More and more people get involved in collecting Mont Blanc fountain pens, but rather than keeping them untouched and hidden from guests as with other antique assets, they actually want to write letters with them.

The current world record price for a fountain pen is the $350,000 paid at Bonhams in London (UK) in 2000 for Dunhill-Namiki “No 50 Giant”, which is 10 inches long and decorated with hand-lacquered dragons. The pen was made in 1920′s, less than a century ago, but its price is sure to go up with time passing by. Who knows, perhaps the current owner of the pen will sell its treasure in 2010 for $400,000 or even half a million dollars, or exchange it for a new Ferrari.

However, most of today’s fountain pen collectors are buying writing instruments for everyday use. Some enjoy writing letters to friends and relatives instead of typing plain emails which look boring. Others write poems, and who would argue that hand-written poetry looks “live” as opposed to printed pages? Collectors aim to own at least several classic design fountain pens rather than collecting hundreds of items. Thoughtful pen collectors devote their time and passion to one or two specific brands, and never buy “just about any fountain pen that they can get their hands on”. As an example, a standard Mont Blanc Meisterstuck fountain pen, normally costing up to $600 for a new piece, can be bought by a professional collector for around $200 from an auctioneer. It’s worth noting that often Mont Blanc pens owners who sell their university gifts or their parents heritage don’t know the real value of the items they put on sale.

So what’s happened to the pen market to see such an increase in collectors’ activity? In short, eBay online auction. This has created a worldwide marketplace for the pens of all kinds, brands and prices, where a buyer from the United Kingdom can purchase a Mont Blanc pen from a dealer in the Australia with a click of a mouse.

More collectors also mean higher prices. Take a look at Mont Blanc Hemingway, issued as a limited edition of 20,000 pieces in 1992 as part of its annual Writers series. The US retail price was around $700, but that achieved $1,800 by 1998. More than double increase! Today they usually change hands for over several grands. However, it is also worth noting that some LE’s of more than 2,000, including some of the later Mont Blanc Writer’s Edition pieces, sell for around half of their retail price on eBay.

Ebay has had an extraordinary effect on the collectors’ market, making items that were previously difficult to find far more available. However, there are still pitfalls for the unprepared buyer, with badly photographed or poorly described items purchased and then arriving below the expected condition. Fake Mont Blanc pens on ebay have become a real nightmare, but luckily thanks to PayPal policies it’s possible to get refund in full in case a fraud occurs.