Hi banchan,
First, let me agree with you; these pens are indeed beautiful. Doing
research on them was a pleasure. Each one is more beautiful than the
other and I still can't decide which one I like best!
The pen you obviously like the most is truly exquisite. Apparently it
is a rare one too. I have not seen any other pens like that one on any
of the sites I searched. So I emailed a few dealers and I got an
interesting response from one which I want to share with you:
"We believe the pen was made within the past 15 years. There is likely
a matching fountain pen which should sell in the $400-600 range if you
could find one. The styling is similar to other designs made today by
Sailor in maki-e that may be found on our website.
The large variance in pricing maki-e pens is created by the rarity of
the item; its age; the detail and amount of hand workmanship that went
into its creation; the particular artist; and the size of the pen and
the nature of the design. Certain antique maki-e fountain pens (ie.
1920's and 30's) by Dunhill have sold for over $100,000 and as little
as $600. The modern pens are sometimes high priced as they may be made
in a very limited quantity-eg. less than 50."
This response is from -Fountain Pen Hospital-
http://www.fountainpenhospital.com/Index.html
At these two sites, there are details which come closest to the
history of the Sailor pen:
"What began as a gift of friendship has become a gift to fountain pen
lovers everywhere. Sailor pens has been making fine pens since 1911,
tracing its corporate beginnings and very name to a gift of a fountain
pen from a British sailor to a Japanese friend. Today, Sailor makes
some of the finest pens in the world with a fanatical devotion to the
quality of it's nibs, all of which are hallmarked 1911 in honor of the
company's year of founding..."
Source:- Penspiration -
http://www.penspiration.com/Sailor.html
'Timeless Quality Through Ceaseless Innovation'
"Great enterprises often have humble beginnings. Sailor Pen, the first
and foremost writing instrument manufacturer in Japan, is a case in
point. In 1911, a British sailor presented Kyugoro Sakata with the
gift of a fountain pen, then unknown in Japan. Sakata was so taken
with his pen that he decided to found a company that would craft
writing instruments even more amazing than his gift. He called his
company Sailor, in honor of his British friend. He dreamed of making
writing an enjoyable voyage of discovery for people everywhere, and of
spreading Sailor's name around the world."
Source: - Sailor Corporation of America -
http://www.sailorpen.com/home.htm
This link is to a book you may be interested in reading. It's a
guidebook to maki-e pens first published in Japanese two years ago and
now available in English.
Dunhill-Namiki and Lacquer Pens
Maki-e Pens Guidebook
By Tomihiro Murakami
- Pentrace -
http://www.pentrace.com/
http://www.penlovers.com/stylophiles/oct02/10makibk.htm
Here are some more sites you may be interested in looking through:
- Penstop Online -
http://www.penstoponline.com/html/pens_sailor_maki.html
- Pen-site -
http://www.pen-site.com/
- Penlovers.com -
http://www.penlovers.com/
- Pen World International -
http://www.penworld.com/index.html
- Pen Plus -
http://www.pensplus.org/template.cfm?cat=maki
Following are a few directories for lots of other sites which are
worth having for someone interested in pens.
- Penhero.com -
http://www.penhero.com/PenBookmarks_Full.htm
- MarcusLink.com - 'Glen's Pen Page'
http://www.marcuslink.com/pens/link1.html
- Fountain Pen Links -
http://pw1.netcom.com/~danhle/links.html
When I receive any more replies from the dealers I e-mailed, I will
post them for you.
If you have any questions regarding my answer, please don't hesitate
to ask before rating.
Best regards,
rainbow~ |
