The current world record price for a Dunhill Namiki pen is a staggering £183,000. This was achieved by a large-sized example of the highest quality, which combined a number of techniques and a highly detailed traditional pattern of a dragon. Examples
with simple landscape scenes upon largely undecorated black backgrounds are generally more affordable, at £600 to £900.
Pens decorated by certain artists, and with traditional motifs, are also very desirable. Gonroku Matsuda is recognised as the master, although the work of fellow artists Seisho and Ritsuzan is also sought after. All pens are signed with the Namiki company name in Japanese symbols, and the personal seal of the artist who decorated it.
Size and shape are also important. Those with flat tops were made during the 1920s, while torpedo-shaped pens date from the 1930s. The former are generally more desirable. The pens were available in a number of sizes; the slender No 2 size are perhaps the most common, while larger pens, such as the No 6, are generally rarer and worth more. The very large and chunky No 50 pens are exceptionally rare, and high-quality examples will continue to occupy the pinnacle of the market.
n Judith Miller's DK Pocket Collectors Guides to Handbags, Perfume Bottles, Sixties Style and Metal Toys are on sale now, £7.99 each.
The full article contains 275 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
