Francis
Vernon
I'm
a newbie when it comes to pen collecting, though I have used fountain pens for
quite some time. Originally, I used fountain pens because my handwriting had been
described as "atrocious", "illegible", and "chicken scratch"
by various teachers. As a result, my mother suggested (if mothers actually suggest
things to their young children) that I use a fountain pen. I started out with
the cheap Sheaffers you find in card shops all over the country and my handwriting
became marginally better. In high school I stumbled upon Fred Eager's book
The Italic Way to Beautiful Handwriting and was convinced that learning italic
would be the best way for me to improve my handwriting. I bought one of those
Parker calligraphy sets and tried to teach myself italic. My handwriting has become
much better, but I can't say that was ever really able to devote much time to
learning italic and, as a result, my handwriting is not nearly as good as it could
be. I'm still interested in the idea of calligraphy even if I haven't the discipline
to practice myself. I have also stocked up on copperplate books and supplies,
though I have to admit that monoline italic might be a more attainable goal for
myself.
I've managed to buy (and lose) a fair number of pens over the years. Most of them
are the cheap ones that I don't even think have names. I started really buying
pens when I purchased two Rotring 600 series fountain pens a couple of years
ago. I love the way they feel which screams "solid German engineering"
(the Rotring website says their pens are "kein Statussymbol, sondern ein
Instrument") as well as the simplicity of the design. I always joke
that they feel like the kind of pens you want to take into a fight with you. I
have since purchased an Aurora Talentum with an italic nib, an Aurora Satin Ipsilon,
a Stipula Saturno with a 0.9 mm stub nib, a Montblanc Hommage a Chopin , Montblanc
Carbon Steel (Le Grand), Montblanc Platinum (Le Grand), and a Montblanc Hematite
(Le Grand). I've gotten stuck on the Montblancs because they are among the nicest
looking pens having none of the kitschy designs that other companies have.
I'm definitely looking to branch out, though, to other brands after I learn a
little more about what is really collectible among pens. All of my pens have extra
fine nibs as I have extremely small handwriting and are filled with my ink of
choice--green.
I use my pens for just about any kind of writing I care about. My choice of green
ink makes it unsuitable for official documents, but I do use it in the office
and it hasn't raised any eyebrows yet. The fact that I use a fountain pen, however,
does strike my coworkers as a little eccentric. Being labeled an eccentric suits
me fine as I'm also a curmudgeon and cynic. Even though I'm pretty much glued
to my DSL these days, letter writing is one of my favorite ways to pass the time.
Nothing feels better to me than getting my thoughts out on paper to the rhythmic
tune of an EF nib on paper. I'm interested in writing creatively eventually and
I intend to do it long hand with my pens. My interests include cycling, photography,
archery, and things I feel I should know more about (natural science, finance,
philosophy). Having majored in Chinese, I also have an active interest in the
language as well as Japanese anime. I occasionally use my pens to write in Chinese,
but I find that it's a lot easier to use a ballpoint or 0.3 mm technical pencil
(much to my chagrin) when writing things like letters in Chinese. Most of my free
time is spent online or drooling over the FPH catalog (I think they're tired of
me leaving my fingerprints all over their display cases, so I stick with the catalog
now) listening to Metallica (perhaps the greatest band known to man) or Chopin.
As a guy, I'm eternally fascinated by the perfection of desirables including Sonys,
Spydercos and supermodels. Fountain pens, though, are chief among these fascinations
because of their beauty and the fact that I can use them to express myself in
ways that no wardrobe or photograph could possibly allow.
Keith
Grubb
Hi, My name is Keith Grubb
and I'm a penaholic. There is not a step
program, patch, rehab center or intervention that can cure my disease. Even in
death,
my last emotion will be excitement about discovering what type of filling system
St.
Peter prefers. (Hopefully, cause I'm thinking everyone has Bics in Hell)
I'm 36-years old and live
in Knoxville, Tennessee. I work in
advertising (so you can trust me) and have almost sold my soul several times over
beautiful celluloid. I believe that cartridge-filled writing instruments should
be called something other than fountain pens and shame on the companies
that portray them as such.
I'm a fan of anything lever,
plunger, button or vac fed that's wrapped
in celluloid or ebonite with SILVER trim because it seems to tell people that
I'm a
pen fan without implying that I may sign the Declaration of
Independence in the next five minutes the way gold does.
That's pretty much it penwise.
I have a beautiful wife and 2-year-old
who are very patient with my addiction. If you have a great pen for
sale, contact me, I can be taken advantage of.
Thanks, for reading, I'm
off to kiss my pens goodnight, and possibly
snort some ink.
Christine
Cull
Retired Probation Officer
56
collecting anything and everything, have had 'big four' for years, now into Pelikans,
awaiting Nakaya pen, and hope to pick up where I left off with Calligraphy years
ago -
Love writing, have no intention of getting into the 'works', want to play around
with many different inks, and even mix some colours.
My other passion is quilting and the history behind it - how women held it together
when the going was terrible.
Musically I listen to Blues, Classical and Opera, anything except really modern
I guess.
I enjoy antiques, love driving and am going to remarry the father of my children
soon!
Hows that?
Chris
Greg
Goode
You
guys are great! In the short time I've been on the Pentrace message board, I've
come to appreciate the information, collegiality and good spirits that abound
here. I'm looking forward to exchanging snail mail, and today at lunch I went
to Crane's for some nice stationery.
Born in California in 1953,
I work in the IT department of a large Manhattan law firm. My schooling was for
something different entirely. I have a M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy and a Bachelor's
in Psychology. My wife is from Shanghai, China. We and her son (by a former marriage)
live happily in an international section of New York City.
I'm new to pen collecting,
though I've lived around great and not-so-great writing instruments all my life.
My parents were both artists, and my father earned his living as a draftsman and
industrial designer. Why has it taken me so long? My handwriting is scrawly, and
I'm left handed. About every 5 years or so, I try using a fountain pen. But up
to now, I've never wanted to take the extra effort to avoid dragging my cuff through
the drying ink. Now, I'm motivated. I love the sensuous lifeline of beautiful
ink on fine paper. I even feel the pull to practice a bit of calligraphy.
My interest in pens is mostly
aesthetic. It ties in with my love of art, film, literature, philosophy, the tactile
world, slower and simpler times, and 20th century nostalgia. And just as I'm interested
in the pens, I'm every bit as interested in the paper and ink.
I grew up in the 50's -
70's in California. I actually *like* those old Lindy pens with their rainbow
shades. My mother carried them in her purse. At home we had stylographs, Koh-i-Noor
ink, lever- fill fountain pens, dipping pens, calligraphic pens, Parker 51's,
Sheaffer's all manner of colored pencils, mechanical pencils, Pantones, Magic
Markers, drafting boards, matt boards, tracing paper and fixative. As kids in
grade school, my friends and I were always in search of the perfect ballpoint
pen that would accompany us always. The cardinal sin for us was a pen that was
too faint or skippy.
More pen memories, all ballpoint
unless specified!....
Early 70's - Nerdy Sheaffers and
Parker T-Ball
Jotters that I didn't like the looks of.
Wore them in my shirt pocket.
Mid-Late 70's - Koh-i-Noor Rapidographs
for
note-taking in college. Lamy pens that I
discovered while in Germany in the Army.
This was shortly after that company launched.
80's in grad school - Any
Bic or PaperMate stick pen
I came across. Also, at University of Rochester,
people were enthusiastic about Cross ballpoints as
status symbols. We gave them to alumni who donated
lots of money to the school. I could never figure
out the attraction as they always fall out of my
hand. And to this day I'm un-interested in Cross.
90's - Rotring steel with
knurling.
Visits to Art Brown's Pen shop.
2000's still in NYC - Gel
pens and black paper, inspired
by my 12-yr-old niece! Mont Blanc. I really like
the heft and balance to MB's. So I picked up the
75th Anniversary Le Grande set of ballpoint and
mechanical pencil.
2002/2003, that very holiday
week: the fountain pen bug bit!
Besides pens, I like watches,
bicycles, knives, boots, film, literature, mysteries (have a library of 7,000),
Asian culture, philosophy, Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta. I teach the latter two
at a local school in New York, and have written about them on the Internet.
Some essays of mine. So
far, NONE of them on pens:
Various
articles on spirituality
No Brakes -- Or, Zen on Wheels
Is Spiritual
Practice Necessary?
Fixed
Gear 101 (How to ride a bike with no brakes)
Mort
Epstein
My name is Mort Epstein. I am 40
and I am the office manager for my family roofing business.I also am owner of
a company that does onsite audio recording and duplicating of conferences and
conventions and workshops. I'm married to Brenda and she is a hairdresser. We
have been together for 18 years, and we live in the suburbs of Atlanta.
I think my intrest in pens has been a life long thing. As a kid I always
liked the way nice pens looked and wrote. I also paid alot of attention to grown
ups pens that they were using. My first real nice pen was the typical Cross ball
pen I got for Christmas one year. Through high school and college I
lost some intrest in pens, mainly because my hobbies were parties and cars. Although
I was an art major in college my intrest was more into drawing instruments.My
Dad is an architect so I always thought his drafting pens were cool and I had
a few of them as well.
Where I really got into fine pens is when I got into the car business. Most
of the dealers had Mont Blancs so I saved up and bought one. I thought it was
real special that I had a pen that cost over $100. Through the years I lost and
dropped different MB ball pens, but I always got another one.
I am a true obsessive collector of different things. I collect Die cast
cars including antique Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Corgi from the sixties and seventies,
as well as LE 18th scale models. I have my den and my office filled with these
things. I also collect watches and love Rolex watches.
About a year and a half ago I decided to branch out and buy a
MB Rollerball,then my wife bought me a 75th anniversary 149, and that is
when my new obsession began. I became a lover of fountain pens. I thought
I knew alot about pens because I had a few MBs. Then I went to my first pen
show in Atlanta. My eyes were open. I learned that MB is a major topic of love
and hate among pen lovers. I also found that I wanted to collect vintage pens.
I started with a Parker 75s, then 51s and 61s. I really like Parker and its history.
I try to stay focused on Parker as far as old pens go but I also love to branch
out when it comes to modern. I buy as my wallet and wife will let me. Right
now I am getting into Pelikan.
I now look for any and all information I can get on pens. I get the catalogs
for new pens and spend lots of time on Ebay. I joined my local pen club and have
found this website. The people I'm around have no concept of how much I am into
this except for the pens they see me use on a day to day basis. Of course they
think I'm crazy to spend the kind of money on pens that I do.
I look forward to the many discussions that I will be in and have been in
on Pentrace. This really a great site and I have learned that I'm not the only
on with this obsession.
Thank You
Mort Epstein
