Fountain pens became hot collectors’ items 35 years ago and I was ready! In the 1990s, Tampa Bay was full of folks finding “Gramma’s” circa 1920s/1940s pens—and I amassed a nice collection from local auctions and private buyers. I paid up to $5,000 for exotic or unusual pieces, but most were in the $100–$500 range.
About that time, a scrappy antique “picker” called me. He’d bought a sterling-silver Waterman at an Orlando country auction—a box lot of pens for $800. Not all run-of-the-mill $50 to $100 silver Watermans. One had three intertwined snakes, with emerald eyes—a true chimera among Waterman overlays. He said he was offered $10,000 from a famous NYC pen dealer. I said, “Sell it to me. I’ll pay you $11,000, no shipping, no NYC dealer negotiations.”
Immediately after I bought it, the same NYC dealer countered with a stern $30,000 offer. Proudly, I countered: “$40,000.” His reply? “If you don’t sell it to me, I’ll ruin the pen.” And ruin it he reportedly did—gnashing his teeth at every pen show, cursing it, disrespecting it. Even the rare, one-of-a-kind pen felt the hate. Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal wrote an article detailing how I bought what they called the King of pens.
In 1998 I cut my losses, selling it at Bonhams in London for £17,000 ($30,000 at the time). Not terrible, but lesson learned: a bird in the hand beats one in a toxic dealer’s menagerie.
The kicker: 25 years later, this pen resurfaced in America and sold for $37,500—a reminder that my instincts weren’t half-bad.
Today? Yes, fountain pens still bring money and we buy them. From vintage to modern limited editions—most hover modestly unless they’re rare, silver, gold or a limited edition.
Whirling-log pens—good luck symbols resembling swastikas (pre-war): $3K to $15K—Most of these were destroyed during WWII.
Waterman rubber and fancy pens wanted.
Modern luxury brands—Cartier, Tiffany, Montblanc—can bring strong prices, especially vintage/limited editions. We buy collections.
