Sort of a Fountain Pen Question.But Then Again Not

Due to a rather dysfunctional upbringing I did not see my father from age 10 until 35. We then saw each other regularly until I moved halfway across country. He passed away 18 years ago. I was given a few things that were his, including a Parker 75 fountain- and ball-point pen set.

Turns out the Parker 75 set were my uncle's who I never knew at all. My dad was a blue-collar worker who had no use for fancy pens. He got them as part of my uncle's estate when he died. Therefore there is no real link, I guess, to my father.

So do I sell the set and buy something I want or keep them as a remembrance of both he and my uncle? I'm usually real strong on keeping gifts, but I find myself ambivalent about this set. It doesn't seem like a heirloom and it wasn't a gift. Part of me says "sell" and part of me says "you'll regret it." So I'm putting it out there and looking for some feedback to help me think it through. Obviously this is not life changing, but it's one of those things I am just not sure what to do.

Thanks for listening...er...reading.

If you have no strong emotional feelings for either, I'd likely sell, gift it to someone in the family who was close to your Uncle, or hang onto it for a year and revisit the topic then.

The Parker 75 is a high-quality pen and generally quite collectible, but if you have no interest in using it, it's probably best to sell it. Do you happen to have a photo of the pen set? There were several versions, some more valuable than others.

I would keep the set. You may regret selling the pens later, and there is no way to "unsell" the set.

eperdu said:

If you have no strong emotional feelings for either, I'd likely sell, gift it to someone in the family who was close to your Uncle, or hang onto it for a year and revisit the topic then.

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Great idea

I feel that if there is a chance that you would regret selling them then I would definitely hang on to them. At least until you are sure. I would much rather find them in a drawer a few years from now than sell them and regret it.

Since you are unsure, hang on to it, you never know. If there is another family member who might be interested in them, then gift it to them. Try writing with them, they may grow on you!

Keep it. It is not worth a huge amount of money, and you might change your mind about the family connection later. You can't replace that stuff.

Legion said:

Keep it. It is not worth a huge amount of money, and you might change your mind about the family connection later. You can't replace that stuff.

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Agree entirely.

nortac said:

Since you are unsure, hang on to it, you never know. If there is another family member who might be interested in them, then gift it to them. Try writing with them, they may grow on you!

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I like the suggestion to just start using them and see if you like them for what they are and not as an heirloom. Maybe you are already doing this. After using them for a while your choice might be more clear. Good luck. I don't want to read too much into your post, but after the long absence it sounds like you were able to reconnect with your dad. I hope that gave you some good memories.

I would keep it personally.

I have from my maternal grandfather: a circa 1908 Model 1894 Waltham pocket watch, a writing desk, a set of books he owned from Lasalle Extension University dated 1923. He died when I was 13 months old (April 15, 1959) so I can truthfully say, I never knew him. But the weird thing is, I have a connection with him outside of the "things" I own that were his I do not understand and don't think I ever will in this lifetime. My grandma died in October 1994, I got the books after her passing.

From my paternal grandfather: a Hamilton Thin-o-matic. We were golf buddies, and played a lot of gold together. He passed in the mid 1980's. My relationship with him is very different than my other grandpa. I was in my 20's and married when he died.

YOu never know how that relationship will develop.

Wow! I'm really surprised at the number who said keep it. Keep it I will.

I did use it for a short time and don't know if I'll use it much as it has a medium nib . Would need to get a fine nib for me to use it with regularity. Besides I don't have many places where I can show off a nice pen set.

At some point I may just whittle down to my two nice FP's for use at home with a Pilot Metro for EDC.

Thanks.

Glad to hear you're keeping and using it. You could always have the nib ground to a stub or fine nib. John Mottishaw (nibs.com), Mike Masuyama (mikeitwork.com), Letta (pendemonium.com), and Greg Minuskin (gregminuskin.com) apparently all do great work. I'm sure there are several others out there, as well.

-Andy

you can't usually unsell it, so hang onto it until you know what to do for sure