The Paper Mind A5 Bank Paper Notebook Giveaway

Screams rang out across the stationeryverse when the news broke that Mitsubishi Bank Paper would soon be discontinued. Ok, not really, but another great paper, especially on my desk, has been taken off the shelves. Luckily, there is still plenty out there, including at The Paper Mind.

Knowing how much I love this paper, a friend sent me some of their stash to use as I see fit. I may keep a book or two for myself, but I want to get the rest of it out into the world. This giveaway is for one A5 Mitsubishi Bank Paper Notebook, made by The Paper Mind, featuring a 5mm Dot Grid across 192 pages of goodness. Read the rules below and enter away!

The Paper Mind A5 Bank Paper Notebook Giveaway

Pilot Silvern Fountain Pen Review

When I think about having a pen that I can use all day, every day, I have a few boxes it needs to check:

— Goldilocks size: not too big, not too small

— Light, and balanced

— Comfortable grip section

— Great nib

— Cartridge/Converter filling system

The Pilot Silvern checks all of these boxes for me. It is also a stunner, which certainly helps its cause as the one pen that can do it all.

The Silvern came into existence around 1970, which, in my opinion, was Pilot’s heyday of design. Taking cues from the Pilot Elite, and later, the Pilot Custom, the Silvern blinged out those models with a Sterling Silver exterior barrel. It has been a staple of Pilot’s product lineup ever since, with the last several years seeing it used as a platform for unique design elements throughout the barrel.

My review pen is the Jaguar model, which features this cuddly beast on the prowl through the jungle. The level of detail shows off all its spots, as it sneaks through the palm leaves, trees, and bushes. It’s a fantastic scene laid out on the Sterling barrel, and something Pilot does well throughout the Silvern lineup.

The shape of the Silvern is torpedo-like, with slight tapers towards rounded ends. The grip section is black plastic, with a matching taper into what is one of Pilot’s knockout design elements in their inlaid 18K Gold nib. As great as the exterior barrel is, the entire pen comes together because of the nib. If they used a more traditional grip section and nib I don’t think the Silvern would pop off as much as it does.

I inked this pen with a Pilot Black ink cartridge, which is an easy match. That said, what ink color wouldn’t be a perfect match for the Silvern? My inclination is to keep it classic with Black or Blue Black, but bright colors like Green and Purple would look great, or even Brown and Yellow would complement the Jungle theme.

At the moment, the Silvern is available with Dragon and Turtle themed barrels, along with Jaguar. Additionally, there are two non-creature themes available, Ishidatami and Tsumigi, both classic Japanese patterns.

Cost-wise, they are expensive at $544, but relatively speaking, they are priced well. For a full-Sterling Silver exterior barrel and an 18K Gold nib, the Silvern brings a lot to the table compared to other pens in its price range. Add in fantastic designs and their limited nature (these are each an edition of 550.) And, if you are paying attention, they drop special editions outside of their normal lineup, such as this Pokemon model a few years ago.

Back to my checklist above, the Silvern has me covered. It doesn’t hurt that it is made by one of my favorite brands in Pilot. I’ve had one on my watch list for years, and it might be time to move it to the purchase list in 2025.

(Chatterly Luxuries loaned me this pen for purposes of this review.)

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Misfill, Aerial Embroidery Edition

Each week in Refill, the Pen Addict Members newsletter, I publish Ink Links as part of the additional content you receive for being a member. And each week, after 10 to 15 links, plus my added commentary on each, I'm left with many great items I want to share. Enter Misfill. Here are this weeks links:

— Aerial Embroideries by Victoria Rose Richards Teem with Harmonious Detail (Colossal)

— A Mini Techo Kaigi, and Plotter A5 Setup Thoughts (A Gathering of Curiosities)

— Christmas Time Margaritas? : Day 7 of Diamine's Inkvent 2024! (Inkdependence)

— Only as Good as Our Tools: Drafting by Hand and Fountain Pens (SFWA)

— Plotter Bible Size: Embracing the Single-Use Notebook (The Gentleman Stationer)

— Van Dieman’s Cloudburst (Inkcredible Colours)

— December Journal/Planner Set-Up: Phase 1 (The Well-Appointed Desk)

— Year End Pens: December Blues (Line Variation)

— distracting: kwz stardust blue fountain pen ink (a fleeting ripple)

— Montblanc 145 Classique S Nib Fountain Pen Review 4K (Blake's Broadcast)

— Pens I bring on vacation part 2 (idipbananasintocoffee)

— Benu Astrogem Christmas - YouTube (Figboot on Pens)

— Inkvent Exchange: Days 1 - 5 (Cheryl Lindo Jones)

— Discovering the Aurora Marco Polo fountain pen. (Fountain pen blog)

— A chat with Glen Baxter, the “Yorkshire surrealist” who’s spent decades drawing cowboys in strange scenarios (It’s Nice That)

— Jack Parham’s Notebooks (Notebook Stories)

Want to catch the rest, plus extra articles, reviews, commentary, discounts, and more? Try out a Pen Addict Membership for only $5 per month!