Are fountain pens a good investment

[linearM]

Are fountain pens a good investment? This is a question that I suppose should be answered by someone who has been involved with fountain pens for a while.

 

Are the limited edition pens costing thousands of dollars a good investment? What has been their track record over a 10 year /15 year / 20 year period, appreciation-wise? I’ve noticed new pens going for anywhere from $250,000 on down. What about the uninked vs. inked pens?

 

I’m a person that enjoys using my pens and am unlikely to pay more than $150 for one. If I buy a pen new it will be inked and used. I assume my pens won’t appreciate as fast as a pristine unlinked pen…or are there exceptions? Just curious!

[goodguy]

No, no, no.

 

Pens are BAD investment!!!

 

Buy the ones you like, enjoy them and know if you buy it new you will probably loose money when you sell them.

LE pens are not a good investment either.

 

Pens which will relatively loose less or might in the long run be worth more are MB POA or WE but I would never buy them as an investment as no one has no idea which of them will stay in the same price value or will tripple its value.

Edited April 18, 2010 by goodguy

[Astropath]

No, they are not in my opinion. Some pens are expensive because there are limited numbers made and/or are made of expensive materials and many are truly works of art. Buy what you can afford and use them. Yes, some will increase in value over time but which ones these are are guesswork. I personally would avoid All types of collectibles as investments. I have a few expensive pens because I like them and, yes, I use them. I pay what they cost because... well, that's what they cost. I shop around for bargains but, if I want a David Oscarson pen it is going to cost me. I would not consider any of my pens investments in terms of money, i.e.,making money off of them. Would I consider the purchase of some as Investments in the art community, to help artists of this trade survive and flourish? Yes, and, to me, that is a very good investment.

 

best,

 

Jim

[goodguy]

No, they are not in my opinion. Some pens are expensive because there are limited numbers made and/or are made of expensive materials and many are truly works of art. Buy what you can afford and use them. Yes, some will increase in value over time but which ones these are are guesswork. I personally would avoid All types of collectibles as investments. I have a few expensive pens because I like them and, yes, I use them. I pay what they cost because... well, that's what they cost. I shop around for bargains but, if I want a David Oscarson pen it is going to cost me. I would not consider any of my pens investments in terms of money, i.e.,making money off of them. Would I consider the purchase of some as Investments in the art community, to help artists of this trade survive and flourish? Yes, and, to me, that is a very good investment.

 

best,

 

Jim

Spokent like a true pen fan

[Ghost Plane]

Pens are not investments, they're tools. Depreciation is NOT your friend.

[Julio]

No!!! Fountain pens are only good investment bcause improves your handwriting, makes you think better at what you write, there is a great opportunity to introduce others to the hobby, and as a medium to make good friends. That is a good investment for me.

[jar]

No. Fountain pens are not a good investment.

[Pippin60]

No, no, no.

 

Pens are BAD investment!!!

 

Buy the ones you like, enjoy them and know if you buy it new you will probably loose money when you sell them.

LE pens are not a good investment either.

 

Pens which will relatively loose less or might in the long run be worth more are MB POA or WE but I would never buy them as an investment as no one has no idea which of them will stay in the same price value or will tripple its value.

 

 

Pens are not investments, they're tools. Depreciation is NOT your friend.

 

 

No. Fountain pens are not a good investment.

 

ditto, ditto, ditto and No.

[ANM]

Once upon a time you could find old pens in thrift stores, fix them up and sell them for a nice profit but you had to know what you were doing or you'd pick up pens that cost you. Those opportunities occur much less often anymore. Long term "investment" in vintage pens was costly to people who had a pens with a lot of value before the internet. Ebay devalued a lot of pens- and other collectibles as well- due to increased access to them. So investment in pens is speculation at best and risky too.

[Shalori]

Pens are great investments of time and effort. They are definitely not sound financial investments if you expect them to appreciate in value over time.

[jonro]

Just in case you didn't get the message, fountain pens are not a good investment. As with other types of collectibles, market prices vary up and down and some pens will appreciate over time. The pens most likely to appreciate are rarer specimens of vintage pens that are in excellent condition. But, if you pay top dollar for one of those pens from a dealer, it may be a very long time before that appreciation will reach your pocket, if ever. If you made a business out of buying and restoring pens and selling them at a profit, you might make some money if you are good at it, but that isn't investing, that is a business. Incidentally, many limited edition pens are made in such large quantities that it takes years for them to sell out, often at deep discounts.

 

Buy pens you like and that you can afford and you will enjoy the hobby.

[aircraft_electrician]

A nice Sheaffer Balance 1000 will sell for $25 to $250, depending on exact model and condition, but that pen originally sold for $10. Adjusted for inflation, that $10 pen should be worth over $1400, having neither appreciated or depreciated in value, merely keeping up with inflation rates.

 

So, in short, no, fountain pens are not a good investment. However, that shouldn't stop you from buying and enjoying them.

 

 

Tom

[goodguy]

Pens are not investments, they're tools.

 

Hold your horses GP FP's are tools ?

 

No, no, no!!!

 

They are collection pieces :clap1:

 

Fountain pens are only good investment bcause improves your handwriting

Maybe yours not mine.

 

My hand writing was bad before I started using FP's and after I used FP

[RLTodd]

Another topic that ought to be summarized and pinned.

[79spitfire]

Pens are not investments, they're tools.

 

Hold your horses GP FP's are tools ?

 

No, no, no!!!

 

They are collection pieces :clap1:

 

Fountain pens are only good investment bcause improves your handwriting

Maybe yours not mine.

 

My hand writing was bad before I started using FP's and after I used FP

 

It helped with my handwriting, kinda like a manual typewriter helps with my typing..

 

As far as an investment? Only in quality of life. Right now there are NO "collectibles" that are a good long term investment. (actually never were..)

 

So buy some to write with, or repair as your fancy, but don't think you can become rich off them.

[Garvey]

Another topic that ought to be summarized and pinned.

 

How about as a term of service for joining FPN you must type "A fountain pen is not a good investment" ten times when signing up.

[Dace]

Another topic that ought to be summarized and pinned.

 

Kind of like all the "why didn't I win this auction" posts that happen every week.

[tonybelding]

New (i.e. modern) pens generally lose value, just like cars. If you buy a car and drive it off the lot, it has instantly become a "used car" and is worth much less. That applies to fountain pens, and limited editions too.

 

Vintage pens are already depreciated, and are more likely to retain their collector value, if you take care of them. That is still a far cry from saying they'd be a good investment. You can make more money from something else.

[welch]

Pens are a bad, bad, bad investment.

 

Select a pen to use it. Nothing more.

 

I have written programs for various oarts of the financial industry, for it for more than 25 years. None of the plotters, brokers, investmanet managers, futures traders, plain lending bankers, or anyone else would buy a pen for investment. Old Mr. Cantor, of Cantor Fitzgerald, glued part of his Rodin collection to the walls of his World Trade Center office. He liked Rodin. He would never have invested in a jewelery pen just in the hope that it might appreciate in value.

 

No. No!

 

Put your money on a bank...mix your 401K between fixed income (or equivalent) and high-risk/high return instruments.

 

Do NOT invest in rare coins or baseball cards or "tulips". That is, invest in something real, that generates profits, that does NOT depend on temporary market craving for a rare item. "Temporary" means the taste ad demand can disappear tomorrow.

 

Buy a pen to use it. Repeat: to use it.

[Ed Ronax]

I think the answer to your question is no, fountain pens are not a good investment. Reading from what others have said the consensus of opinion rests in the no camp.

Edited April 19, 2010 by Ed Ronax