Gold and silver pens and their values
Metal pens and pen overlays are most commonly gold filled. Generally less common and in
higher demand are pens in silver, even though they originally cost less than their gold filled equivalents.
Solid gold pens were the most expensive originally and
are the least common today; most are 14K, but 18K was normal for France and 9K was
distinctively English.
9K gold is in fact one of the most suitable material for a metal pen: it is hard and
wear-resistant, will not brass, and since its gold content is low, so is its cost of
manufacture. Silver filled pens and pencils are not as common as gold filled, and many collectors have wondered
why such a material was used, given the relatively low cost of solid sterling. The reason would seem to be that it was much
harder and resistant to marring than sterling, which easily picks up dings and dents in normal usage.
With most early metal-covered pens, the value of the metal itself contributes
relatively little to the value of the pen. For later pens in solid gold, the strongest
demand is from collector-users; condition, therefore, is of top concern.
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