Antique Stores

[penmanila]

the best attitude to have here is probably to go to antique stores not just to find good cheap pens, but to spend a pleasant hour enjoying old things and bygone lifestyles. i collect pens the most of all (i collect old watches as well, and some special items), but i always go into an antique store with more than pens in mind--so i don't get too disappointed if i don't find any great pen bargains.... i play mental games like "in this whole shelf, what's the best piece of the lot?" (without having to buy that piece.) i educate myself on varieties of objects.... and ironically enough it's often on these casual strolls that i do find terrific bargains (yes, i was a "sumgai" quite a few times).... by their very nature as repositories of odds and ends, and given the option of ebay, it's par for the course to find, say, one good pen in six antique stores--but then it's that one pen that makes everything worth it.

[sleek_lover]

My beloved loves to prowl antique stores, antique malls, flea markets, etc. I am usually along because I am the family negotiator.

 

If I find something that strikes my fancy---well, I will have a go at it. That said, my experience is reflective of what has been said, for the most part. Usually the dealer has no knowledge or enough knowledge to be very dangerous. Since we tend to be looking for users, not display pens, we have a good idea of what it is gonna take to either repair the beat-up POC or have RB fix it and factor that it. The dealer is used to working with furniture or old Howdy Doody stuff...

 

Sorry, not enough coffee this morning...

 

Bill in Souf Joisey...

[CasmiUK]

I found an antique store today that I hadn't realised was there. I went in and asked for any foutain pens.

 

She showed me a plastic bag which contained five pens: a Swan leverless with a number 2 nib, a Burnham B48 with a nib marked B45 (each of these were marked at £10), an Osmiroid 65 with a number 3 nib, a mottled colour Osmiroid 65 with what looks like two nibs one on top of another and a pen missing a band simply marked Platignum on the clip with a medium nib.

 

Looking down I also saw two more pens in a jar, which turned out to be for sale. One was a green mottled Golden Platignum Quick Change with a tiny nib marked M and a third Osmiroid 65, again with what looks like one nib on installed on top of another marked medium.

 

All will need sac replacement and one may need nib work. The only two priced were the two mentioned above.

 

I asked her how much for all of them and she worked it all out and said £50. I pretended to consider this and then agreed, reluctantly (secretly grinning) to her price. I paid her and left the shop with my 7 pens securely in my handbag.

 

I think I've done well - at least I HOPE I've done well.

 

I know nothing of Burnham pens, but have heard good things about Swan Leverless.

 

Has anyone seen the nibs I've described on the Osmiroid - when it looks like one nib installed on top of another? Is this common?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Casmi

[kazoolaw]

Timing is everything. Can't tell you how many fourth tier pens in horrible shape I've seen with big price tags.

 

But then you come across a Duofold Mandarin Junior, an Equipoise Combination, a Parker Vac double jewel,or a pristine green lined Doric desk pen, none of them for more than $35 dollars and the adrenalin starts pumping.

 

Just don't try to figure out what these pens cost per hour of hunting!!

 

gary

[MYU]

Just don't try to figure out what these pens cost per hour of hunting!!

I think you hit the nail on the head there, Gary.

 

It's called the "bargain hunter overhead". I'll never forget this story I heard from a business associate of my father. He needed to get a new car and was looking for a Volvo station wagon (estate/break). He's the kind of guy who loves to barter. Maybe that's part of what made him a multi-millionare with a huge home in Greenwich CT. Anyway, he manages to haggle with a dealer over the phone and gets him down $250 lower than another dealer nearby. Sounds great, right? Well... I learned later that he goes with his wife, driving to the dealership... for nearly 3 hours one way! So yes, he saved some $$. But when factoring the time and hassle involved, he would have been better off buying locally.

 

That's why I think penmanila's suggestion is perfect--you're out and about doing a little antique browsing as a leisure activity, just keeping your eyes out for possible bargains across several categories of items. And when you encounter a bargain, you score it without any undue overhead.

[CasmiUK]

Well, I truly believe this was beginner's luck. It's the first time I've ever gone into an antique shop looking.

 

I figure it'll be years before I find anything again. This find is going to have to last me a while!