I don’t have a collection of pens. I codified things differently, more succinctly. I see many little collections and sub-collections. Some are by brands, some by colors, some by country, others by age or type. Some examples:

  • Orange Fountain Pens
  • Montblanc Pens and Pencils
  • Coffee-themed Pens
  • Italian Pens, Vintage and Modern
  • Parker 45s
  • Sheaffer No Nonsense
  • Wood-bodied Pens
  • Vintage Silver Mechanical Pencils
  • Hand Turned Fountain Pens
  • Vintage Parker Memorabilia
  • Fountain Pen Inks
  • Discbound Notebooks
  • Japanese Pocket Fountain Pens
  • FILCAO Fountain Pens
Pen Room, Pen Realm

As you see, the topics are eclectic, disjointed while connected. It’s more of a sampling than a collection. Fact is, I’m not a collector after all, I’m a cataloger. A librarian of sorts. What I collect isn’t things, it’s knowledge and experience. I’ve done this with other things in my time. Film cameras. Books. Chess sets. Matchbooks and Matchboxes. Polystyrene models. Pocket knives. Brands of toys and games, like Corgi cars and Traveller SFRPG books.

Most of those things are gone now. Having them wasn’t the point. Knowing them was. Learning them. Experiencing them in all their variations.

What I’m leading up to here is that, at some point, I will have gathered the knowledge or pens and stationery I am seeking. I will have cataloged enough. And then I will release most of them back into the wild, to be enjoyed by others.

I’m not sure what you call this habit, but I don’t think “collector” is the correct term. Thoughts?

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