Stationery matters

Twelvefret

Twelvefret

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These are the found pre 1955 Esterbrook fountain pens that I have restored since around 2018. From left to right, early 1930's Dollar Pen, SJ, J, Deluxe, "demi J", black J and J mechanical pencil. I to have a Parker 21 and two 51's from 1942, several Autopoint mechanical pencils, and some odds and ends including a couple Lamy FP's. I use Waterman inks because they are easy on antique pen materials. My favorite lead pencil is the Mitsubishi 9850. My favorite non fountain pen is the Precise V5RT or V7RT made by Pilot. It is nice to have a good writing instrument. I do journal.


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bartje-p

bartje-p

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Recently converted back to fountain pens. While I have some others, the ones I use are recent ones. All Lamy. 2 Vista and a Safari, nibs F and M. With a converter. Love these! While there are many more beautiful ones, these are perfect for my sparse writing / taking notes.
 
MntnMan62

MntnMan62

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Seeing all the comments on pens, I have to relate a short story. (Me? Short stories?) I was gifted a Mont Blanc Starwalker Rubber Rollerball pen many years ago by a business colleague. I loved that pen. It was hefty in weight, beefy in thickness and just felt amazing in my hand. And it wrote even better. Then about 6 months ago to a year ago (can't really remember), I couldn't seem to find it. I looked everywhere. Nothing. I began to suspect that maybe one of the house cleaning crew took it. I had fired them a long time ago but I had a habit of leaving it out. But in the back of my mind I wondered if they could have taken it because I actually doubt they would know what it is. After searching for it and deciding it was long gone, I went online to see if I could find one priced fairly. Saw one for $65, offered $55, which was accepted. I immediately questioned my sanity since these pens typically sell for $400 to $600. I'm waiting for it to arrive but suspect it's fake. That same day I ordered that pen, I decided to take a last stab and check my suits in my closet again. I had checked them more than once. The second suit I checked, put my hand in the left hand inside pocket and voila! My beloved Mont Blanc. And of course it was too late to cancel the order on the pen as it had shipped already. Oh well. But it's confirmation that I am a weird individual. Missing that pen had made me feel, sort of, incomplete. All of a sudden I felt complete again after having found it. I also learned not to accuse people (I never spoke with the cleaning people) without having all the facts. I already knew that but this was confirmation of that basic principle.

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MntnMan62

MntnMan62

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A little update. I received the Mont Blanc Starwalker Rubber pen that I got for a really low price to replace the one I thought I had lost and have since found. Side by side there are some significant differences. Googling how to identify fake Mont Blanc pens one way they say is the serial number underneath the clip. Sure enough, there is no serial number under the clip. Also, the cross hatch lines are thinner than the real one. The mechanics are also different. The fake one does not click into place like the real one when opening the pen for writing. Also, the way the internal components are assembled, it is different and the spring mechanism does not appear as robust as the real one.

What will I do? I suppose I could attempt to return it and get my money back. I'm sure the Seller would fight it and I'd probably have to involve eBay's police to get a refund. I'm thinking I'll just keep it, and use it as a very nice everyday pen and keep the real one for when I'm conducting real business. Ironically, the Seller did load it with a what appears to be a real Mont Blanc cartridge. It writes very nicely but the differences are real and noticeable. Hey, I had an idea it was fake before I even clicked on the Buy It Now button. We live and learn.
 
MntnMan62

MntnMan62

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MntnMan62 said:
A little update. I received the Mont Blanc Starwalker Rubber pen that I got for a really low price to replace the one I thought I had lost and have since found. Side by side there are some significant differences. Googling how to identify fake Mont Blanc pens one way they say is the serial number underneath the clip. Sure enough, there is no serial number under the clip. Also, the cross hatch lines are thinner than the real one. The mechanics are also different. The fake one does not click into place like the real one when opening the pen for writing. Also, the way the internal components are assembled, it is different and the spring mechanism does not appear as robust as the real one.

What will I do? I suppose I could attempt to return it and get my money back. I'm sure the Seller would fight it and I'd probably have to involve eBay's police to get a refund. I'm thinking I'll just keep it, and use it as a very nice everyday pen and keep the real one for when I'm conducting real business. Ironically, the Seller did load it with a what appears to be a real Mont Blanc cartridge. It writes very nicely but the differences are real and noticeable. Hey, I had an idea it was fake before I even clicked on the Buy It Now button. We live and learn.
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Wasn't going to say any more about this transaction. Went away for a few days of rest and relaxation in the mountains. Came back yesterday and was thinking about the fake pen. Went online to review the seller and what do I find? He's gone. Removed his account. So eBay won't let me review the seller. But the Seller's removal of his account was all the motivation I needed to commence a return through eBay. We'll see what eBay does about a Seller who disappears completely. I'm sure it happens all the time. But it shouldn't happen all the time. So my feeling is this one should be on eBay. Let them reimburse me the cost of the fake pen, which I'll be keeping since there is no one to return it to. eBay needs to properly police it's community and this one will cost them $65. A drop in the bucket for them but refunds are painful no matter the amount. Now I have to wait until 2/7 before demanding action from eBay. I'll be patient. Not a strong suit of mine.
 
Twelvefret

Twelvefret

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MntnMan62 said:
Wasn't going to say any more about this transaction. Went away for a few days of rest and relaxation in the mountains. Came back yesterday and was thinking about the fake pen. Went online to review the seller and what do I find? He's gone. Removed his account. So eBay won't let me review the seller. But the Seller's removal of his account was all the motivation I needed to commence a return through eBay. We'll see what eBay does about a Seller who disappears completely. I'm sure it happens all the time. But it shouldn't happen all the time. So my feeling is this one should be on eBay. Let them reimburse me the cost of the fake pen, which I'll be keeping since there is no one to return it to. eBay needs to properly police it's community and this one will cost them $65. A drop in the bucket for them but refunds are painful no matter the amount. Now I have to wait until 2/7 before demanding action from eBay. I'll be patient. Not a strong suit of mine.
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If you use Pay Pal, you can request a refund that way. They reach out to the seller and if no response, deposit your funds back to you. It might take some verification the pen is a fake to do so.
 
MntnMan62

MntnMan62

Forum GOD!
Twelvefret said:
If you use Pay Pal, you can request a refund that way. They reach out to the seller and if no response, deposit your funds back to you. It might take some verification the pen is a fake to do so.
Click to expand...
I basically told them there is no serial number under the clip, the mechanical operation is not like the real thing. I expect eBay will probably ask more questions. But if they give me a hard time for no particular reason, then it's war.
 
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