The blog since 2013
261 posts since September 2013 by Nathaniel Cerf: how to start collecting, what happens at the repair bench, inks under the sun, fake Montblancs, and the pens of presidents and writers. "It is a space dedicated to pen lovers old and new."
Not too long ago we were approached by a radio restoration expert named Jaime A. for help on his special 1938 Detrola radio desk set. One of the two Parker Vacumatic trumpets had broken and he needed a replacement. We just so happened to be lucky enough to have a replacement trumpet set. A fully…
One of the things that surprised me most at the Chicago Pen Show discussion, in which some veteran vendors and rookie collectors had some difficulties seeing eye to eye on matters of collecting and navigating a pen show, was that several veteran vendors who are extremely well versed in the history and details about fountain…
Now that veteran vendors and rookie pen collectors are breaking the ice, let’s lend some veteran assistance to the rookies navigating their first pen shows. Your first pen show is bound to be an overwhelming affair. There will be tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of vintage and modern pens. You will find…
DISCLAIMER: Painting in broad brush strokes, it will be nearly impossible to describe all of the individual experiences, personalities, struggles, complaints and desires of veteran vendors and folks who are newer to pen collecting. In listening to the “New Pen Show Attendee Forum” at the Chicago Pen Show–and in many conversations since–these are the observations…
Tensions mounted during an after-hours seminar last month at the Chicago Pen Show. The Pen Addict, Brad Dowdy, and long-time pen collector and publisher Paul Erano held a discussion that was intended to help new pen collectors learn how to navigate their first pen show. It was a brilliant idea and an honest effort to…
If you caught us at the Chicago Pen Show, then you saw our really fun Lamy nib-and-ink-testing station. It was a great opportunity to try each of Lamy’s 7 nib sizes used on their super-popular Safari, AL-Star and Studio pen models. Each of our pens was loaded with one of the 7 different ink colors…
Big changes this year in Chicago! New venue. New management. More entertainment. This year ThePenMarket.com is hosting a Lamy table at the Chicago Pen Show…in addition to its usual vintage/modern pens table. These Lamys are part of the special new nib-testing station for Lamy. Some of you might know that I’m this year’s marketing director…
Wow! What a show this year in Atlanta! Tons of pen lovers, just as many young as old, all sharing in the inky goodness! We had a heck-of-a-time. It was so much fun seeing our old friends like the great Texas pen trader Joe Lowe and making many new friends. And there was so much…
Pens play a key role in “Hector and the Search for Happiness.” They save the day on more than one occasion. However, if you haven’t heard of this movie, yet, let me introduce you. “Hector and the Search for Happiness” is a warm British comedy that slipped in under my radar in 2014. It is…
With their passion for Parker overriding their desire to kiss under the mistletoe, clearly painter Norman Rockwell understood the obsession of pen collectors around the world. Happy Holidays! Just one look at this vintage Parker ad, and you know that its painter Norman Rockwell understood pen collectors very well. Sure, it might look a little…
In the next several days we will be taking down Yard-O-Led from our “New” pens pages. It is a shame, as we never fully explored them as we had hoped. There was just too much going on to post all of the available models. Recently, we learned our distributor would no longer carry the brand.…
Last-minute shoppers are running out of time to get those orders arriving before Christmas, as this USPS poster indicates. Be forewarned that Friday looks to be our last day to ship merchandise to reasonably expect it to arrive for Christmas when using first class mail. If you use Priority Mail, insurance is included, and you…
