Well?... Please do tell. Those of us who could not go would like to experience it vicariously!

How was the attendance this year? Pen selection and prices? Anything remarkable/unusual? Conversations with Nathan Tardiff?


Thanks!
QM2

I was wondering the same thing...anybody please? Or was it so good that you all still recovering?

I was supposed to go, but family situations had to be taken care of.

I thought someone would have posted about the show by now.

Had a grand time. Enjoyed seeing- as always- the pen friends. Came home with 110 extra pens and sold a bunch. Saw a couple rare gems, including but not limited to a Parker 28 slip cap mottled.

regards

d

It seemed well-attended, although the area outside the hotel wasn't exactly alluring. Lots of Parkers for sale, including some vacumatics that looked like they had come out of the factory yesterday (and a woodgrain Waterman 52 that looked like it had come out this morning). People were gathering at Roger from Penoply's table in the corner to watch him work and ask his advice. It was a manageable size, busy but not crowded.

I didn't go to Boston for the pen show at all. Luckily, my wife and daughter were caught up in "Quincy Market" fervor!

I was there with my 14 year old son (because he didn't want to shop with mom and sis), but he was very surprised and happy at the attention many of the attendants of the show were showing him. He went on a "scavenger hunt" and got to learn about magnifying glasses, wooden pen stands, calligraphy, inks, among other things. The merchants were happy to see his interest and gave him the same attention as if he was buying the pens.

There were many tables with their pens showing. Some, like Dr. Isaacson, had literally 2 full tables of pens - I got to pick up a PFM for the first time. I was there in the afternoon for about 1 1/2 hrs before I got the dreaded call to pick them up I was able to pick up a Sheaffer Legacy II with an extra-fine gold nib that writes beautifully. Right before I left, one table was selling everything 1/2 off, except Aurora. all his inks were 1/2 off also (Private Reserve for $ 4) I could have gotten a great deal if I was looking for Waterman.

In the table I bought my Sheaffer, he had put out 2 bowls of unrestored Sheaffers, parkers that were down near the bottom by the time I looked.

Overall, I wished that I would have spoken with the people that I read about here at FPN. Mr. Tardiff was there from Noodler's, Dr. Isaacson among others.

I think I will make time at the next show. I may even think about the Syracuse, NY Pen show. I think my son will like to go also... I believe we have a convert (my 12 yo daughter is already one of us..)

I am new to the FPN and this is my first post. I got here doing a search on "Laban Mento" so this will be on topic but a little long winded.

We attended the NE Pen Show in Somerville, MA yesterday and we had a great time. The dealers were all so helpful and knowledgeable. Grandson Jacob completed the scavenger hunt and won a free fountain pen. Several dealers just gave him pens, some worked, some need repair. That was really very nice and I think young Jacob is in for life. We had Paul Erano's book with us for reference, and to our surprise Paul was at the show and he signed Jacob's book.

I came across a Laban Mento for sale on one of the tables and at first I did not buy it. But as I walked around the room I kept coming back to it, so of course I bought it. Mine has the Iridium "B" nib. This is a huge pen. It is said the pen is mightier than the sword, you could actually hurt someone with this pen if you struck them with it. lticaptd.gif

I will definitely try the nail polish trick in the cap. Seems like an easy fix with no real downside. I don't know much about nibs and would have to actually try them side by side to tell the difference, but the nib supplied seems to work very well. I guess mine is just the basic nib?

My other purchase at the show was a 1970's vintage Montblanc 221. That was to replace a pen I lost in a move last year. Wife Sandra (the Antiques dealer in the family) picked up a very nice old Schaeffer to rehab. We both seem to like the same kind of pens...large celluloid.

We will definitely return to the show next year.

Jim.

Hahaha What, you don't like scenic Somerville??

The orange line subway train wasn't running and I ended up spending way too much time in a shuttle bus, so I was pretty grouchy when I got to the show. I was early despite the transportation glitch, and there were fewer people than usual at the very start of the show. However, the place filled up nicely as the day went on. Got to chat with MaryAnn Zucker (Empire Pens) and bought a new bottle of Baystate from Nathan, who was holding court not far from the entrance to the room. He was selling both Noodler's and his retippred, monster-nibbed pens. Picked up a nice cigar box pen case from Don Fluckinger (Richard's son-in-law whom people seemed to be taking to task, mostly jokingly, for Richard's absence), bought a pen from John Corwin for a friend, who couldn't make the show, and chatted over lunch with tonyv, who used to post here. Saw Dr. I's tables from halfway across the room, but the crowd was gathering around them, so I escaped spending money I didn't have. A lot of modern pen bargains at the other end of the room where the Betram's Inkwell clearance sale was offering 50% off on everything but Aurora, which was 60% off. (I guess the merchandise was what was left from the closing of the Baltimore store.) However, I just gawked, reminding myself not to buy pens I already own in a different color. All in all, a fun time and for once I didn't bankrupt myself.

First time I hear of this. Could you please elaborate? What sort of pens does he sell?...

Long before he started making ink Nathan restored and retipped vintage pens. He created monster music nibs that wrote like magic markers. I thought that he'd given up that aspect of his business, but he had a few pens at the pen show. The nib on the one I saw was absolutely amazing. I don't know if he sells them over the internet anymore or how many he has left. He also had a ED-filling Kaweco pen fitted with a toller tip and a couple of other Nathan Tardif special creations. I didn't look too closely, just got my Baystate Blue and moved on.

This was my first show that I have been to and had a great time. As others said, there was massive eye candy but I did manage to come home with two great pens, one was a Sheaffer Sentinel snorkel filler and the other was a 47' Parker Vacumatic. Both of these are up and running now and write great. I wish I could of stayed longer, but my wife was calling as well and we had a date to go out to eat. I did forget to go back and get a bottle of PR Gray Flannel and maybe some more ink though...

Great show and it was cool to shake hands with people like David and Nathan while I was there.

Pictures from the New England (Boston) Pen Show 2008

In no particular order...

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pix19 My Parker 51 going under the knife!


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Dave,

Thank you for posting the photos.

I wonder if any of the FPN members can identify himself or herself in the photos.

purpledog

Thanks for posting the photos.

And, whoa! Was that a 16-oz bottle of Heart of Darkness on Nathan's table??

Thank you so much for posting those : )

Remembering last year's show and now seeing these photos, I have a question: Why do so many pen people wear the khaki-colored vests? Is it for practical reasons (storage of extra nibs and cartridges?..), or is it a FP-world fashion statement I've just not been hip to? (Not mocking, it is a sincere question! I like the vests.)

Also: who is the seller with the purple v-neck sweater and gray-blue baseball cap with an orange #2 on it? he is in several of the vendor photos, and in the close-ups you can see a case full of flat top silver overlays in front of him?..

And Nathan's table -- Wow, those are some enormous ink bottles!.. There were also some silver-overlays on his table, I wonder if those are with the monster nibs??..

QM2

bush/photo vests have many pockets.

regards

david

I'd guess it's closer to a 32 oz bottle.

Heh, I never was any good at judging weights and measures. It just looked the size of a bottle of pop. Hm, I guess even those are edging 20 oz these days.

Yep! I found my mugshot!



BTW, it was 32oz I had asked that myself!

Yes, photographers and gun people use them for that reason. But specifically FP people: do you keep spare parts in the pockets rather than in a case/bag? Do you actually store pens in the pockets? Sorry if this seems like a trite question, but I am honestly wondering what specific function is useful in this garment for FP owners/sellers/repairers. If you wear the vest, are you actually able to fit a sufficient amount of pens and tools in it so as to forgo carrying a bag altogether? I would love it, if someone designed a vest for women that would look decent and could contain all my stuff that I usually must carry in my bag. But I think that is an impossibility from the pov of contemporary design options.

Hi,

At pen show i carry:

Cash
Loupe(s)
Often MANY pens (i buy a bunch at once, stick in pockets)
Might have Passport
Vac-Jewel Remover
Nib Smoothening materials
Camera
Cell Phone
Tissue
etc

regards
david