I was lucky in that when I first got serious about vintage pieces, the ‘SG45’ series was plentiful and often below 3000 yen. As with many collectors starting out, ‘one is enough’ as representative of a series. And I picked the very lovely and vibrant blue.
As time went by, I was stunned by the rapidly rising prices. I had been waffling on maybe getting a SG45 in green and now they commanded prices north of 4000 yen. I remember absolutely not wanting a brown, and yet… it was ‘only’ 2800 yen when I spotted one after months. Ok, I’ll take it.
Then came Jimmy’s Pentel Files, AND his own obsession with the related SV/SG and Excalibur designs. It was very fun seeing the similarities and differences between them… and I soon got hold of a SG15, 75 and more. The boxed 84 LA Olympics set was a blast and facilitated through this very site and community.
After about 2 years, I finally spotted a green SV (ex-SG45). It was definitely more expensive now but… it scratched an itch. Now that I’ve filled up this tray, I think I shall move on to other quests… before I follow in Jimmy’s footsteps down the delightful path of obsession!