| Our Condition Scale |
Copyright © 1997-2007 Battersea Pen Home (Simon Gray and Sean Lovell) and may not be reproduced without our permission which will usually be given providing our copyright is acknowledged |
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| Is it in working order? All vintage pens go through our workshop prior to dispatch and their filling systems are fully serviced. We therefore expect them to work and each carries our normal 12 month service warranty | ||
| Why is condition important? A pen's condition largely determines its attractiveness to collectors and its price. Condition is very important. We have developed this grading scale over the last 12 years to provide a rational and objective guide to a pen's condition | ||
| The description of each pen for sale contains a condition grade (for example B/1m or A2/1b). This describes both the pen and the nib | ||
| Pen Grade | ||
| A1 - Mint (uninked) | Shows no signs of use - possibly new old stock - mainly modern limited editions | |
| A2 - Unused (Inked) | Shows no sign of use other than having been dipped or filled with ink - this is usually the top condition grade possible for vintage pens as we test the filling system and the nib as part of the service | |
| B - Excellent | All parts
original and showing only very slight signs of use: slight surface
scratching; very minor discoloration or brassing; crisp imprints; no significant
dings. Most of our vintage pens fall into this category as being excellent, collectible examples which are also suitable for everyday use |
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| C - Fine | All parts
original: some discoloration and brassing; light or worn imprints;
small dings to metal or scratching on plastic. Unless very rare, we would
not normally advertise a pen in this grade. A combination of discoloration and brassing, possibly a worn imprint or maybe other degradation of the material means that pens in this condition are seldom desirable |
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| D - Fair | Some parts possibly not original; significant brassing/discoloration; very worn imprints; dings and scratches. Maybe a good writing pen or probably one to consign to the part bins! | |
| We guarantee that any pen we sell has no cracking or
hairlines - whether repaired or not - unless we have described this in the pen's
description. Many pens (eg a Parker Duofold in mandarin yellow) might be excellent everyday writing pens even with a hairline crack - but we would describe this in the pen's description and price it accordingly. |
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