2016 La Pen Show Report

[AltecGreen]

Purple




I was told there is a new Lamy Safari color.




Modern Conklin Word Gauge pen




Nice straightforward pen. Delta Intesa.



Less straightforward. Delta Magnifica



These are not fountain pens but still pretty cool. RikWil TwinCoil



Taccia urushi pens






Some fun pics.


Copies of Pen World being prepared for Sunday. Heh Heh Heh



Joi finally got her custom overlay from Brett. This thing can kill small mammals.



One of Greg’s oranges tried to make an escape.




This is what it looks like from behind the table. I had to man the PCA table for a bit.




I was bored while manning the table so took this shot. This is what it looks like being a dealer.\




Umm……that’s not quite the effect we were going for, the impaled look.

[AltecGreen]

Late afternoon on Saturday












In memory of Saul Kitchener








So normally, I would be posting pictures of the PCA reception and the Kenro event right after but………I had to meet a friend in Hollywood. So no pictures. I heard things went well. It was good for me to get away from the show anyways. So instead you get this coverage.


I went to meet my friend Matt Rotunda, the proprietor of Pitch Perfect Music to pick-up my new Shindo SPU cartridge that arrived from Japan the week before. I told Matt there was no point in shipping since I’ll be in LA. Besides, I’m buying dinner. Pen people think their hobby is expensive. High End audio laughs at you.



A23 Cinema Hommage Speakers



LM555 midrange driver



SPEC8000 turntable.




Shindo Latour Speakers. I own the twin to this pair.


LM Audio 219 amp and 218 integrated amp


Matt and I went to a LA institution, Canter’s









[

[AltecGreen]

Thanks for posting your great photos, with annotations!

 

David

I've done this report for the last 6-7 years. The last few years I have not posted them on FPN. This year I'm adding videos to enhance the experience.

Edited February 16, 2016 by AltecGreen

[AltecGreen]

Bonus coverage for Saturday.

 

 

[VIDEO]

[/VIDEO]



[VIDEO]

[/VIDEO]

[tknechtel]

Ricky, I love your wrap-up of the show every year – you always show things I missed, like the pen-and-chocolate booth! Thanks for the photos!

[AltecGreen]

LA Pen Show Sunday


What can I say about Sunday at the LA Pen Show that I haven’t said in the past. However, it is always fun to see the reactions of dealers new to Sundays at the LA Pen Show.


This year with all of the activity I was tired by Sunday. It does’t help that I’m also RPS, Ricky Parcel Service, and transporting things for others. So I was running around Sunday making sure I got everyone’s stuff, close down the PCA table, do an interview,…. So I’ll finish Sunday with some random pictures.



Set-up around 7:30 am






Bryant’s empty pen trays. A much cleaner look




What is it with citrus this year?










Sunny had these for sale




Don’t we all buy pens?

[AltecGreen]

Pen World was ready




Chris is ready


These guys are ready













The pens are ready
[





The tools are ready.



Greg’s cookies were ready and delicious

[AltecGreen]

The first people to pay. Before 8:00am I think.



The line grows. It took a while for the line to start because it was cold outside.



More line







Out the door



Down the street




The duck is ready



And we’re off. Someone was desperate to be first for something.


















Bryant photobombs me

[AltecGreen]

After an hour, there was still a long line to get in








Some random Sunday shots


The PCA



Michael Sull



Wave back







The Karas Custom guys

[AltecGreen]

Bright



Ma and Pa




Love the old ink bottles




A modern Kamakura Bori pen by Danitrio. Very nice!



The new acrylic nib blocks.



Someone was bored



Beautiful desk set



Creative use of table space. Control the water coolers.
[


Chinese brush set. Very nice.





It was an interesting show. The issues with the ballroom on Thursday and Friday set a tone for the show. It did affect how I viewed the show and how I took pictures. In the end, it was a great show for me and I bought way too much stuff. We’ll have to wait and see if there any lingering effects. The events on Thursday and Friday did overshadow some other emerging issues. There is concern about where the next generation of pen enthusiasts will come from. The older and more senior members of the community are asking these questions openly. The pen manufacturers are recognizing this. You are seeing less of the over the top LE pens and the makers of such pens have seen soft sales this past year. Celebrity seems to have a powerful affect among the new users. Vendors with social media savvy and bloggers are commanding attention. You look at the tables and those with a following (fans) are doing well while other languish. Of course, all of this is completely disconnected with the hardcore vintage crowd which does its own thing (for now).

[AltecGreen]

The line
[video=youtube_share;2lpOfql4kp8]

The rush
[video=youtube_share;96vGovM9Xy8]

Edited February 16, 2016 by AltecGreen

[Joban]

Thanks for the report. You made me feel like I was there at the show.

[AltecGreen]

The ballroom in the afternoon on Sunday
[video=youtube_share;nSZQSDFbu38]

[Cryptos]

What kind of prices do regular vintage pens command at a show like this. Asking because quite frankly I find the images depressing in the extreme. If you lived here you would know what this means.

[FarmBoy]

What kind of prices do regular vintage pens command at a show like this. Asking because quite frankly I find the images depressing in the extreme. If you lived here you would know what this means.

What vintage pen. I may be able to provide some selling prices.

[OCArt]

Not to highjack this thread but I'd be interested in the price range for a Pelikan 100n?

Thanks

[Cryptos]

What vintage pen. I may be able to provide some selling prices.

 

Just the general trend compared with, say, average selling prices on eBay. Are prices pitched at a fair level at the shows? What price, for example, for a decent condition Morrison "the Tourist".

 

Sorry, EoC shouldn't have looked. These pictures are crushing.

[zaddick]

Ricky - thank you for another great report. I appreciate all the time, care, and detail you provide. The picture both make me sad I was not able to go and happy I was not able to spend all my property tax and mortgage money on pens.

 

I hope you are luring your friends from Stylo Art back to SF. I stared at those pictures for a long while.

[Cryptos]

What are the urushi pens in post #8?

[mehandiratta]

Amazing Coverage.... Loved it