On your Desk Top

by Stan Pfeiffer

While I’m not sure why I began buying old fountain pens and most things related to them in the first place, I do know that my interest was first piqued when I was still a youngster whose mode of transportation was a bicycle. I would leave my local baseball practice and ride to the nearest antique mall in Dallas, Texas. The dealers I encountered were more than willing to sell pens to me, since it seemed to be a matter of, “Who else would buy this stuff?” At times, they would sell them for what funds I had in my pocket. Heck, sometimes they even left me with enough money to buy a Coke as I rode my bike back home. I no longer remember when I saw and purchased my first desk set, but it was certainly during those early years. And by the time I attended my first pen show many years later, I had already accumulated a modest collection.

Should you, too, consider desk sets?
In my opinion, one thing to consider when contemplating desk sets is whether or not they have long-term investment value. My assessment of this is based upon three things: scarcity, age and beauty. Rare is always rare—whether you’re talking about a desk set or a fountain pen—and the older an item, the greater its value should be to a collector. So, too, beauty enhances value. Much like fine art, the value of a desk set may also be based upon how much someone covets it. In a nutshell, if you haven’t already, it might be time to take a look at desk sets within this framework. Some, I believe, offer enjoyment in the present and great potential for the future.
For more years than I can even remember, I went to about one pen show a month. It became obvious very quickly that the people I met there were different from people who attended shows related to any other hobby I enjoyed. Upon reflection, I think I know why. Most had a lot of knowledge about pens, and they could engage in intelligent conversation. And, best of all, they were nice folks. During these years I began to see desk sets for sale, and I saw things that I hadn’t seen in Texas. As my interest in pens and desk sets grew, I began buying magazine subscriptions and read every article I could get my hands on. I even began buying original publications produced by many pen manufacturers. My interest escalated, and I bought a lot of them.