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Fountain Pens, Collectors, Money

Now Here's A Surprise (At Least To Me)

By Jim Whelan, The Joan Randall Agency

Friday, August 10, 2007

I was perusing the Washington Post this morning,and I came across an ad that stunned me. It read:

I thought fountain pens disappeared with 8 track playersand short basketball trunks. I haven't used a fountainpen in 45 years, and I can't remember seeing one forat least 20.

200 dealers?

The lesson here is that there are many profitable nichesthat we know little or nothing about. I couldn't even considerusing a fountain pen, because I'm a slobbovian. (Thatz ahighly evolved slob.) But just because you can't dosomething or use something doesn't mean that there isno demand for it.

2000 Collectors?

This is something that goes on with a wagonload of people,although again, I'm not part of the crowd. But collecting isHUGE! I have a friend who collects cookie jars. A man whocollects cookie jars? A big burly guy who collects cookiejars? You think he may be tilting toward metrosexual?

The answer is no.

Biggie, (what else do you call a big burly guy?), has over150 cookie jars at the moment. 110 of them are in what hecalls his permanent collection, meaning he won't sell anyof those. The other 40 can be sold, traded, or packaged ina deal. 5 of his cookie jars are worth over 5 Large, and theentire collection is worth over 200 Large. He has spentabout 50 Large on acquiring the collection. I actually triedto buy one of his pieces, but he wouldn't sell it.

Biggie is going to make some acquisitions later this yearthat may double the value of his holdings. He has told meprivately that his goal is to push the collection to a milliondollars in value. That ain't too bad for a hobby that startedwith a $125 dollar investment.

I knew a little about collecting because of my friend Biggie,but I never even thought about collecting fountain pens,because I didn't think anybody would want something thatruins your good shirts, and gets ink all over your hands.The girls in the office are laughing about this now, becausethey know how clumsy I am, and they are imagining metrying to use a fountain pen.

Usually, I can't even find my pen when I need to use it.

But think about it. There is a big enough market in fountainpens to bring 200 dealers and 2000 collectors to an eventin Washington DC annually. That doesn't even count peoplewho come to the show. And the only reason they come isto buy things they like.

Thatz a lot of people making money in a field I never eventhought of until I saw the ad.