Grail Pens

[Uncial]

There are a few contenders for the Holy Grail as I understand it - the Jerusalem Chalice described by the pilgrim Arculf who blessed his hand before he touched it. Maybe this Bishop wasn't as holy as he thought, for the veneration of the holy object didn't do him much good. On the way home he was shipwrecked, but managed to struggle through the deadly currents to land himself on the beach of the Isle of Iona to be nursed back to health under the auspices of the then Abbot, Adomnan (I have no idea how to get fada over that second 'a' - apologies to the linguists among you). This one is long gone though.

 

Then there is the Valencia chalice - an agate cup set in a huge silver holder that mostly resides behind glass and yellow lighting in the fine cathedral. It's still there;as is the Antioch Chalice in a New York Museum (I think) and possibly the oldest surviving contender. It is a huge lump of silver with lots of relief work on it. Last, but not least, is the salubrious sounding 'Holy Basin' which also happens to be broken in half. I think it's still around somewhere; old and worn yet surely loved by many.

 

'Get to the point!' I hear you cry.The point being that there is more than one contender for the title of the Grail. In the same way, the holy grail of fountain pens has to my mind more than one contender. I know this may sound like sacrilege to some and maybe there is some holy fountain pen writ somewhere that states there must only be one, but I did wonder if anyone else, like me, finds the idea of there being just one grail a little limiting and the idea of multiple grails much more appealing and interesting. For me there are currently three and they all came late to the party,after years of great service from Sheaffer's and Parker's, followed by a slew of cheap Chinese pens and a few more refined choices. They are, in order of appearance, the Conklin Crescent Filler 2NL (which was something of a surprise grail), whose original makers are now long gone; the Pelikan M1000 in green stripe (which took a little while to purchase as it wasn't exactly cheap) and which sits in my creepy glass case in the study under a yellow desk light and the delightful F Scott Fitzgerald from Montblanc which I had drooled over every time I saw it and had convinced myself I would never be able to afford until stumbling over a good deal fairly recently (never give up looking!) which resides in the rather un-salubrious surroundings of the side table where I can reach for it regularly with ease.

 

So, am I horribly mistaken? Is there really only one true grail and I should give up on my little Trinity?

[jar]

There is only one true grail but we always find the almost one true grail.

[ac12]

Don't limit yourself. Set multiple targets it you must.

Me I have a scattered collection. So I would have several "grail pens." One major pen for each major segment of my collection; Parker, Esterbrook, Wahl/Eversharp, Sheaffer, etc. They may not compare well to each other, but for the individual segments they are the prime pens, in my mind.

If you have a more focused collection, like Sarge is focused on Pelikans, then it becomes easier to have just one grail, as there are no distractions from other brands.

[linearM]

I also have a trinity of pens. I'll be happy to purchase just one! They are a Moore L-96 Tuscan, a Wahl Eversharp Doric with adjustable nib, and a Visconti Manhattan in red. Now that's quite a range but I'm putting away a little pen nest egg so that if I encounter any of the three I can pounce. I've decided to stop adding pens and enjoy the collection I have, but one of the grail pens will be my last purchase.

[Z-Tab]

I routinely use more than one pen in a single writing session (highlights, notes, corrections all need their own color), so it'd be too bad if there was only one pen that I really loved using. Fortunately, most of the greats come in more than one finish, so if there's only one pen you love, you can get a variety of that pen.

[Buzz_130]

I stopped looking for the grail and instead focused on enjoying and using the pens I have. If I find a good deal on eBay or a pen show, I'll still take a gamble on a good pen that fits my style or covers a hole in my collection of favorite vintage pen. Life's too short to chase one "one;" enjoy the journey and find the many that you want to be with and use.

 

Buzz

[JonSzanto]

I don't mind people having multiple targets that they refer to as Grail pens. I've always thought that if this term is borrowed, it carries with it the qualities of scarcity, desire, possibly high barrier to access (i.e. costly) and most of all, a pervasive exploration and hunt that can occupy a person for years.

 

As such, it peeves me off when someone says "zOMG, I got my Grail pen, the Lamy 2000 just arrived in the mail!" or some such rubbish. Talk about devaluing the language...

[JonSzanto]

And I said "p.i.s.s.e.s. me off", not peeves. I use the words I prefer to use.

[Uncial]

 

Talk about devaluing the language

 

Yes; I feared I might be doing just this about pens that are quite readily available and which others may not consider in any way exciting. I use all my pens and freely admit to the possibility of having too many, but part of the interest is in looking at others and giving something new a spin which sometimes can result in a surprise.

[JonSzanto]

Yes; I feared I might be doing just this about pens that are quite readily available and which others may not consider in any way exciting. I use all my pens and freely admit to the possibility of having too many, but part of the interest is in looking at others and giving something new a spin which sometimes can result in a surprise.

 

I'm sorry if I gave that impression - my comments were not directed at your initial post, though I now see it would be easy to read it that way. And, to be honest, it must look like a completely subjective "sliding scale" that a person like me would put on the concept, and that a pen that would be difficult to attain (at least financially) for some would be pocket change for others.

 

I *do* still adhere to the concept of a "Grail" as something very remotely, if at all, attainable. A true quest, that could take years and never come to fruition. That said, I'm a realist: I know that the term is common, and especially applied in arenas like the gathering of pens. I don't mourn the loss of the spirit of the word so much in individual cases as in the general sense that... well, what word do we use for the *truly* hard-to-attain?

 

My apologies if my comments seemed specifically directed at you, certainly not my intent.

Edited May 11, 2015 by JonSzanto

[coffe_cup]

Well, am little surprised (probably because I don't read FPN and other fp related boards in English very often) that this term is so widely used according to ... Heh, my love to vintage, antique, historical fountain pens and their history put me in that row, where the Grail pen is Parker Giraffe or Montblanc 129L for example.

 

I am thinkig about a term that would eventually describe such a pens ... "Portrait of a Young Man"? ;-) after Raphael's great painting that disappeared Too long maybe.

[Uncial]

 

I'm sorry if I gave that impression - my comments were not directed at your initial post, though I now see it would be easy to read it that way. And, to be honest, it must look like a completely subjective "sliding scale" that a person like me would put on the concept, and that a pen that would be difficult to attain (at least financially) for some would be pocket change for others.

 

I *do* still adhere to the concept of a "Grail" as something very remotely, if at all, attainable. A true quest, that could take years and never come to fruition. That said, I'm a realist: I know that the term is common, and especially applied in arenas like the gathering of pens. I don't mourn the loss of the spirit of the word so much in individual cases as in the general sense that... well, what word do we use for the *truly* hard-to-attain?

 

My apologies if my comments seemed specifically directed at you, certainly not my intent.

 

Not to worry, I wasn't offended in any way.

[Hector67]

I guess to some FPNs that are into historical/ vintage/ really low numbered Limited Editios pens, there could be a Grail pen. A pen that just doesn´t show up for sale or is extremely hard to obtain. Me, I have a few "trophy" pens (a pen that is somewhat available and obtainable at a price) but I certainly dont have a Grail. I don´t think I would ever buy a pen I dont intend to use, so even though I could save up and purchase a pen I like in pictures, If it is of such a price or looks that would simply make me feel embarrassed to use, I would not buy it, no matter how much I like looking at it.

 

That being said, I think there is a difference that could be stablished between "Trophy pens" and true "Grail pens"

[hbdk]

It's all about the Quest

[AAAndrew]

He says they've already got one.

 

[Aysedasi]

It's verrryyyy nice.......

[The Blue Knight]

I'm not one who likes to use the term grail as it's meaning is has become very broad and to be honest these days means some expensive pen that one finds difficulty in justifying buying.

Edited May 11, 2015 by The Blue Knight

[French]

I believe we each have our own definition of a grail pen. For the college student it may be the Lamy 2000 they have wanted since high school, a pen they had to save, budget and sacrifice for. For those with seemingly limitless discretionary income, it may be the MB Writer's Edition they just saw. I think just as one man's garbage is another's treasure, my grail pen is not necessarily your grail pen. If you have more than 1 grail, that is great. If you have one, also great. The diversity among us is part of what makes this a fantastic forum.

[jar]

My current grail fountain pen is the Jim Gaston Sheaffer sandblasted copper Legacy 2 at a price I can afford. There were only 300 of them to start with so they simply don't show up all that often. I have the other three, the Cobalt Blue, Matte Black with gold cap and the bright finish Lined Gold and it would be nice to have all four of the versions.

[penrivers]

Well.i have the Parker 51, the Sheaffer snorkel with the triumph nib, I think right now in a Parker duofold lucky curve 1928 in orange, a Targa, and that's all

for now.