creaper: http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/chingdamosaic/1670storm18_zpsfag4kzkd.jpg http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/chingdamosaic/1670storm20_zps9yair86e.jpg http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/chingdamosaic/1670storm19_zpsmkwkgzis.jpg http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/chingdamosaic/1670storm21_zpsnpfbyf37.jpg http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/chingdamosaic/1670storm22_zpsrnblcjmi.jpg AAAAAND notice the brown/bronze sheen!! (Not gold flakes) I love it but it doesn't appear all the time. And on tissue paper: http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/chingdamosaic/1670storm23_zpstjul6iae.jpg I'm surprised at the blue and violet hue, because so far these two colors never show on any pen/paper I try with. Conclusion: Very nice ink, with good flow, practical color and beautiful shimmer. Not very hard to clean from the pen. Great decoration on the desk. Recommend!! BUT if you are specifically looking for a "grey ink with gold shimmer," maybe you should check out Diamine Sparkling Shadows first, because I've seen more than one review states that its flow and flakes perform better than J.Herbin Stormy Grey. Thanks for watching this photo-heavy review! I'll end this with an Instagram-filtered pic: For more detailed Chinese review: http://chingdamosaic.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-55.html