Hi Everyone! My sister found two pens at an estate sale..they are by Otto Hutt. Apparently it is supposed to be one of the best pen makers... anyone ever heard of it? There are two she can get... a fountain pen and a ballpoint... Thanks!
never heard of him... my favorite 'old' pens were by parker and schaeffer... and, believe it or not, my first penmanship classes and post-pencil written classwork in catholic school were done with inkwell and wooden 'nib pen' [a wooden shaft that has a slot at the working end, where you insert a metal 'nib''... i doubt many [if any] kids in school today could turn out papers that way and get them graded in the 90s and up... yes, we got number grades, too! and mrs leonard, the penmanship teacher [only non-nun one] was ever-ready with her ruler, to apply 'encouragement' to the knuckles of anyone who didn't measure up to her 'palmer penmanship' standards... luckily, i was good at it, so always got a little lick-and-glue-on sticker on my papers and a '100' instead of red knuckles... oh, for the 'good old days'!
Haha- what a shame! I love my computer, but I will always write on paper..... had a friend who lost her manuscript that way.... 300 page novel down the drain....
As a collector of new and vintage fountain pens, I can tell you that pens by Hutt are not considered The Best. They generally go for around $50-$100 new depending on model. There are some more expensive limited eds out there but they are not in the megabucks catagory. To give you a comparison Mont Blanc fountain pens are always $500+ new (and don't be tempted by a 'bargain' you see on fleabay, there are fakes littering the ether) Waterman's most expensive model is the Edson at around $700 and I've just seen their 125th anniversary LE going on ebay uk for £1325.00 ($1800?). I have seen a Queen's DIamond Jubilee solid gold fountain pen on sale in London for £15,000! (They wouldn't let me ink it up and try it, meanies!) So, though Hutt is not a $5 Pilot Preppy it isn't really up there with the big boys, not by any stretch of the old noggin. The other thing to be wary of is how it might have been misused. Fountain pens are quite delicate machines and can easily become furred up if not cleaned regularly, heavy handedness can cause nibs to become misaligned and will skip or be scratchy. Some ball pen makers use only specialist refils which either cost quite a bit or are hard to get hold of. My advice? Steer clear unless you know what to look for or are prepared to pay out to have them work.
I too am an avd collector of writing instruments and I can add that it's also going to depend which side of the pond one is on. Some pens are harder to find on one side or the other, and one must also apply the concept of vogue. The reason I mention this is because sellers often confuse rarity with quality as regards their sales pitch. When it comes to vintage items, what goes for a mint today may not fetch even a penny tomorrow, and vice versa. When I first started collecting and refurbishing fountain pens, pretty much any pen would go for around 20-30 USD here in the States. Then there came a vogue in the antiques trade for "mens collectables" which encompassed fountain pens and the prices skyrocketed. The 1930's Parker Vacumatic that I once bought for 25 USD was now fetching upwards of 300 USD, and this in a non-working state. The vogue has since passed, but prices tend to follow slowly because the buyers who bought at a high price need to get back at least what they put into the sale.
nope, and i am going to be honest here, i dont think ill be going anywhere from the Sheaffer fountain pen i have, in fact id be tempted to buy a new one (or three) once ive started my job, and getting different coloured inks for them
