(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)
I have too many pens. I hear pen addicts all around the world immediately objecting, “You can never have too many pens!” But I have too many. I can’t use all of them. I can’t seem to keep them clean. They multiply like rabbits in my home office. It’s overwhelming.
So, I decided to take a penventory of my collection. My goals: (1) Clean all the currently inked pens (of which there are too many), (2) begin updating my database inventory of all my pens, (3) determine which pens are definitely keepers, (4) set aside pens that need repair or nib work, and (5) decide which pens to sell or give away.
Step 1: Cleaning
I have been very bad at pen maintenance over the past six months. Instead of cleaning pens before inking new ones, I just kept inking and rotating pens into various pen boxes, cases, and pen rolls. This is not a good system because it’s not a system at all. So, I wound up with 33 inked pens to clean. (For tips on pen cleaning see this post).
It took me all morning, but I cleaned the pens in two batches.
Now that the pens are clean, I can store them in pen boxes and try to keep only five or six pens inked at one time. That’s all I can carry in my pen case, so it makes sense to limit myself to five. Perhaps every two weeks I can change the pens out--cleaning the inked pens, storing them, and selecting five to six different ones to use. A new good habit to start, yes?
Step 2: Group the pens by brand, photograph (groups and individual pens), and update my database
I decided to group the pens by brand, rather than, say, color, to determine which brands are most appealing to me. Perhaps I have too many pens from one particular brand and I could downsize. I also wanted to see if there were some brands that I’d like to expand on in my collection. I know. I have too many pens, but if I sell pens I don’t love and use, then I can add a few pens that I know I will use, such as another Leonardo, maybe? The addiction is real, folks.
Clearly my favorite brands are:
Nakaya
Yes. I love me some Nakaya. I actually sold a few Nakayas last year, believe it or not. But I sold them so I could buy a Dorsal Fin 2 in Heki-Tamenuri (review coming soon). I prefer the earth-toned Nakayas, and I absolutely love the nibs.
Platinum
I didn’t realize I had so many Platinum pens. It makes sense, however. Platinum pens have the same nibs as Nakayas but they are much less expensive, especially when you purchase acrylic models. Still, they are lovely, and I enjoy writing with them.
Sailor
So, I went on a Sailor spree last year right after I told a pen friend, “You know, I just don’t like Sailor pens. They seem kind of cheap looking, and the nibs are scratchy.” Who’s eating crow now? I am. It started with the Tequila Sunrise--those colors! Then I discovered the joys of the architect nib ground from a zoom nib. Then I saw a turquoise Sailor I had to have. And, oh my gosh! BLUE! Now I have six Sailors. Crow.
Montblanc
Montblanc is one of those divisive brands--love, hate, snipe about the “precious resin” and the snowflake or snow cap or whatever it is. But I love Montblanc. It’s not reasonable or rational or based on the supposed “elite” status of the brand. I just love writing with these pens. I have a glorious Agatha, a Virginia Woolf, a 1970s 149 I named Walter (review here), a 146 with a flex nib, the 1912 Heritage, and the 75th Anniversary 149. I used to own others, including a Dumas that I wish I hadn’t sold. I realized when I took the photo that all my Montblancs are black. Oops. I’m definitely thinking about replacing that Dumas just to shake things up a bit. More pens!
Pilot
I own several different Pilots: a Custom Heritage 92, a Custom 912 with a Falcon nib, a Custom 823, and three Vanishing Points. The nibs on every Pilot I own are superb, especially the medium nib on my 823. The Falcon nib is fantastic. Although Vanishing Points aren’t for everyone, they are terrific for students and professors. I love having a VP with me when I’m teaching, especially in discussion-based classes. I can click the pen to write down comments and click when I’m not using it. It’s so much easier than capping and uncapping.
Clearly my preferences are for Japanese brands and one European brand: Montblanc. I’ve kept a few Pelikans but have sold off most of them from my collection. I think nib quality issues on modern Pelikans has turned me off from the brand.
Franklin-Christoph pens are some of my favorites, especially with fun nibs like the SIG and the new flex nib. I also love their acrylics, especially the diamond fleck blue (review coming soon!)
I own several TWSBIs, mainly because they are great for testing inks and they are so easy to clean.
I got on a PenBBS kick this summer, so I now own three of them, but the nibs are exactly the same--fine with no line variation. They are pictured with a couple of fabulous Omas pens and a totally unique Danitrio.
Top to Bottom: Omas Ogiva Vodka, Omas Israel, three PenBBS pens, Danitrio
And I own just one piece from several different different brands: Kanilea, Danitrio, Laban, Leonardo, etc. I’m a big fan of Leonardo pens and there are several I’d like to buy: the Furore Deep Purple and the Momento Zero Grande Caraibi for example. More pens!
Top to Bottom: Kanilea Hanauma Bay, Lamy 2000, Shawn Newton, Leonardo Hawaii, Scriptorium Burkina, Waterman Edson Sapphire
Top to Bottom: Armando Simoni Pavarotti, Aurora 88, Kaweco Student, Conway Stewart, Laban, Opus 88
Updating my database will take some time. I use TapForms (reviewed here), and I need to import fresh photographs, add information on pens I bought in 2019, and update listings of all the pens that I sold.
Step Three: Determine which pens are keepers
I know for sure that I’m keeping all the Nakayas and my Danitrio. I definitely want to keep all my Montblancs except, perhaps, the 75th Anniversary since I prefer writing with my older 149. I went crazy buying Sailors last year, and I surely don’t need to keep all of them, but I’m not ready to part with any of them quite yet. The Kanilea, Leonardo, and Lamy 2000 are all staying. So far, it seems I’m really good at keeping pens, but I’m not making any progress on the letting go bit.
Step Four: Set aside pens that need repair or nib work
I have a gorgeous Shawn Newton in vintage tiger acrylic that started leaking badly. So, that needs to go in for repair. I think the sac on my Parker 51 is screwed up and I’ll need to send that in. My Montblanc 146 had a luscious flex nib that I botched up when I used a plastic template guide to address my daughter’s graduation announcements. I’d like to get my MB Virginia Woolf medium nib ground into a stub and my Sailor Tequila Sunrise needs some smoothing and maybe an italic grind.
Step Five: Decide which pens to sell or give away
Ugh. This is the hard part. I’m pretty sure I will sell my Montblanc 75th Anniversary pen. It’s gorgeous, but I prefer writing with my other 149. I also plan to sell my Armando Simoni Pavarotti (review here). Although it is a beautiful pen and the nib is terrific, it’s not a pen that I use often. Aside from those two pens, I’m struggling to decide on others to sell or give away. I don’t use my Scriptorium Burkina much, but the celluloid is so unique that I can’t part with it. I’ve tried selling my Omas Israel, but no one seems interested in it, and it’s such a perfect pen for a Hebrew professor like me. That leaves many of the less expensive pens that are hardly worth selling once you take into account PayPal fees and shipping. Oh my! I can hear myself rationalizing keeping most of my pens. What a surprise, right?
So, dear readers, I’ve achieved most of my goals. I cleaned my pens. I began the process of updating my pen database. I determined which pens are keepers (alas, most of them). I set aside the pens that need work. And I found two pens I might be willing to sell. I wish I could part with more, but it’s a start.
If you were me, which of my pens would you sell and why? You’re welcome to make suggestions in the comments! As an addict, I could really use some help getting rid of some pens and I am so indecisive.
Are you doing a penventory as we begin a new year? If not, it might be a good thing to do before all the pen shows begin and the announcements of new models come out and the coveting burns hot again.
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