Every pen collector seems to offer their own apologetic on pens and why they collect. Perhaps we think pens are such an odd choice that the hobby needs to be explained. Well then, just drop me off at Sesame Street and call me Bert, because I’ve always been fascinated with office supplies, even the lowly paperclip. I don’t collect them, but I never thought it odd that someone would.
For me, anything mechanical that makes a clicking sound is worth keeping indefinitely. Pen caps and plungers and clips all click nicely. So do lock-blade knives, stopwatches, and mechanical cameras. Cameras are so much fun I once owned a camera repair shop, back before digital cameras took out the clicks.
But there’s a lot more to pens than just the click-y parts; smooth parts, shiny parts, twisting parts, and that bonus part that ink comes out of. Then there are the colors and designs and materials and workmanship. It’s as if they were MADE to be collected. Because many are.
When it comes to fountain pens, there is amazing variety, history, and a huge following of collectors and enthusiasts, including those crazy people who USE the things every day. And using them requires ink, which also comes in an incredible variety of colors, containers, and qualities.
Then there are the prices, which range from paltry (<$5) to obscene ($8M). But you can have fun collecting vintage pens for around $50, or even some high grade pens for a few hundred, much cheaper than classic cars or timepieces.
Now, I don’t have any pens I’ve paid over a thousand dollars for. In fact, I paid exactly $100 for the one Montblanc Meisterstück in my collection (so far), but that’s just a little No. 144 in plain old black “precious resin” and gold trim. Then again, I’m only a beginner.
So, what is it about pens that draws so many people to collecting? There are entire stores, many web sites, and (pre-COVID) shows dedicated to the hobby. Unlike cars or even watches, pens aren’t really investments unless they’re antiques with an interesting provenance, like a pen used to sign one of the three treaties at the Paris Peace Conference or something.
For me it is more the intimacy of writing longhand that makes a pen such an interesting experience and so desirable. You hold hands with a pen for hours, writing stories or letters, signing documents or taking notes. They are companions, friends, co-conspirators while writing our secret love letters. So why not take up a pen you enjoy being with and taking care of, just as you do your lovers and friends?
Here’s to a wonderful writing experience and a beautiful relationship with your pens! How is your relationship with writing instruments? Do you have favorites?