Recife for Syll Patrick Baudry Fountain Pen -- 2003 Special Edition

[donnweinberg]

I just received by purchase on Ebay a fountain pen about which I had never heard before -- the Syll "Patrick Baudry special edition -- apparently manufactured for Syll by Dupont Pen in France.  The Ebay seller wrote this about the pen:

 

Item for bid is the Luxury and exclusive Syll fountain pen [They're not in business anymore]. This is a limited edition pen commissioned by the French government in 2003 to commemorate the French astronaught and UNESCO embassador, Patrick Baudry. It was done in collaboration with DUPONT pens. Here are the details:

 

Year of manufacture: 2003

Mirror finish enamel in black with a hint of red... depending on the day

Big semi-hooded 18k gold nib, rhodium plated 

Two end cabuchons... resembling jet engine air intakes

Limited edition 139/500, the number is engraved on the cap lower ring

Pen is heavy and amazingly luxurious. I bought it in 2004 in Paris for $2000.

The pen comes as it was bought in France in 2004, brand new, with papers, plastic sleeve, wooden box, fabric cover, and outer box.

Reducing my collection. Please bid if you understand the quality and rarity of this pen. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

 

My winning bid was $207, and with tax and $15 shipping from Oklahoma, my total was $234.  The pen takes the International Standard converter and cartridges, but didn't come with a converter (a surprise).  However, I have many spare converters, so I put a Stipula converter in the pen, and it fit and filled perfectly.  I filled it with Mont Blanc Irish Green ink.  Filled thusly, the pen weighs 68 grams.  Its length is 13.5 mm (about 5.375 inches).

 

Here are some photos that I took (comments follow photos):

 

    

 

      

 

  

 

  

 

It is difficult to see in the third photo, but on the side of the nib is the number 750 to indicate that this is an 18K nib.  The nib appears to be Rhodium-plated over the gold.  From my writing sample, one can see that the pen is a smooth, wet writer.  When writing, I noticed from the nib a consistent, slight, pleasant give, which allows some intentional variation in line width, but I wouldn't characterize this nib as "flexible."  In no way could any reasonable writer feel that the nib is like a "nail."  The pen, at 68 grams in weight, has heft to it, although I wrote with the cap off.  Out of curiosity, I tried to post it, and the cap does not securely post.  The cap snaps securely onto the barrel over the (divits?) visible in the fourth photo, but it is easy to disengage the cap when one wants to.  The color of the pen is as described by the Ebay seller; depending on lighting, there is at least a "hint of red" in the finish.  It's quite an attractive pen and feels expensive in the hand and when writing, similar to other Dupont pens.

 

I tried looking up the pen on the internet and found nothing of value thereon.  Syll has a website, but it no longer references this pen, as Syll is not a pen company.  This was a special edition.  If, in fact, my Ebay seller was correct in stating that he paid $2,000 for this pen back in 2004 in Paris, then my winning bid price of $207 was an amazing deal.  There is no question in my mind that paying $234 (all-in) for this pen was a very nice value, regardless the price paid by my seller.

 

Does anyone on FPN know anything about this pen model?  Was it really a $2,000+ pen when issued?  Has anyone had any experience with the pen?

[donnweinberg]

I just found another reference to this pen from 2014, showing a price much, much closer to the price I paid:

Length closed: 137 mm, open: 120 mm, largest diameter: 14 mm, 
total weight with a full short cartridge: 58 g, without cap: 42 g. 
Each delivered with its lacquered wooden box, over-box, paper, guarantee (will be stamped by the shop). 
Uses international cartridges and can accept an ST Dupont type converter. 
Price €180 for 1 pen. . . .

 

Also, there may be some confusion (on my part?) about the manufacturer of the pen.  Was it Recife or Dupont?  The section of the pen looks like a Dupont product, and I have seen references to each such manufacturer as the originator of the pen.  I also erred in the length; I measured 13.5 cm (not mm), which is close to the 13.7 cm (137 mm) shown in this reference.  The weight of 68 g is what my digital kitchen scale showed with a ink-full converter inside the pen.

 

I am a bit concerned, to be very honest, about the Euro 180 price shown here, as it is far, far less than the $2,000 claimed to have been paid by my Ebay seller.  Was he fooled, or was I?  As I stated in the original post, I think my all-in cost of $234 in 2022 makes sense, especially if the 2014 price was Euro 180, but in that case, I paid around what the pen went for originally.  Oh, well, such is life. . . .

[jchch1950]

donnweinberPrices for limited editions can be quiete high . But some times the pens don't have good sales because customers don't give them the value the company thinks they have. After certain time, it can be some years, the pens are offer with huge discounts to minimise  the loss or to empty the inventory. There are many examples : like a pen in homage of a french war hero or  one  related to a well known book publisher en Italy. So a  pen can be two thousand dollars and then without the case and all the fancy extra materials that came with the original can be found for much less. In the secondary market some pens without information about the manufacturer are not so easy to sell. The photographs of  section and nib your pen reminds me of a ST. Dupont that was made 20-25 years ago. If it writes and clicks like a Dupont it maybe one.

[DvdRiet]

  On 9/16/2022 at 6:37 PM, donnweinberg said:

I am a bit concerned, to be very honest, about the Euro 180 price shown here, as it is far, far less than the $2,000 claimed to have been paid by my Ebay seller

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I have no idea if it fits the original exchange rate, but your seller may be confusing French Francs with Euros. The Euro was introduced to the public as currency in 2002, and it took a very long time for people to adjust, especially if it was a big change, which I believe it was in the case of the Franc. Could easily be the case here.