Selling pens on ebay

I've seen fountain pens sell on ebay for less than £10, then reappear a week later and sell for £50 – the price difference simply down to a better description and better photos. This is common to a lot of stuff sold on there. However, with a little effort, you can gain the true price for your pen. Small things that haven't taken much effort could add £10 to the price. Even as simple as reading the pen name inscribed on the side of the pen and putting it in the listing can help add £££s.

Parker Vacumatic Debutante

Preparing to sell your pen
First, spend a little time researching the pen. Small facts can make a lot of difference. Start by trying to identify what kind of pen you have. That way, you'll be half-way there to finding out how much its worth and how much time it is worth investing to sell it.

Popular pens that sell well include most pre-1970 Parker pens, in particular:

• 51 – One of the most collected pens. The most sought after have gold filled caps.
• 61 – Similar to the 51, with a gold arrow inlaid into the pen close to the nib. Becoming more collectable of late.
• Post-war Duofolds – The larger the better, Senior and Maxima fetch good prices.
• Vacumatic – A quite beautiful pen made from laminated hoops of different colours.

Identifying your pen
The first and most obvious method is to check the pen itself. Most clips contain the manufacturer's name, and it is quite common for the pen model to be marked on the barrell. Also, compare your pen to pictures on the web and on ebay.

Listing and describing pens

The title
There's a lot of pens on ebay, so many collectors search for specific terms, such as 'Parker 51', 'Duofold' or 'fountain pen'. It is also what will draw attention to your item in the listings.

Think about the main features of the pen. Include the maufacturer and the name of the pen. Is it boxed? Is it a set, that is, does it come with a matching ballpoint pen or pencil? What colour is it? Are any parts gold-plated ('gold-filled')? Plus, don't forget to include the text 'fountain pen'! Personally, I prefer to keep titles simple and include the best description of the item possible.

Some examples:

Parker 51 fountain pen, black with rolled gold cap
Parker Duofold, boxed fountain pen and pencil set

The description
Break the description into little chunks each with their own sub-title. This makes it easier for the potential buyer to see the important information, rather than getting bored wading through great long paragraphs of text. It will also help you make sure you include all the information. Suitable sub-titles and information to include:

Summary

• Repeat the manufacturer name and pen model
• Include all of the text that is inscribed on the pen – including any numbers.
• Country manufactured (if known).
• Capped size (meaure the length of the pen with the cap in the stored position covering the nib)
• Filling method (if know)
• Condition
• Check for cracks, chips and scratches. Is there just minor wear, or something more serious? But don't always dismiss a pen if it looks used. Whilst pens in good condition are more valuable, if the pen is rare or collectable even those with scratches will sell well.
• The nib
• What markings are on the nib?
• The cap
• Describe any features of the cap, such as a 'jewel' in the end.
• Check carefully, by holding the pen close to a light, to see if there are any hair line cracks in the lip of the cap.
• What metal does the clip look like?
• If the fittings look gold, has it rubbed off anywhere ('brassing')?

Writing sample
If you have some ink, dip the nib only, write a sentence or two and photograph it. If you don't have any ink, try soaking the end in water. If a pen has been stored a while, there can be dried ink that will allow you to write. Some types of nib can add a substantial amount to the price, and buyers will be able to detect this through the writing sample.

Images
Good images can really help add value to your listing. If possible, try and include a shot of the pen with the cap, one without and a close-up of the nib and include that writing sample too. If it's a broad nib or writes in an italic style this too can add £££s.

And, finally...

Two things: 1) Be honest with your listing. If you are simply guessing at information, say so; and 2) don't try repair the pen if you don't know what you're doing. If you do want to clean it, use water on the nib with a soft cloth to remove dried ink, a duster with some furniture polish on the barrel and cap, and a soft jewellery cloth only on the metal trim.

Now sit back and enjoy the auction.

Vintage fountain pen prices on ebay

This article was first published in the Summer of 2006....so the prices reflect that time. But I've not seen any dramatic changes since then.

The price of vintage, English Parker Duofolds – May 2006




For a little bit of fun, I've been analysing the sales of vintage pens on ebay. All of the completed sales are analysed and databased according to pen type and what I think the overall condition of the pen is. I only include the sales of sinngle pens, and don't include sets in my database.

Note, these prices are a guide only and you shouldn't put too much faith in them....


Grading
The grading applied varies by pen. Some are easier to grade than others. For example, the condition of a "51" is easier to establish due to having a metal cap which shows how well the pen has been cared for, compared to say a Parker Duofold.

The grade might not be how the actual pen is in reality, but this is how the pen looked in the photographs and the descriptions (not that I've been led by sales hype quotes of 'Near mint, excellent etc'). I feel this is how the purchaser will assess the pen, so is a reasonable way of grading for these purposes.

Duofold gradings
Its a bit harder to tell the condition of a Parker Duofold for sale just from photographs. So, for these prices I've used just three grade levels:

Poor – Damaged, chipped, burnt or heavily scratched examples.
Good – Reasonable examples falling into the ok to good level.
Excellent – Clean and bright, excellent and mint examples.

Average prices of Duofold Aerometric by size

• Junior: Poor £8 Good £14 Excellent £15
  
• Demi: Poor £13 Good £20 Excellent £40
  
• Standard: Poor £12 Good £20 Excellent £60
  
• Senior: Poor ** Good £28 Excellent £80
  
• Maxima: Poor £17 Good £56 Excellent £69
  
  * This table shows average prices only
  ** Not enough sales to get an average price
  

Average prices of Duofold by filler type
(Standard size Duofolds only)

• NS (Marble): Poor £43 Good £49 Excellent £97
  
• NS (New style): Poor £22 Good £27 Excellent £88
  
• AF (Aluminium): Poor £23 Good £27 Excellent £52
  
• Aerometric: Poor £12 Good £20 Excellent £60
  

The New Style Duofold is the earliest version of the English manufactured Duofolds. It has a blind cap with a tassie and a brass 'button' filling mechanism.

NS (Marble) represents the marble coloured varieties of the New Style Duofold. These are extremely collectable, and are quite rare. Consequently, even examples without a nib can fetch good prices - as long as the body and cap are in good condition.

A static, static site

A couple of years back, I created website on vintage fountain pens. A peculiar passion of mine, not the website but the pens. I was very keen in the first place, like many people who start out on such a journey. I had visions of creating a small but worthwhile resource. Looking at many of the topics not covered by other fountain pen websites, such as pricing, repairs, simple dating techniques, identification. I wanted it to appeal to those new to the hobby, and those who just had a passing interest. Those who may have inherited pens and wanted to know more – to create a connection with those they had inherited from, or simply to know whether said pen was worth putting on ebay. I was particularly interested in saving inherited pens from ending up in the trash, so that at least they could end-up with use collectors and users. But despite the optimistic start, the pressures of work and wanting a life away from work meant I did not have the time to add to the content of the site. I did well up until about the middle of 2006. Then my little site became a static place of static information. I didn't want this to be the case, so I've opted to switch it to a more informal repository – a blog. And, I plan to transfer much of what was useful on the old site to here. In fact, a blog is probably more in keeping with my passion. It is something that is constantly with me. I use fountain pens at work, and I sit at a desk where I have the power to constantly find ever more little titbits about my hobby through the internet. There are hundreds of site out there who do a consideraably better job than I, and of course there is the old faithful – www.fountainpennetwork.com. So from now on, its the blog for me.