I posted a few weeks ago about a nearly blind bid I placed on ebay, on a single lot offering bottles and a pen. Spotted it just before it closed, allowing no time for questions. $30 at least did not seem to be a big risk. Here is the original thread (link below) and photo from the auction. The auction had nearly no description of the pen, just "wahl pen"
Wahl Ebay Bid: Sumgai Or Dumbgai
The blind bid worked well. What arrived was a quite decent (not quite full excellent, but not at all bad) high line (Gold Seal) small size Garnet Shell (? original color name) Wahl Doric. I was sumgai no doubt.
This was the first red shell pattern Doric I'd acquired. I've seen many but none ever turned up at price that appealed. I well can understand that those who have these cherish them, and demand for them is good, and one just never hit at the right time and price. Too, while I find Dorics among some of the most beautiful pens in our hobby, I don't actively hunt them, waiting for them to occasionally cross my desk when I simply cannot say, "no". I doubt I've had more than7-8 in my collection over the years.
Here is image of the Ebay sumgai Garnet Shell Doric after slight wipe down, before formal restoration. Clean plastic, and pretty clean trim.
Having taken 13 years to find one of these, I was/am not sure if this would stay in collection or head out.
Of course, even as this arrived, I was reminded that in collectable pendom, when it rains it pours. I'm amazed how many years I had to hunt for first examples of certain pens, only to then find a second or third in short order.
You might guess where this is heading. At the Ohio Pen Show when I purchased a few pens from one seller, he offered a reasonable number on a larger Garnet Doric. Nothing like the ebay bargain, the deal nonetheless worked well.
Here are my two Wahl Dorics in Garnet Shell. The new one is the larger pen in the background. Thirteen years to get the first. Two more weeks to get the next. Weird.
regards
David
