In correspondence with an American collector we bemoaned the decline in interest in vintage pens. This was part of the reason for my retirement from pen sales. I don’t think it is quite as bad here as it is in the States where top quality uncommon pens have become unsaleable, even at pen shows, for some sellers at least.
The new generation of pen fanciers seem only to want new pens. That’s fine. There are a lot of excellent new pens around. If I didn’t have so many pens already I would buy some of the gorgeous pens Japanese companies are making.
But there are two things we lose by the concentration on current pens. The first is that writers are no longer acquiring first class old pens for much less than the cost of new ones. There’s nothing made today to equal a Waterman 52 or a 1920s Swan for sheer writing pleasure. Great as many modern pens are, they don’t have the nib variety of those older pens. I could add so many other great manufacturers but take these to stand for all.
The second thing we are losing is the great discussions about old pens; who made them, when they were made, the materials used and so on. I think back to the long discussions on the boards of yesteryear (mostly gone now) and I regret their passing. There is – or was – so much knowledge and expertise out there. I think of the various collectors who could date a pen by the length of the lever or the fixing of a clip. They’re not in FPN or FPG. Some may be on Facebook but their expertise is not archived there in an accessible way.
Time moves on and we must accept that those new to our hobby wish to do things their own way, as we did in our time. We are allowed to regret the passing of that aspect of our hobby.
Goodwriterspens's Blog 
What you say is so true. There’s also another aspect, in the old times people wrote because they had to. Today, it’s much different. It’s rare when people write letters, or homework. Most things are done digitally.
Then there’s the practice of ink hopping, which makes using those old pens impractical. Before one didn’t have much choice and that was it.
And finally there’s the cost. When I started this hobby, vintage pens were quite accessible. Since the pandemic, they have become quite expensive 🙂
They’re more expensive, that’s true. But a good Swan is much less expensive than a new Pelikan and the Swan is the better pen.
So true :)I would appreciate if you write a post about your favorite Swan’s if you haven’t done it already 🙂
Just use “Swan” as a search term in my blog and you’ll see plenty of Swans. I don’t have favourites. They’re all good.
In the local fountain pen enthusiasts group the majority of people there focus on new pens and inks. However that same majority I have noticed often have a couple of vintage pens. A Parker 51 Aerometric filler or a vintage cartridge converter pen by Parker or Sheaffer. They may even have a working lever filler.
Is this positive for vintage pens? I hope so.
I agree during the Pandemic the prices of Vintage pens rose across the board. However here in New Zealand the prices have fallen for most pens on the local equivalent of Ebay making them cheaper than before the Pandemic factoring in inflation. Parker 51 and 45 are good examples of this. The only exception to this are highly desirable pens in very good condition. Certain Conway Stewart pens in certain colours come to mind as an example.
I wasn’t really talking about price in this article – that’s for another day, but I do see some extraordinary prices for very ordinary old pens in eBay. Sheer greed determines some of those prices.
Deb. Steve’s next book might help fill in some pretty big gaps in the early history of British pens at least….so much valuable info will be nailed down in one easily accessible place.
And when our generation has slipped away, there will be an influx of venerable old pens coming back on the market , should any newer folk lean in that direction.
i struggle quite a bit with the prejudice against many modern pens, and have to keep reminding myself about inclusivity….but…give me a pre 60s pen any day , and high on my list too are the Swan SF 230 in red woodgrain , or a ripple Waterman 52/54 with flexible gold nib, and I have a passion for the old eyedropper pens ……but there are a plethora of other gorgeous pens from way back when.
I do have quite a number of modern pens, and some of them are very high quality….it’s just that I find their nibs boring …..
c’est la vie.
I’m by no means against modern pens. I have a few and use them quite often. The modern nibs that are described as boring by flex users suit me very well. I’m a fan of Japanese pens. I’m looking forward to Steve’s next book and it will certainly reinvigorate my interest! I refer to his Swan book often. It’s beginning to be quite worn!
That’s an interesting point. I don’t attend shows so I was unaware of that, if it pertains here too.
I am nearly finished a final proof read of Andy’s and Steve’s latest opus (this is a 50:50 joint effort between Andy who wrote the excellent CS Dinkie book and Steve) and I am learning lots about the early days of the pen industry. Andy has come up with some really interesting stuff – do you know what the R.A.B. stands for on some Whytwarths or N.I.B, on a Macaully Sosimple stands for? You will soon!
It’s like reading early editions of the WES journal when you always learned something about the history of pens. To me the history is part of the attraction of collecting old pens – its part of the joy of the hunt when you get a new acquisition home and trying to place when it was made, was it a premium model, maybe even original price. This book will help with this without having to resort to the lottery that is the interweb.
Simon
Good to hear from you, Simon. I am so looking forward to this latest pen book. They have done great work.