Pen Show Adventures: Dipping Back into Vintage, or Pursuing Vintage-Style Modern Pens?

March 25, 2023

Up front, I will admit that I’m neither a vintage collector nor even a vintage pen enthusiast, and my knowledge of most brands and specific models pale in comparison to others in this community. So take whatever I say regarding vintage pens and the vintage market with a (very) large grain of salt. That said, I attended both the Baltimore and Arkansas pen shows - and particularly Arkansas - looking to pick up a few vintage pens for my collection, mainly to replace certain models I wish I hadn’t let go during “catch and release” phases over the years.

Smaller shows like the Arkansas Pen Show make excellent opportunities to shop for vintage pens. Larger shows like D.C. can feel overwhelming, and because the shows are both crowded and geared towards higher-end collectors and sales between dealers, they can be difficult for the newbie or the casual buyer to navigate. Pens also tend to be more expensive because they are either more pristine collectors pieces, or outright overpriced. (I also advise people to adopt a “buyer beware” attitude at these larger shows. In my early days of collecting, I had more than one experience at D.C. where I purchased a vintage pen that later turned out to be “not as advertised,” to put it politely. More on this later, as I plan to update my vintage pen resources.)

My two vintage Parker 51 fountain pens, one of which includes a stub nib.

Vintage Pens Parker 51 Aurora 88 — I enjoy interesting vintage pens that I can still use on a daily basis, including both the Parker 51 and the Aurora 88.

Smaller shows - particularly shows run by a local pen club - are friendlier, with many of the “dealers” being club participants and collectors selling for “show money”, to rotate pens out of their own collection, and/or to help grow the hobby. Many are happy to talk with new enthusiasts, and will give you honest appraisals of pens, flaws and all. If you have to deal with the same show attendees and club members year after year, reputation matters. At the Arkansas Pen Show, I purchased two Parker 51s from Danny Fudge (aka “The Write Pen”), both of which are excellent “user grade” pens, expertly restored, with character. One had a broader nib that I had Matthew Chen shape to a semi-Naginata, and the other sports a hammered gold fill finish (“possibly by Ariel Kulloch”) with an excellent stub nib. The first pen cost me $100, and the second $175, which I consider to be very fair pricing for functional vintage pens restored by a reputable dealer.

The Tibaldi Bononia Vintage in Pomegranate (top) and Honeycomb (bottom). These are piston fillers with 18k gold nibs. The top is an oblique medium and the bottom a 1.1mm stub. Not sure if these two are going back to Vanness….

If You Don’t Want to Fiddle with Actual Vintage pens, the Current Market Has a TON of Vintage-Style Options

While vintage pens like the Parker 51 are fairly durable, easy to repair, and timeless, other models don’t translate as well to the experience sought by many modern users. For example, I’ve always admired the oversized Sheaffer Balance fountain pens, and have even owned a few over the years, but found the material prone to cracking and I’m not a huge fan of lever-fillers. Fortunately, these days you have a wide range of modern options in a similar “vintage” style, and I spent many hours next to the Vanness Pens table eyeing (1) the Tibaldi Bononia Limited Editions; (2) the modern Conway Stewart lineup in their classic materials; and (3) both the modern Onoto Magna and Scholar fountain pens, which have garnered rave reviews and which I’m in the process of reviewing. If you appreciate vintage design, but perhaps not the “adventurous” nature of writing with an actual vintage pen, you have plenty of options!

From left, the Tibaldi Bononia in Pomegranate, the Onoto Scholar in Mandarin, and the Tibaldi Bononia in Honeycomb

Lately, this trend has even started to extend beyond fountain pens. I wrote the entire first draft of this review on a series of airplane flights and in the back row at a work conference using an Anterique “Mach Ball” click pen. I love the aesthetics of vintage Bic Clic-style ballpoints, but generally can’t stand the refill. Anterique uses a .5mm low-viscosity hybrid gel-ballpoint ink refill that even fits some actual vintage ballpoints.

Stay tuned, because Anterique is doing some really fun stuff, and I just received a big box in the mail….

If you’re not a purist, you can sometimes find the best of both worlds: vintage-style design without the unpredictability of finicky filling systems or refills. As a user of fountain pens and other writing instruments, as opposed to a collector, I’m equally drawn to both vintage writing instruments and quality modern alternatives. It certainly offers a wider range of options to enjoy everyday writing!

This post does not contain paid third-party affiliate links or advertising. Vanness Pens did loan me certain of the pens pictured in this review. I am not being compensated for content, and The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Thursday Drops: Platinum Preppy Wa "Modern Maki-e" and Other Post-Pen Show Arrivals

March 23, 2023

Things come in waves in this business: New releases, sales, pen shows, shipments from distributors, and sometimes the waves all hit at once! I returned from the Arkansas and Baltimore Shows to a-more-than-a-handful of boxes waiting for me, which included a fresh shipment of Mark’Style “Days” Ballpoints featuring the Anterique “Mach Ball” refill, as well as the Mark’Style Days Metal Gel Pen featuring the Ohto Needle-tip refill. In addition, we now have the third edition of the Platinum Preppy Wa - the “Modern Maki-e” series, which features a modern interpretation of traditional Japanese Maki-e techniques applied to Platinum’s classic Preppy fountain pen. These are easily my favorite Preppy Wa release so far (and I’ve already picked a couple that I’d like to keep for myself).

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

The six finishes of the new “Preppy Wa Modern Maki-e” series.

Platinum Preppy Wa “Modern Maki-e” Edition. The latest of the Preppy Wa releases features six new designs applied to the classic Preppy in a traditional maki-e style. The “Modern Maki-e” process uses silk screen and glistening powder instead of lacquer, and is quite pretty. My two current favorites are the “Kachimushi” (dragonflies on blue-black acrylic) and “Kuyou” (dark red rosettes on a black barrel). We still have a few of the Second Series remaining as well, though after pen show season those are running low.
Mark’Style Days Metal Ballpoints. I never regret bringing in additional pens from Mark’s Tokyo, especially their “Days” series. If you’re unfamiliar with Mark’s, it’s a curated brand that collaborates with different manufacturers on pens in their own particular style. This hexagonal metal (aluminum) ballpoint features their weekday motif and comes with the excellent Ohto needle-tip gel refill, Parker-style.
Mark’s x Anterique Mach Ball Click Pens. We’ve added several colors to the Mark’s x Anterique collaboration, including two “demonstrator” versions. We’ve also restocked on the refills.
Midori 70th Anniversary MD Light Grid Set. These limited edition versions of the Midori MD Light A5 Notebooks feature seven different colors of threaded bindings with matching grids. The standard A5 size makes them compatible with covers such as the Lochby Field Journal.
Midori Soft Color A5 Notebooks. Similarly, Midori has released these slim A5 colored journals in grey, blue, green, and purple dot grid paper, all of which is still quite fountain pen friendly. I’ve enjoyed adding a pop of color to my Lochby and Roterfaden notebook systems.
Midori MD Kurashiki Canvas Pen Cases. We only have a couple of these canvas pen cases left (perhaps one in each style), since they were quite popular at Baltimore. Both flat and gusseted (standing) sizes are available.
Midori XS Stationery Kits. I’m doing my best to get the quirkiest of the Midori products in front of a U.S. audience, including these compact MD stationery kits that feature miniature, portable versions of desktop classics such as staplers, scissors, a mini measuring tape, and adhesives.
Portable Rulers from Midori and Traveler’s Company. Who doesn’t need a ruler or a straight-edge from time to time? Whether I’m drawing charts in your planner or notebook, or actually needing to measure something, a ruler is one of my most-used desktop tools.
Hightide Folding Metal Bookstands. I just wish I had more space on my table in Arkansas, because I would’ve brought the entire, colorful range of these versatile desk/reading accessories. These folding metal bookstands hold anything from actual books to notepads for transcribing notes to tablets.
Hightide Sandglasses. Showcasing these in person at the Arkansas Pen Show must’ve worked, because we’ve sold plenty of them in the past week. Analog timers such as sandglasses have plenty of uses, ranging from Pomodoro-style work timers to cooking applications to gaming. If you’re curious about how I use them (and how others have as well), check out this blog post.

Kachimushi “Dragonflies” on blue-black acrylic.

Pen Shows After Dark Prizes — Cary and Shawn draw the door prizes at the Saturday night event.

2023 Arkansas Pen Show: I Like the Smaller Shows (or Shows That Feel Small)

March 22, 2023

Each pen show has its own vibe, driven mainly by the attitude of the organizers and the care they take in putting the show together. For example, the San Francisco Pen Show is a very large event that still manages to feel friendly and personable, solely due to the effort of the group running the show. That said, you can only make a massive hotel ballroom so user-friendly to navigate, and with hundreds of people cycling through every day, you might not have a real opportunity to interact with vendors, as they’ll mostly be swamped. The smaller shows, on the other hand, are something else entirely.

The Arkansas Pen Show, held in Little Rock, is run by the Arkansas Pen Club, currently led by penmaker Shawn Newton of Newton Pens. This was my second visit to Little Rock, with the first back in 2019. The show itself fills a single ballroom, with a 1/3 devoted to modern stationery; 1/3 to vintage dealers; and 1/3 to custom penmakers. If you’re looking to visit your first pen show, or you don’t like overly crowded events that can be overwhelming, smaller shows like this one offer a great opportunity to browse leisurely and have casual conversations with vendors and other collectors.

Vanness brought their collaboration with The Good Blue Pen Company - a “Titanium Blue” Cerakote finish that I couldn’t resist taking home with me.

While traffic on Friday and Saturday was brisk, and vendors were making sales, it was nothing like D.C. or San Francisco, where you won’t be able to peel yourself out from behind the table until Sunday. Each day had quiet lulls, where you could chat with your table neighbors or customers, and browse the show yourself. This year, independent makers included Shawn Newton, Hinze Pens, Troy Breeding (Country Made Pens), Jason Neil Penworks, Darail Pens, Only Made Once, and Magnolia Pens. Modern pen and stationery retailers (in addition to yours truly) included Vanness Pens, Art Outfitters, Jimmy Dolive, Kenro Industries (Cary Yeager), and Papier Plume. Matthew Chen was there to grind nibs! Nik Pang and Michael Sull were both on-site, and Danny Fudge (“The Write Pen”) was doing pen repair. There were also a handful of vintage dealers - mostly members of the Arkansas pen club - all of whom were extremely friendly, highly knowledgeable, and had their pens clearly (and accessibly) priced. I haven’t spent time shopping vintage in a while, and I found some gems that I plan to ink up and show off soon.

After hours events included the traditional Pen Shows After Dark on Saturday night, which was, as always, a lot of fun with at least a dozen door prizes. The only downside was the location. While the hotel was fine (clean, inexpensive, good food for lunch, etc.), the lack of staffing put a damper on hangouts in the bar, which was closed by 9:30 or so on Friday and drastically understaffed on Saturday. That said, most people went home relatively early, as the smaller, club-driven shows tend to draw a more local crowd even if there were a surprising number of people who traveled in for the event.

My Arkansas Pen Show finds, clockwise from to left: Parker 51 in Navy; Parker 51 with hammered gold fill, The Good Blue Vanness Pens Special Edition; a Tucker from Jason Neil Penworks, and a piston filler from Shawn Newton.

2023 Arkansas Pen Show Haul

After not buying a single pen at the Baltimore Pen Show, I went pretty crazy in Little Rock. I scored one of the Vanness/The Good Blue exclusives in the “Titanium Blue” Cerakote finish, a “Tucker” model by Jason Neil Penworks, a Shawn Newton piston filler in a Conway Stewart acrylic whose name escapes me, and two Parker 51s from The Write Pen, including one with a customized “hammered gold” finish that might have been done by Ariel Kulloch (all I know is that it has an exceptionally good .9mm stub nib on it). I had Matthew Chen grind the other 51 to a semi-Naginata.

A close-up of the stub nib on my Parker 51 pen.

I also took home some additional pens for review, which I won’t announce quite yet, but let’s just say you’ll all be seeing some content related to Onoto, Tibaldi, and Newton Pens in the coming weeks and months.

I tend to be fairly selective about what I bring to shows. I don’t want to end up selling the same goods as multiple vendors, as it leads to unhealthy competition among vendors and a repetitive experience for show attendees. Here I was the only one selling Nahvalur and Opus 88 pens on site at the show.

Reflections on Selling as a Vendor at Shows

I love having a table at pen shows, and I have an infinite amount of appreciation and respect for those who are able to do the entire circuit in a single year. Given my current work situation, I can’t do that as it’s simply too exhausting to coordinate the travel, not to mention the work itself. But I do intend to continue to do a handful of shows as a vendor, team up with Vanness for other shows where I won’t attend independently, and visit as an attendee. I especially enjoyed bringing product lines such as Lochby and Hightide, which don’t get nearly as much exposure as they should at shows. By far, our number one seller from the weekend was the Lochby Venture Pouch, which I suspected would be a hit at this particular show.

Many thanks to the team at the Arkansas Pen Club for hosting a great event, and I’ll definitely plan to be back in the future!

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

New Arrivals: Mark'Style Days Metal Ballpoint and More Mark's x Anterique Pens

March 21, 2023

Mark’style Tokyo is a curated line of product collaborations from Mark’s, a Japanese brand that takes its own unique design riffs on classic stationery items. The Mark’style “Days” series is perhaps the most popular, and we’ve carried their hexagonal woodcase “Tous les Jours” needle-tip ballpoints for a couple of years now. Last month, we added the Mark’s x Anterique Mach Ballpoint, which features an excellent low-viscosity refill with a new level of performance in a vintage-style click pen.

For those who love a hexagonal barrel but find standard ballpoints or gel pens too narrow, the Mark’style Metal (aluminum) Gel Pen offers a bit more of a grip.

We’re continuing to build out our selection of Mark’style pens! This week, we received a shipment of the “Days” Metal Gel Pens, a more substantial - yet still lightweight - hexagonal ballpoint that includes the .5mm Ohto needle-tip gel refill, an excellent Parker-style refill that’s a quick drying, smooth writer. Available in six different colors, these pens are currently priced at $23.50 and available for purchase in the Curated Shop. (You won’t be surprised to learn that I couldn’t resist adding a yellow version to my own collection.) Additionally, we added a few additional colors of the Mark’s x Anterique ballpoints, including two “transparent demonstrators.” Happy shopping!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all products sold, including the Mark’style pens featured here.

Montegrappa 007 limited edition — You never know what you’ll come across at a pen show!

Sunday Reading for March 19, 2022

March 19, 2023

2023 Baltimore Pen Show Recap (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Kimberly was able to post the photo-heavy Baltimore Pen Show tour that I couldn’t do from behind the table!
BWIPS 2023 (via Rachel’s Reflections). While Baltimore remains a great mid-sized pen show, I agree with Rachel’s observation that this particular show did lack a bit of the energy from prior years.
The Manila Pen Show Is Here! (via Rants of the Archer). I’ve been following all of the photos and updates from the Manila Pen Show on social media. It looks like a great one.
Cortex Brand Sidekick Review (via Writing at Large). I’m glad to see someone do a review of this product, because it’s been the subject of strong opinions lately, mainly due to the price and shipping costs.
Pennonia Danuvius Danube (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist). Pennonia makes some excellent shading inks, and Danuvius Danube was one of the first ones I reviewed. I keep meaning to buy a bottle.
Introducing the SBRE Brown Fountain Pen (via SBRE Brown). Congratulations on the new release!
Notebook Storage Boxes (via Notebook Stories). We don’t want to go there.
Galen Leather Magnum Opus Pen Case (via Pencilcase Blog). The Magnum Opus with the magnetic closure is one of my favorite pen cases made by Galen Leather. I particularly enjoy the removable tray insert.
An Earthy Pen and Ink Pairing (via From the Pen Cup). Mary nailed it in describing how a great pen and ink pairing enhances the writing experience.
Ink Review: Taisho Inks, Part I (via Well-Appointed Desk). Some interesting colors here, on the muted side which I enjoy.

In Case You Missed It…

This week was heavy on pen show content because, well, for the past two weeks I’ve basically been either prepping for or traveling to pen shows! I recapped my trip to the 2023 Baltimore Washington International Pen Show, where we had a table again this year, and also posted some photos from day one of the 2023 Arkansas Pen Show, where I’m doing a combination of packing and getting ready to go man the table for at least a couple of hours, depending on how busy Sunday at the show ends up being. During my single day at home, I did manage to review one of our top sellers from the Baltimore Show, the Penco “Drafting Writer” Pen and Mechanical Pencil. I then promptly forgot to bring them to Arkansas. So it goes!

This Week in the Curated Shop

Prior to leaving for the shows, we received a large restock of Midori Paper, both standard and cotton, as well as all sizes of the Midori MD leather notebook covers. If you’ve been following our pen show adventures, but haven’t been able to come see us in person at a show, check out this post discussing what we brought to both Baltimore and Arkansas, as well as our top sellers from the Baltimore Show.

Midori

Hightide Sandglasses

Penco

Lochby

Consider Supporting Us Via T.G.S. Patreon!

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