It's Pelikan Hubs Week! What They Are and How to Participate

Though Pen Show Season is for the most part over, there are still plenty of opportunities to gather with your friends and fellow pen enthusiasts, whether that’s a meeting of your local pen club, online pen forums, or attending this Friday’s Pelikan Hub! The Pelikan Hubs are a series of events held in cities around the world and sponsored by German pen manufacturer Pelikan to raise their brand awareness. In years past, Pelikan has provided each attendee with handful of free gifts, including a magazine, pad of paper, and - quite generously - a bottle of the latest special edition Edelstein ink. This year, Pelikan has opted not to ship the ink, due to rising shipping costs, but many of the “Hubmasters” (hosts) are organizing gift bags, giveaways and more. If you’re interested in learning whether there is a Hub in your area, Though signup has long passed, many of the Hubs still have space (including ours here in Nashville), and you can join the Facebook group to see if there is a hub in your area. Be sure to reach out to the Hubmaster before showing up on Friday, as some locations have limited capacity due to the location.

Interested in Participating in the Nashville-Area Hub? Contact Me

If you missed the sign-up and are still interested in attending the Nashville-area Pelikan Hub, please e-mail me at Joe (at) gentlemanstationer.com, or send me a message via the site. I think we will have adequate space for a few more people, and would love to have you attend even if you can only stop by for a few minutes.

I hope to see you there!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Fountain Pen Day Weekend 2022: The T.G.S. Promotions and Giveaway Featuring TWSBI and Penwell

Tomorrow is Fountain Pen Day 2022, representing the 11th anniversary of our community’s “holiday” to celebrate the writing instruments we love! To follow along with the festivities, including gatherings, promotions, and giveaways, please check out the Fountain Pen Day site for a full list of participating sponsors, as well as some exclusive FPDay-branded products being sold by select partners.

The Gentleman Stationer has been a proud supporter of Fountain Pen Day for many years, and I look forward each year to crafting my own promotions, sales, and special content. This year, we have a three-part promotion that includes freebies with any orders from the store, a discount code good on select brands from the shop through the weekend, and a huge giveaway! All promotions start today, Thursday (11/3), and run through Sunday (11/6).

T.G.S. Curated Shop Promotional Offers (i.e., Free Stuff!)

In celebration of Fountain Pen Day, the following promotional offers are now live. No coupon code is needed to take advantage of these freebies, as they will be automatically included with qualifying orders.

1. Fountain Pen Day Swag with All Orders. Every order placed during this promotion will receive a free piece of Fountain Pen Day Swag, whether that’s a sticker or a bookmark (or for really big orders, both!). Cary was also kind enough to throw in some Esterbrook-branded swag, so you may find that in your package as well.

2. T.G.S. Swag Pack with All Orders over $50. All orders in excess of $50 will also receive, in addition to the Fountain Pen Day swag, a free pack of Gentleman Stationer buttons and stickers!

3. All Fountain Pen Orders Ship with a Complimentary Ink Sample. Some of you have taken advantage of this promotion already, as I’ve done a “quiet preview” this week, but through Sunday all fountain pen purchases will ship with a complimentary sample of ink from Anderillium or other brands I have on hand.

View fullsize

T.G.S. Swag Packs are Back!

Shop Discount and Clearance Pricing on Select Brands Through Sunday!

Take 10% off most brands through Sunday, using the coupon code “FOUNTAINPEN” at checkout! Note that due to agreements with brands like TWSBI and others, I cannot discount certain products beyond my advertised pricing. I’ve also placed certain items on sale throughout the shop, including some big clearance discounts on stuff that also qualifies for the 10% off coupon on top of the promotional pricing! Items you’ll want to take a look at, including the remaining stock of the now-discontinued Soumkine planners. All sale items are marked so that they should appear in the “SALE” section of each page. Remember that all domestic U.S. orders over $75 ship free, so you can really stack the discounts here!

View fullsize

Fountain Pen Day Weekend Giveaway with Three Great Prizes!

Last but not least, we are giving away three exceptional (hey, at least IMHO) prizes. To enter, comment on this post and let us know how you are celebrating Fountain Pen Day, or alternatively tell us about your best fountain pen-related memory! No Instagram or other social media entries for this contest, and the only way to enter and win is to comment here. Just be sure to leave an e-mail address when prompted so that I have a way to contact you if you win. After the giveaway closes on Sunday, November 6 at 11:59 pm US Central Time, I will number the comments in order received, and using a random number generator to pick three winners. This giveaway is open to everyone, but if shipping is exorbitant I may ask that you chip in on international packages. The prizes are as follows:

1. Limited Edition T.G.S. “Aged Red” Penwell. We recently restocked on our signature Penwell, designed in collaboration with Good Made Better, and what better way to celebrate Fountain Pen Day than to give away what I consider to be one of the best fountain pen-specific accessories on the market!

2. TWSBI “Glow Purple” ECO Fountain Pen. We can’t have a Fountain Pen Day Giveaway without a fountain pen! Win one of TWSBI’s latest releases, and if you don’t want to wait for the giveaway to conclude, we have additional pens in stock and available for purchase!

3. Soumkine “Agenda” with Mustard Cover. The Soumkine Planners are being discontinued, but I set a few of the coveted “mustard” cover planners aside for my own use and for a future giveaway! These hardcover “agendas” are undated, with fountain pen friendly paper and a flexible format.

Know that I appreciate you all and I always enjoy rewarding my loyal readers and customers every Fountain Pen Day! Please be sure to visit all of the FPDay sponsors and take advantage of their offers and special promotions, as Fountain Pen Day really kicks off the last two months of the year that are so important for small businesses.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program. This post does not contain paid advertising or third-party affiliate links. Discount code promotion excludes TWSBI and Lochby.

Happy Fountain Pen Day: Can You Believe It's been 10 Years!?!

It’s the first Friday of November, and you know what that means: Happy Fountain Pen Day! To celebrate, I have a weekend of fun planned. First of all, through the weekend, take 10% off all T.G.S. Curated Shop Orders with the coupon code “FPD10” at checkout. I’ve also reduced prices on a select group of products throughout the store, which you can check out here. All orders placed this weekend will receive free Fountain Pen Day and T.G.S. SWAG, while supplies last!

For Saturday, I have a giveaway lined up with a bunch of prizes that you don’t want to miss, and for Patreon members, access to a special sale with a new batch of gently used products priced to move!

Be sure to visit the Fountain Pen Day website to join in the fun, and for a list of all the special events and sales taking place this weekend around the stationery world, both in-store and online.

The Fountain Pen Day discount is good on all Curated Shop Products, with the exception of TWSBI and Sunderland Machine Works, per my agreements with those brands. All domestic U.S. orders over $75 ship free. By shopping with us directly, you are supporting original content, pen reviews, pen show events, etc. from The Gentleman Stationer. If you would like to support us even further, please consider checking out the T.G.S. Patreon Program, which offers access to online meetups, exclusive discounts and pre-orders, and more!

Five Favorites for Fountain Pen Day (and My Own Personal Distraction)

Since yesterday started out as extraordinarily unproductive, I spent the morning cleaning out far too many inked fountain pens (seriously, I had no idea how many I had inked up) and filling five of my personal favorites in celebration of Fountain Pen Day, which is this Friday! Here’s what I chose, with a link to the corresponding review and, if possible, where you can still buy the pen if it’s not a special or limited edition:

1. Montblanc 149 Red Gold. The size of the Montblanc 149 has grown on me over time, and whether or not the pen works for you personally, you can’t deny that it’s an icon. As with another pen on this list, this one features a stock Montblanc broad nib, which actually writes more like a stub, and is in fact one of the best stub nibs in my collection.

2. Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black Edition. I’ve let this favorite sit for far too long. Not only is the Sailor “HF" (hard fine) one of my favorite nibs, but the size fits my hand perfectly when the pen is posted. I’ll never let this one go, as this particular pen carries special meaning. And yes everyone, seven years later, the black ion plating on the nib and trim is still intact.

3. Pelikan M800 Stone Garden. One of my favorite special edition releases from 2018, Stone Garden is still, aesthetically, my favorite M800 and one of the Pelikans I would likely keep if I ever considered seriously downsizing my collection. Oddly enough, this Pelikan still hasn’t sold out at select retailers, sometimes at a discount.

4. Montegrappa Miya. A relatively recent pickup from this year’s Baltimore Pen Show, I decided to swap in a 14k medium nib in place of the 14k Flex and now this pen is a perfect everyday writer. As I mentioned in my original review, the Miya is one of the most well-balanced luxury fountain pens out there, and I hope Montegrappa decides to do more with this particular shape and design. While this celluloid variant is pricey, Montegrappa has been experimenting with different materials, including acrylics that are paired with stainless steel JoWo nibs.

5. Montblanc Virginia Woolf Writer’s Edition. I have two of Montblanc’s “Writers Edition” fountain pens, both purchased as N.O.S. years after their initial release. The textured and contoured Virginia Woolf edition won’t be for everyone aesthetically, but again, you can’t argue with the Montblanc stock broad nib. The stubbish nib on this pen is even better than the broad nib on my 149, and I’ve heard rumors that Montblanc pays extra close attention to the Writers Edition nibs (or at least they used to). (Long-discontinued Limited Edition)

How are you planning to celebrate Fountain Pen Day? I’m hoping for a calm evening enjoying my pens and journals. I have a feeling we’ll all need it.

View fullsize

Fountain Pen Day Special

This Friday, I will be running a special promotion in the T.G.S. Curated Shop that will be announced in tomorrow’s Deals & Drops. If you don’t feel like waiting, ALL orders this week will receive a complimentary T.G.S. Stencilboard Bookmark. For other Fountain Pen Day celebration specials, be sure to check the “Sponsors” page on the Fountain Pen Day website for additional specials and promotions.

Thanks to Everyone Who Made It To Pelikan Hubs Nashville 2018!

Yesterday, at 6:30 p.m. in various locations around the world, Pelikan enthusiasts around the world met for the fifth year in a row to share their love for fountain pens, and the Pelikan brand in particular. The Nashville hub met at the excellent Stout’s Burgers & Beers in Brentwood, where we had the back room reserved and were joined by Lisa Vanness from Vanness Pens, who drove over from Little Rock for the event! Follow the hashtags #pelikanhubs and #pelikanhubs2018 on social media (including my Instagram @gentlemanstationer) for additional pics from the Nashville hub and other events around the world.

View fullsize

All Pelikan Hubs attendees receive a bottle of the Pelikan Edelstein “Ink of the Year,” which this year is Olivine, a very nice dark green that I’m looking forward to using.

Don’t forget, as part of a special Pelikan Hubs weekend “bonus,” Vanness Pens is staying in the Nashville area for a meet-and-greet on Saturday from 1-4 p.m. at the Homewood Suites, 5107 Peter Taylor Park Drive, Brentwood, TN 37027. There’s a huge common area in the hotel and Vanness will have plenty of pens, inks, and paper to test, so if you’re in the Nashville area please stop by!

Finally, steps have been taken to formalize a Nashville-area pen club using Meetup.com. Sign up here to receive notifications of upcoming gatherings and events.