The Johann Faber 1481 is not a fountain pen but a plain dip pen holder. It has neither a filling system nor an ink reservoir; it simply takes a replaceable steel nib that is dipped in ink or Indian ink before writing. The Nuremberg firm of Johann Faber turned out holders of this kind in huge numbers for school, office and drawing work well into the twentieth century. The number 1481 is almost certainly a catalogue or model number and points neither to a year of manufacture nor to a limited run.

There is therefore no material value worth mentioning. Holders of this type are still common and usually change hands for a few euros, often as part of a job lot together with a set of steel nibs. The value lies chiefly in sentiment, or in the fact that the thing still works: fitted with suitable nibs, a holder like this can be put straight back into service, which makes it genuinely interesting for calligraphy and drawing. Confusing them with fountain pens by the same maker is common, because the holders are built to a similarly slim shape.