Though not as much anymore, the concept of a “grail pen” was something you once heard discussed a lot in the pen community, particularly at shows. “Grail pen” generally refers to one of two things: (1) the specific pen you are currently looking to add to your collection - i.e., the current subject of “the hunt”; or (2) the pen that you believe will complete your collection - i.e., the prize that you spend most of your time online and at shows searching for. Personally, I don’t really subscribe to the idea that “grail pens” in this second sense exist (because most people’s preferences are always changing), and I don’t really even hunt specific pens at shows anymore. These days, I mostly enjoy allowing pens to “find me”, and my show purchases involve special collaborations and exclusives designed by friends, oddball products and materials, and more adventurous nibs than I’ve tried in the past.
This year I’ve been picking up flex pens left and right, using them mainly for journaling and playing around with inks. Some inks just look exceptionally good in a softer nib, like the new Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku, a vibrant teal.
Early on in my pen “collecting,” show-attending career, I would visit shows looking to try and acquire specific pens I had never used before: the Montblanc 146, the Pilot Vanishing Point, the Pilot Custom 74, the Sailor Pro Gear, the Pilot 823, etc. Personally, I think this is a critical process for most people who want to get really into pens and develop a deep knowledge of the hobby, because it lets you understand the differences between major brands, models, and styles. But eventually you’ve tried more or less every standard pen out there, and you move on to explore new things like limited and special edition finishes. My next step was the Montblanc 146 Ultra Black, one of the Leonardo Momento Zero “Maestro” sets, and more.
In lieu of adding yet more pens, I’ve worked to upgrade my pen displays and accessories, with items like these trays from Japanese woodworkers Toyooka Craft.
This stage of the hobby can be quite fun, and I still make these kinds of purchases regularly if there’s a finish or material I find compelling. But what draws me in these days is creativity and makers who think outside the box. There are so many new independent makers and smaller brands experimenting with different designs and nib grinds that I’ve largely lost interest in what some of the bigger companies are doing. (I can’t tell you the last time I purchased anything from Montblanc, and my 149 is currently “in the shop” getting the Studio Bokumondoh Urushi treatment, so it won’t be a “standard” pen for much longer.)
It doesn’t get much more vintage looking than red ripple ebonite!
This year’s D.C. Pen Show Haul was no exception. I talked about what I brought home in my main show recap posted earlier this week, but I wanted to add a bit more context to some of these purchases. My first show acquisition was a Daedalus 3.2 from Pierre Miller’s Desiderata Pens, which is a new riff on one of Pierre’s early designs. This pen is a piston-filler that takes either standard JoWo No. 6 nibs or the Zebra G flex nib fitted to a red ebonite feed that allows you to do truly vintage-style flexible writing. I’ve enjoyed Pierre’s work for years, and this special red ripple ebonite version was a must-have.
The second acquisition, which I teased on social media, is the second collaboration between Vanness Pens and The Good Blue Co. in a black Cerakote finish with “Vanness Green” splatter. Only 30 of these pens were made, and since I purchased the last Vanness x Good Blue pen with their titanium flex nib, this time I opted for their new “Zoom” nib, which is a somewhat oddball hybrid between Sailor’s version of a “Zoom” nib and a Naginata/Kodachi style nib. Both allow you to change the line width by modifying your writing angle - I would say the Zoom has more extreme variation between angles and isn’t as “smooth” in the transitions as a Kodachi. It’s a cool nib and I can see myself using it often for daily writing.
I made sure to get one of the pens with lots of green splatter, as I mentioned.
I mean, can you resist that nib? Mine came exceptionally well-tuned.
Finally, I snagged one of Evan at Penquisition’s “Touchstone” collaborations with Ben Walsh of Gravitas. Evan set out to make a pocketable pen that was full-sized when posted. Not only does the Touchstone fit that bill, but the color combinations are excellent. I went with the blue and red version (blue pen, red grip), and the blue is more vibrant in person - almost a cerulean/turquoise - than it appears in photos.
It’s been a long time coming, but I finally bought a stacked nib. There will be more.
Circling back to how I began this post - I’ve found that once I let go of the idea of searching for a specific pen or hitting the show with a list, I started opening myself up to trying pens and nibs that I never would have thought I’d liked. I’ll close with my last pen/nib purchase of the show: a double-stacked crosspoint-style nib by Jim Crawford (Pensloth on IG and most other socials). I’ve not had this much fun with a nib in quite some time! What can I say, I thought my Tucker pen in Damascus/Purple from Jason Neil Penworks needed a fun nib to match.
My two oddball nibs from the DC Pen Show: the Pensloth stacked nib and the Good Blue Zoom nib.
Even though my bank account is in pain right now, I can’t wait to see what I’ll find in San Francisco! (Assuming I sell some pens between now and then.)
The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Also, once pen show season starts, I periodically thin out shop samples and underused items from my personal collection in our “Gently Used” page, which is offered to Patreon Patrons first and then to the general readership. You can check it out here.