Cracks in the cap material typically arise from falls onto hard surfaces and are only repairable at cost (around 50 to 100 euros). A crookedly seated nib is no serious defect and can be straightened with a lint-free cloth and two fingers without ink flow suffering, provided the nib is not bent in itself. Gold abrasion on rings and clip frequently occurs on older writing instruments, e.g. through tight stowing with other pens. The photos show a feed and clip from about 15 to 20 years ago, so from a time when serial numbers had not yet been incorporated into the clip.