Thursday Drops: TWSBI Diamond Mini White Rose Gold II Arrives, New Inks, and More!

As we get ready to head out to next week’s San Francisco Pen Show, it’s been a bit of a scramble to get everything listed online and/or pulled to take to the show. New (to us) pens that have landed include the TWSBI Diamond Mini in White and Rose Gold, and we’ve also recently received the latest series of inks from Anderillium, with new colors inspired by butterflies and moths. I inked up several of my own pens with the new Anderillium arrivals last night, and due to the quirky nature of some of the colors I was able to achieve some cool pairings! Stay tuned to social media for some photos.

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If you can’t choose, all of the Anderillium series have the option of a sample set containing 8 mini bottles. It’s an option on the drop-down menu!

Note to those who have expressed an interest in seeing our Hinze Pen collaboration at the San Francisco Show - we only have two left. If you’d like to reserve one, I can do an online purchase with local pickup next week. Just select the “Local Pickup” option and I will bring it to the show.

UPDATE: As of this morning (8/18), Olive Traveler’s Notebook Starter Kits are back in stock in the standard size!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

1. TWSBI Diamond Mini White Rose Gold II Fountain Pen. The standard Diamond 580 in Smoke/Rose Gold and White/Rose Gold have become standbys in the TWSBI lineup, but I’ve never before brought in the Diamond Mini version with Rose Gold trim. I’ve had several requests for these, and they are now available!

2. Nahvalur Original Plus Matira White/Lovina Black Fountain Pens. Prefer a vacuum-filling system? The Nahvalur Original Plus now comes in Matira White and Lovina Black finishes, complete with rose gold trim.

3. TWSBI Diamond Mini AL Grape Fountain Pen. In addition to the Rose Gold version, we also carry the latest special AL release, in a bright purple TWSBI has called “Grape.” The perfect demonstrator for showcasing bright purple inks!

4. Anderillium Lepidopteran Series Fountain Pen Inks. We now have Anderillium’s third series of fountain pen inks in stock and available for purchase. Check out this post for additional details and some of my own favorite colors from this new range.

5. M+R Castor & Pollux Long-Point Pencil Sharpeners. These long-time shop favorites are fully stocked and ready to ship, along with replacement blades and the rest of the M+R Lineup.

6. Lamy Pico Pocket Pen. A bit random for this selection, but I’ve been enjoying my Pico lately, and I think I will bring them to San Francisco and have them at the table. It’s one of the most fun, practical pocket pen designs out there!

7. Nakabayashi Paper. The latest range of fountain pen friendly paper to hit the shop, Nakaybayashi paper handles ink extremely well and comes in a range of different formats and rulings.

8. Clairefontaine Triomphe Notebooks. Standard “Triomphe” paper has become a bit of a gold standard for devoted letter writers, and now this excellent paper comes in notebook form.

9. Clairefontaine “Pupitre” Tablets. I’m always on the lookout for notebooks that feature perforated pages, and these top-bound Clairefontaine tablets are excellent options for those looking

10. Curated Washi Tapes and Enamel Pins. I’ll be bringing a fairly large selection of Washi Tapes and Enamel Pins to the San Francisco Pen Show next week, but until I have to start pulling stuff for the show, all washis and pins are available to ship, including a few new patterns!

New Arrivals: Anderillium Inks Lepidopteran Series!

Anderillium is known for their bright - and sometimes offbeat - colors inspired by nature. The first two series of inks included the Avian Series (Birds) and the Cephalopod Series (Squids and Octopuses). Anderillium’s latest line of creations is the “Lepidopteran Series,” inspired by Butterflies and Moths, and it might be my favorite yet, especially for those who enjoy unusual and interesting brown inks with uncommon undertones. Be sure to take a look at “Toltype Moth Warm”, which has subtle pink tones, and “Atlas Moth Brown,” which has blue sheen.

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Anderillium Inks are well-priced at $14.50 for a 1.5oz, wide-mouthed “jam jar” bottle, with 8-bottle sample sets also available if you’d like to test the entire range. You can check out our entire selection of Anderillium offerings here.

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Further Reading and Ink Reviews

We’ve previously reviewed many of the different Anderillium inks here on the blog. Favorites include Cuttlefish Brown, Colossal Squid Dark and Kingfisher Green, and American Goldfinch Yellow. Enjoy!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including Anderillium.

Notes From the Curated Shop: Five Desk Essentials for Your Office or Dedicated Writing Space

In addition to standard pens and paper, we stock a wide range of desk and reading accessories to make your everyday work and home life more enjoyable! The reason I love this particular product category is that it’s often overlooked by many pen retailers even though it’s a natural extension of an interest in writing. At this past weekend’s D.C. Pen Show - there will be a full recap forthcoming, I promise - I brought along a range of non-pen items that included a handful of cases and desk accessories, and they sold quite well. Here are five of my favorites currently in the shop that can help you build out your ultimate desk setup.

1. The Penwell Desktop Pen Holder. I’ve long been a fan of the Penwell desktop pen holder, which turns any capped fountain pen or rollerball into a desk pen! Good Made Better, the maker of the Penwell, was kind enough to do a custom run for our shop in a deep “Aged Red” finish.

2. Quality Scissors. Until I started using good scissors, I didn’t appreciate how invaluable they are, whether it comes to opening mail or packages, trimming photographs or mementos to paste into a scrapbook, or craft projects. We stock several brands of high-end scissors that are both sharp and functional.

3. A Compact Ruler or Straightedge. I always find myself needing to measure something, and it’s rarely long enough to warrant pulling out the measuring tape unless I’m shipping packages. Rulers also serve as a handy straightedge for formatting plain paper, or when you want to transform a standard notebook into a planner.

4. A Book Stand. Another long-running product I’ve carried is the Hightide Folding Metal Bookstand. While you can certainly use it for reading, it’s versatility goes far beyond that - I use mine to hold notepads and notebooks as I transcribe my notes or to hold a handwritten draft of a document as I’m typing it into the computer. This particular model conveniently folds flat for easy transport in a briefcase so you can take it on the road.

5. A Pen Tray. I keep a lot on my desk, and it’s helpful to have a catch-all to hold pens, pencils, paper clips, erasers, sharpeners, bits of paper - you get the idea. These Hightide Marbled Pen Trays are made from melamine and come in either long rectangular versions or a smaller round option.

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While these five categories are fairly mainstream, other more specialized products to consider include a self-inking stamp, which can be customized to feature your letterhead, return address, or signature to add to written correspondence, or an analogue timing device like a Sandglass. We’re actively adding additional “home office” and reading accessories, so keep checking back!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

D.C. Pen Show Friday Brief Recap and Some Details on Where to Find Me!

It’s safe to say that Friday at the 2023 D.C. Pen Show was the busiest I’ve seen it since pre-Pandemic (and we may be talking about some of the epic shows from 2017 and 2018). While things started out somewhat quiet early on, by lunch the main ballroom started to fill up, as weekend passholders made their morning purchases and the doors opened to the public at 12:00pm. The real rush came to our tables at around 2:00pm, as our table neighbors Pilot started giving their handwriting analysis seminar and raffling off pens (crowd above).

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I brought the remainder of the T.G.S. x Hinze Pen Collaboration fountain pens with me, with both red and black nibs AND the ink and Penwells!

The DC Pen Show is always a smaller show for TGS, as we try to bring a selection of stuff to the show while also leaving enough free time to circulate and take pictures to share with the readership. This year we have Lochby cases for sale, and as per usual the in-person winner on Friday was the Lochby Venture Pouch, the reversible stationery pouch that has two separate compartments that includes a slotted pen case. The Lochby Tool Roll and Field Journal also sold briskly. If you come looking for The Gentleman Stationer, I’m at the end of the Vanness Pens setup to the right in the hallway outside the main ballroom!

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Vanness has released a second exclusive collaboration with The Good Blue, in case you’re looking for a pen to tuck into your new Lochby case! This is “Vanness Green” splattered over black Cerakote! You can read my review of their first collaboration here.

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The renovated show hotel has a MUCH better setup this year for after-hours socializing, and each year the “Pen Show Carry” bags you see keep getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger….

I Almost Forgot Our Annual DC Pen Show Promotion! Use “PENSHOW10” at Checkout for 10% Off Most Orders!

Some exclusions will apply (like TWSBI), but most items are eligible for our annual DC Pen Show Sale that will run through Sunday at 11:59pm CT. Use the PENSHOW10 checkout code to claim a discount for those unable to attend the show in person, or for those who came to see something in person but found that I was unable to bring it with me!

Most of my show photos will be posted in my larger show recap next week, and I’ll have lots to talk about, both in terms of reactions to the show itself and a few things I’ll have picked up! Meanwhile, it’s time to go set up the table!

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

Thursday Drops: New Notebooks, Pens, and More for Back to Work and Back to School

This week’s theme, both in Tuesday’s “New Arrivals” post, yesterday’s ode to the Uniball Jetstream, and today’s weekly drops, is back to the office and school! It’s that time of year again, when we all take stock of what we’re using, what we want to switch up, and what we need to restock after a productive year. But first, we have the D.C. Pen Show….

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I’ve had my eye on these faceted dodecagonal ballpoints and mechanical pencils from HMM Project since January! They finally arrived.

I will have here at the show with me the remaining Hinze Pens and the Summer Sangria ink! Tomorrow morning at show opening (8:00am ET), I will be removing them from store stock to avoid any conflicting inventory issues. If you want to reserve one for yourself at the show, I’d recommend that you purchase online today and select “local pickup” - you’ll still have choice of whatever pens are available when you arrive if you want to choose your specific pattern in person. The same goes for the Lochby cases (but I have plenty of those with me so it’s unlikely I will run out on Friday or Saturday). Come visit me at the Vanness Pens table, in the hallway to the right as you enter!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

1. TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR “Sunset Yellow”. The latest TWSBI release has arrived and I have one in hand at the D.C. Pen Show if you’re here and would like to check it out in person!

2. TWSBI ECO Heat Fountain Pen. If you feel like there’s been a color trend in TWSBI’s recent releases, you’d be right. The Sunset Yellow 580 and the “Heat” ECO make for a great combination. The Heat is more of a reddish orange, while the Sunset Yellow is lighter and on the gold side, but still definitely orange to me.

3. Nakabayashi Notebooks and Paper. In addition to restocking on the “Logical Prime” series of paper, we’ve added “Logical Air” and “Yu-Sari” lines of paper, all of which are superbly fountain pen friendly. For more details on the differences between them, check out this recent post.

4. Clairefontaine Paper Restock and New Arrivals! We fully restocked on Clairefontaine notebooks and paper, including several new formats that we’ve not carried in the past. Clairefontaine makes some of the best, and most cost-effective, fountain pen friendly paper on the market.

5. Craighill Kepler Pen. Available in three different finishes (stainless steel, PVD-coated stainless steel, and black), the Kepler Pen is a retractable pen that features a unique rippled barrel and click mechanism that takes a D1 refill for maximum versatility.

6. HMM Ballpoints and Mechanical Pencils. HMM Project (which stands for Human.Made.Method) specializes in fine coffee and writing accessories, making them a company close to my own heart. These dodecagonal ballpoints and .7mm mechanical pencils are machined from milled aluminum and feature rounded facets for a comfortable grip over longer writing sessions.

7. Lamy 2000 4-Color Ballpoint (Multi Pen). Following up on yesterday’s post, if you’re looking for a versatile everyday carry pen that takes D1 refills, the Lamy 2000 version remains my all-time favorite multi pen.

8. Anterique “Mach Ball” Ballpoint Pens. If I found myself in a position where I had to stock an office supply closet with an interesting click pen that contains an excellent refill while still maintaining a more accessible price point, it would be with these Anterique “Mach Ball” pens. They come in a couple dozen colors, and there are brass-barrel versions and mechanical pencils as well.

9. Caran d’Ache 849 Paul Smith Limited Edition, No. 4. The fourth release of Caran d’Ache’s collaboration with designer Paul Smith features six new color combinations, including some excellent muted colors that stand out.

10. Caran d’Ache Claim Your Style Ballpoint Limited Edition, No. 4. We still have a few remaining colors of the latest Claim Your Style release (Clay Green, Quartz Pink, and Iced Lemon), and honestly these are real sleepers.

11. Imported High-Quality Scissors and other Desk Accessories. If there’s one category of office supplies that I believe is unduly neglected, it’s scissors. I actually didn’t know how convenient it is to have one or two good pairs until I started buying something other than grocery store versions. We have scissors from Midori, Nakabayashi, and HMM in stock, along with other desk gear.