The high end Japanese pencils that interest me have quickly become a no-go zone… With the Germans at least I have some luck sometimes with Brazilian old stock for cheaper older models (POLY, Polo, Micro 775, ) or clueless Japanese sellers (a recent 925 95 auction ended at 62 USD).
Man! They was a good deal for someone.
I just completed getting every model from the 925 line. I have a 55 and 95 on the way as we speak.
Sadly I paid a lot more than that but it was a pristine NOS model.
The Accugraph series. I just love the pencil, the PG2003 is my favorite amongst all of my pencils.
Mitsubishi Hi-Uni 2050: I just love the design and grip of the pencil. I love just as much the PG2003, but since it is rarer and more expensive, it’s used less.
Need:
Mitsubishi Hi-Uni 3051FF Blue: I really want it in blue, but never saw a NOS example for auction since I started collecting.
Alpha-matic red or purple: I want it in one of these two colors.
TK-matic L: There is one being sold in mercari, but it’s rusted.
There is also Pentel’s Mechanica and QX, and Micromatic 777, however it’s hard to buy from Brazil (you have to sell a kidney), so I’ve been saving money for the ones that captivate me the most.
I recommend trying to buy it from someone directly rather than via eBay and proxies even if it’s harder then you can get the person to write it off as a gift or undervalue the pencil in the declaration…
For any STAEDTLER pencil I recommend looking for damaged pieces (missing a tip, bent tip…) if you want a quick discount. STAEDTLER will send you a spare part free of charge if you email them on staedtler.de be aware that they may not have spares for the rarer models such as 777 75 or Retromatic… But for stuff like the 925 series, Micrograph, Microfix, it’s a given.
By the way, when reading this post I remembered that I hadn’t tried to find another TM-5 for sale for several days, I went to eBay and what do you think? There was one! hehe (I bought it )
Like Stuart, I also crave pencils from the La Nave series by TOMBOW. The v472 Titan was known to me many years ago, but I wasn’t grabbed by it. I thought it interesting. The rear 3-hole circular collar looked like it mated to a stand of some kind where the pen (or pencil) would hang, like a desk pen. It looked heavy, so I figured it wouldn’t be that comfortable to use. More like a conversation piece. So I passed on it. I have vague recollections of possible purchase for considerably less than the going rate. I’d love to get an Espana or Mano. Still bugs me how I’d seen them around and just wasn’t “on fire” to shell out the extra $$ to buy, and now it’s like $$$$.
Things I’d like to have but haven’t crossed the threshold of the asking price:
Hi-uni5-5050, with the cap if not the box
Pentel MEC 0.3 1st gen with the works ← it’s the only way to be sure it’s not just a grip swap
Tombow HOMO lead holder 2mm ← their first mechanical pencil from 1957
Pilot H-515 Shaker in grey, unobtainium from 1980s childhood
rOtring 900 body knock in shiny chrome ← kept putting it off for the 700
Pilot’s Holder double-knock series are mostly off my radar – beautiful but fragile. Not sure I want to splurge on a Protecs, which is kind of similar mechanically to the Grandee Priere.
I have been fortunate enough to obtain a lot of my most desirable items:
Faber-Castell alpha-matic (Bronce, Bordeaux, Anthrazit, and Marine)
Faber-Castell TK-matic (all variants - 9725, 9725L and 9725S)
Porsche Design Classic (both TK-matic and alpha-matic tip variants in Titanium and Black)
Pentel PD505 metal Quicker Clicker
I still NEED these:
Pilot Automatic in both 0.3 and 0.5
Faber-Castell alpha-matic Executive in both titanium/gold and chrome/gold variants (I’m not sold on the Exclusive name)
Staedtler 925 25 Silver Meister limited edition
Porsche Design Classic in sterling silver
Pilot H-5005 (seems a little out of reach though - a lot of $$ for anything really. My kids are too old now so nobody would want them, but maybe I can trade a kidney or something?)
Exactly that. The MEC is easy to pull apart. There are many posts out there showing the differences of the internal slide-slot piece, but the grip itself can be transplanted. With the age of the original, there are many sun-damaged examples with discolored shafts, red lead degree windows that have turned pastel pink, etc. Doesn’t take much to locate a fresh (or even beat up) ‘late’ example and stick a first run grip on it for a quick sale at a hefty markup.
Thing is – even these franken-pencils become attractive when you consider the $500+++ territory for a full set of the original.
I have both the Protecs and the Priere. The Priere is inferior. There’s more plastic in the mechanism and it has an awkwardly tight angle for deployment/retraction. The Protecs feels like a very solid step above. It’s gorgeous.
)