Beat the rush and buy Christmas presents for friends and family in style! The smart way to avoid the crowds and pick up great value is to attend an auction. Youll be amazed at what you can find and youll be amazed at the sheer variety.

The best way is to take out a one month subscription to various auction search services which have the widest coverage of forthcoming auction lots anywhere on the web. However, if you want to take a short cut, stay tuned to this blog for a few tips! We will be pointing you in the right direction twice a week over the next six weeks with some terrific ideas, thus enhancing your reputation as a savvy and imaginative gift buyer!

In an online world, people often forget the simple pleasure of writing in longhand! It is even more pleasurable to respond to the numerous gifts and invitations received over the Christmas period with an antique pen. There are some wonderful old pens available at auction, frequently modestly priced, and they combine the fact that they look good, feel good and write good!

Some are truly collectors items and their distinctiveness or rarity may be reflected in their prices. Their desirability may, however, be determined by either your budget or the degree to which you care for the recipient! The broadest coverage of all comes from eBay though there is an array of other options as this glimpse into an online 'auction search' database indicates.

Items for sale this week include:

A pair of late 19th /early 20th century jewellers scales with brass pens and weights in a mahogany box (Peter Cheney - Littlehampton, West Sussex)

A 19th century Anglo Indian carved ebony document box with an intricately fitted interior for documents, inkwells and pens with a tray raised on bracket feet (Northeast Auctions - Portsmouth, New Hampshire)

A small assortment of dip pens including mother of pearl and carved ivory examples (Fieldings - Stourbridge, West Midlands)

Two vintage Waterman fountain pens (Reeman Dansie - Colchester, Essex)

There is no estimate for the first two lots while the latter two should be relatively inexpensive at around 25 - 30 each. If you want to browse the web more thoroughly, we recommend scanning sites that focus on bricks and mortar salerooms.

Happy hunting!