Penspotting In The Wild (Aka Real Life)

[Fabienne]

Last night, my husband and I were at The Mercantile Library in Cincinnati for the Niehoff Lecture featuring author Ann Patchett (Bel Canto, to This Is The Story Of A Happy Marriage). I was sitting behind a lady who was taking copious notes with a yellow Lamy. It had to have an XF nib as she was writing very small, and Lamy has famously broad nibs. I did work up my nerve and ask her if that was her Lamy and she said yes and that she liked it. I got the impression that she didn't want to have a long conversation about it, which is fine. I was just tickled pink that there was a fellow fountain penner in Our Fair City. I did tell her that there was a Fountain Pen Club in town but more to tell her that she was not alone.

 

Good times.

[Icywolfe]

I've only seen a few Crosses in the wild and those were the super cheap quality ones. And they would only use it to sign papers.

 

While most people when they stop riting they still keep it uncapped, I cap it instantly I stop. Which will make strangers who pen spot in the wild have a indentifing what I have.

 

But I did have somebody ask me if my pen was a Montblanc pen. I was using my Justus95. So for some odd reason I said "No, but this is even better" then on what I was writing I did a small bit of flexy writing.

Edited October 20, 2014 by Icywolfe

[Mr. JW]

A few weeks ago, I was standing at the security desk in my building and I noticed the guy next to me had a Caran d'Ache in his shirt pocket. So I got up the nerve and asked him about it. He said that he had just gotten it from Bromfield Pen Shop. Only time I've ever met another user in the wild.

[dornblaser]

I have recently gone back to school later in life, the seminary, and I see fountain pens every day. Lots and lots of Lamy Safari's. Lamy's and Moleskine's are a very popular combo. A Pilot Cutom 74 on Tuesday afternoons. And, a couple of inexpensive pens that I don't recognize. Outside of the seminary, look around the private waiting rooms at airports, e.g. - the United lounge, and you will see fountain pens regularly (I am guessing because there are tables to write on in the lounges).

Edited October 20, 2014 by dornblaser

[foamy]

I noticed an editor at work had a small collection laid out next to her writing pads and got into a conversation with her about them. Now when she gets a new pen, she lets me try it out and vice-versa.

[Cordovian]

I have yet to see a fountain pen in the wild that wasn't one that I had either gifted or sold to the person using it...and I do watch for them. Sort of depressing.

[Tasmith]

Saw Dick Cheney using a Pilot Vanishing Point at his wife Lynne's book signing of her new James Madison biography a few months ago.

 

My dentist's receptionist spotted me using a Waterman Kultur and mentioned she used fountain pens in school.

[sail1942]

I was in a restaurant near Windsor Castle recently and saw a woman using a LAMY Safari. She was in a "meeting" with other people so I didn't approach them. I did notice that the local stationary chain store sells LAMY pens.

[dragos.mocanu]

Nothing thus far...people around me seem contempt with their forgettable ballpoint pens...

[SujiCorp12345]

Nothing thus far...people around me seem contempt with their forgettable ballpoint pens...

Content?

[Yehenara]

My doctor has a nice collection of Safaris. Just last month, he was showing me a new Faber Castell pen he bought.

[sirgilbert357]

I've only ever seen the occasional Mont Blanc, a few Cross ball points and ONE, just one, Cross fountain pen.

 

Here in the USA, at least, I feel most people under the age of 40 are more into either the cheap and disposable or don't care at all (and probably just use whatever their workplace buys them). I literally always have a pen on my person, and as of late, have four (three additional in my work bag).

The last time I let an early 20 something girl use my FP, she didn't know how to hold it and started to write with the SIDE of the nib, LOL. I quickly corrected that...sad really. Things get bumped to "the past" so easily now; we are too fast paced for our own good I think.

[Cordovian]

Nothing thus far...people around me seem contempt with their forgettable ballpoint pens...

 

Content?

Freudian slip?