Interview with Giovanni Abrate, R.I.P.
Fountain Pen Network
Giovanni also wrote his own biography for Pentrace, in his own words: read Giovanni Abrate’s biography.
Giovanni took over the Pentrace site in 2014 from founder Donal Higgins who created it in 2000. Sadly on April 8, 2025, Giovanni passed away. He left his last message on the Pentrace Facebook page - we remember him as a good and honest man.
Giovanni Abrate R.I.P
Posted February 23, 2006 (edited) This interview was conducted several years ago and, until today, never made it outside of my drawer. So here is a New-Old-Stock interview with Giovanni Abrate.
Giovanni Abrate (a.k.a. tryphon) is a long time member of the fountain pen community. He wears the hats of collector and of U.S. distributor of several Italian pen brands, and also carries a large catalog of repair, restoration and maintenance accessories and tools. As diverse and eclectic as we know the fountain pen community to be, I have to admit that Giovanni's profile was quite an interesting surprise.
Giovanni in action during a show.
D.R.: When did you start using fountain pens ?
G.A.: Like many Italians of my generation, I started using fountain pens in school. We used a pencil in first grade, a dip pen in second grade and we finally were allowed to use a fountain pen in third grade. My first pen was probably a cheap LUS Atomica, a cartridge pen that was immensely popular in Italy in the 1950s. It wrote well, looked OK and had the great advantage of costing only 100 Lire, when an Aurora 88 sold for 8,000 Lire. Like many, after going through several different student pens, mainly inexpensive, but workable syringe fillers made in Settimo, I ended up with an Auretta, a very good and durable student cartridge pen made by Aurora.
Does your family have a history of using fountain pen ?
Indeed! My father was a well-known surgeon and he had a passion for pens. A quality fountain pen was always in his pocket; I remember a Parker 51 and a Parker 75, but I do know that he had several good pens.
Would you define yourself as a collector ?
An inveterate collector! I started collecting vintage fountain pens as a teenager, in 1968. Back in the late sixties, fountain pens were almost forgotten. Nobody used them, with the exception of a few lovers of Mont Blanc pens. I went to a shop in Turin, that was owned by the owner of the then-defunct Williamson (of Turin) pen company and I bought two new, old stock celluloid pens. I still have them: one is a Vacumatic Maxima OS lookalike, but unlike the Vac, it is a button filler. The other one was also a Williamson, in Jade green celluloid and looking a bit like an oversize Doric . The shop owner was "culling" his stock; pulling the gold nibs off the pens with a pair of pliers and throwing away the pen bodies. Still, I remember that the pens I bought seemed very expensive. I was 18 and I was hooked on vintage fountain pens!
Are you a daily user of fountain pens ?
Yes. I always have a couple of pens inked and ready to use. Right now I am using a beautiful Sheaffer Legacy and a gorgeous Conklin Word Gauge. The Conklin was made by Visconti, a company I have admired since they began making pens in the 1980s. They were the first to resurrect celluloid as a pen material and I treasure two of their early celluloid pens. I also always carry a FILCAO Columbia and a Columbus Yamazaki.
What is your favorite pen ?
There are many pens that I really love, so it is a difficult choice. However, if I had to pick one pen that stands above the rest, it would have to be the classic vintage Aurora 88.
Do you have a preference for vintage or modern pens ? Why ?
I like them both. I love vintage pens, but I am not a keen vintage user (with some exceptions). What I mean is that I enjoy using vintage pens that are in abundant supply, but I do not enjoy using rare or new-old-stock vintage pens. I feel like I have a duty to keep them in their unused state. I do love using modern pens! Some are better than others, and some have a vintage feel to them. I am thinking of the FILCAO "Columbia", one of my favorite pens, which is made by my good friend Franco Grisolia's company and which was designed by another very good friend of mine, that great pen expert Richard Binder. Other modern favorites are the Waterman Opera (a truly great pen!), the Parker Duofold Centennial, the Columbus Progetto (another remake of a vintage pen), the Aurora Optima, the Pelikan 600, Visconti Van Gogh, Nettuno Idra and many more.
When and how did you decide to make a living in the fountain pen business ?
I don't! I make a living working for a very good Defense/Aerospace company. My pen business is strictly a hobby or, more exactly, a passion that takes up much of my free time.
What was your previous activity ?
For many years I made a living as a pilot. I flew many interesting aircraft, but the most fun I had was while flying the Goodyear Blimp all over Europe. I did that for five years. Later, I worked in the UK as a test pilot, then transitioned into radar technology and was involved for several years in the design and marketing of airborne radars. Later yet I worked on two aircraft projects for a West Coast aerospace manufacturer and then transitioned, once again, to a new technological area, Infrared Imaging.
Giovanni at the helm of the Goodyear Blimp
Inside the Airship
How would you describe/present your business ?I think my previous reply provides the answer. I shall add that I try to offer to the pen community some pens that would otherwise have remained nearly unknown and that I only market pens that I enjoy using myself. I have refused to bring pens into North America because I did not think that their design was free from flaws.
What is your strangest request from a customer ? The funniest one ? The most challenging one ?
All my pen customers seem to know what they want: so I cannot offer much in the way of funny or unusual requests. We do have, of course, quite a few scams, usually in the form of purchase orders for great quantities of pens from bogus outfits, usually located in obscure countries...
From your own experience, what makes the FP business special ?
The people! The love of fountain pens which links all of us must occur in people who also value such characteristics as decency, generosity, good humor and camaraderie!
How would you describe your average customer ? How many of your customers are regular ?
I am very glad to report that many of my customers are repeat customers. I like to think that I provide a personal, caring service and I always welcome questions, either by email or in person at pen shows. I love to talk about pens and try to keep a very even keel when I compare pens, including the ones that I distribute.
You are the US distributor of Filcao and other Italian pen makers. I am sure there are other Italian brands unknown in the US that would be worth distributing. How do you choose which brands to distribute ? I am always on the lookout for interesting brands. I try to choose manufacturers that offer quality (the pens HAVE to be excellent writers!), good design and also something unusual. See for example the micro and mini pens made by FILCAO, the Ink-O-Sphere pens made by Borghini, the stunning materials used by Bruno, the classic lines and the superb finish of the pens of Columbus. I am very pleased by the influence that we in America are having on some of the European pen makers: the "Columbia" with its vintage-like design is now spurring a series of new pens of similar design. Columbus is designing a new pen with very classic looks. I think that part of the renaissance of classic fountain pen designs is generated by the American buying public.
You also distribute classical music (in the wide sense of the term) recording. Is this another of your passion ? What similarities if any do you identify between both activities ? Classical music (especially opera) is another great passion of mine. My mother was an accomplished violinist, who worked with, among others, Pietro Mascagni. My maternal grandfather was an orchestra conductor and a relative of Giacomo Puccini's. You could say that opera has bee a part of my life, perhaps that it's even part of my genetic background. Since I am not a musician, I decide, a few years ago, after the loss of my mother, to produce an opera recording, by restoring a little known work by Franco Alfano, a disciple of Puccini's and a very accomplished composer in his own right. I later distributed some classical CDs produced by the organization that runs Carnegie Hall. It was a hobby and that activity is now almost dormant, although I keep it alive through my website.
Do you have any tip or advice for the FP collector/buyer ?
I would say: start with an inexpensive, but well made pen. Don't go for the expensive eye candy until you have learned about pens and their peculiarities. Even a simple Pelikano or a Lamy Safari can be superb pens, capable of providing years of good service. Use one for three months before you plunge for the expensive pen that caught your eye. I will throw in a plug for a great inexpensive pen manufacturer; Borghini, based in Turin and making very smooth and inexpensive fountain pens that stand comparison with pens costing twice as much!
All pictures courtesy of Giovanni Abrate.
Tryphon Enterprises can be found online at http://www.tryphon.it
