Seeking Pen Show Enlightment :-)

September 20, 2016

I have been collecting and using fountain pens since college (say, 30+ years) but have yet to go to a pen show. With Boston Commonwealth show on next weekend, I have been thinking that it may be fun to go, but then started wondering whether this particular smaller venue is mostly about buying vintage pens from the vendors. I am not really looking for anything in particular at the moment, and since the pens I like are usually fairly expensive, over the years I have been fortunate enough to hunt them down on various "for sale" boards at significant discounts. I grind my own nibs well, and do basic tuning and repair for myself and my friends, so that is also not a draw. I have no valuable pens I would like to trade away, but have a few inks I would love to sell, yet I am not sure how that would happen at a show. Of course it would be fun to meet fellow enthusiasts, but apart from that what else goes on at the smaller shows like Boston? Please forgive my ignorance, and enlighten me!

Cheers,

Pendel

:-)

September 21, 2016

Please do go. I have not been to the Boston show, but it is good to talk to vendors and other fp enthusiasts. There is usually something there for everybody - from new to vintage pens.

Please let us know how it went!

Erick

September 21, 2016

Seeing pens you may not otherwise see, and talking to people that you would not otherwise be able to talk to.

IOW, GO.

September 21, 2016

How small can Boston be? Just go. If you say you buy expensive pens, people will sell you expensive pens. They were probably bringing them anyway, since space and time are limited, and cheap pens take up almost as must space. You might see pens you've never heard of.

September 21, 2016

People are mentioning SEEING a large variety of pens. Don't forget that it's a great opportunity to TRY a huge variety of pens/nibs and possibly inks (after all, Nathan/Noodlers is expected to be there). Most vendors will let you dip test any of their wares.

September 21, 2016

Hmm... Thank you for all of your comments! Very tempting. Even though I am not much into vintage pens (apart from a few Parkers and Pelikans), it may be nice to see others in "real life", even if I can't afford to buy the larger models that I fancy. Meeting the folks is a big attraction, but as I am not a regular attendee, it may be a bit like a first date at the start :-) All in all, I think I am convinced that I should make the trip.

See you there!

:-)

Pendel

Edited September 21, 2016 by Pendel

September 24, 2016

Yes, please join us at the show. If it is similar to last year there will be some sellers with new and newer (modern) pens. I know I will have some new pens, although nothing really expensive in my new stuff.

Yes, Nathan will be there with three special "Show" inks. BTW, there are supposed to be 23 vendors there this year. Also, I think Richard Binder will be there and a nice array of people with a wide range of knowledge. If you like talking pens, ink, paper and ephemera there should be a range of stuff available for viewing and talk.

Finally, I think we had a moderately large number of attendees.

Look forward to having you visit my booth and say hello.

Will PM you.

September 24, 2016

Please do go. I have not been to the Boston show, but it is good to talk to vendors and other fp enthusiasts. There is usually something there for everybody - from new to vintage pens.

Please let us know how it went!

Erick

Will do!

:-)

September 27, 2016

Please do go. I have not been to the Boston show, but it is good to talk to vendors and other fp enthusiasts. There is usually something there for everybody - from new to vintage pens.

Please let us know how it went!

Erick

So, here is my report. Let me start by saying that I am missing a diplomatic gene, and that what I am offering is my personal take, straight up. Before I start, let me thank all of the folks here who encouraged me to go to the show.

The show was basically a cross between an upscale flea market and a hands-on museum experience. It was wonderful to be able to see some of the near-mythical pens that I have only heard of, and to be able to touch them, if not to write with them (since it was perfectly clear that I would not be shelling out between $1K to $5K for a Torelli, a 58, a Kullock Millenium MB, or for some absolutely amazing modern silver overlays upon vintage pen bodies).

The place was very busy before lunch, with a lot of bumping and jostling for positions near the tables. By 2 P.M. there was a lot more room to see, but by then obviously a number of pens have been sold off.

I really enjoyed chatting with Jonathan Steinberg and Andy Beliveau (but alas could not afford any of their wonderful pens that caught my eye). Jonathan’s Ariel Kullock Millenium MB149 and Henry Simpole’s early Onoto were some of my favorites at the show.

I had a few quick repartees with Jeff Krasner, who proved too popular to have had time to sell to me some of the loose "monster nibs" he had advertised (I am always on the lookout for the flexxy nibs (but not flexxxxy!) that are close in size to modern #6 units, so that I can couple them with the hard rubber feeds I hack for Bock and JoWo units).

I was lucky to grab a few of Jay Potter's Tomoe River notebook seconds (wonderful things these are!), and to hear about the process of creating a modern silver overlay over a vintage Waterman's pens by a great fellow whose name I am failing to recall at the moment (so sorry, friend!).

I did buy a bottle of the special Noodlers bulletproof blue ink that Nathan Tardif brought to the show, but alas did not get to try a Neponset, as none of them were offered for ink trials. Unfortunately I find the ink disappointing, now that I have tried it in a few pens; it seemed more exciting at the show, but is fairly boring in reality, at least without the black light shining on it. I would take Kon-Peki over it any day.

My sense is that one could have some fairly good deals on the middle of the road vintage pens, but the prices on the higher end instruments did not strike me as at all attractive. I did not find any bargains on the pens that peaked my interest. Perhaps the vendors were more open to reducing prices towards the end of the day, but I did not sense any urgency on their part to sell the better pens at the show. Again, this is quite natural, given the exposure the vendors can have online.

Overall, my experience was very positive, and I felt the time was well-spent and enjoyable. I loved the conversations and the tidbits of information that were shared by the experts. Clearly as one attends more shows and becomes a more known part of the community, the shows become even more enjoyable. I am hoping that the Boston show will go on strong, and that the one next year will be at least as good if not better than the one I have attended last weekend.

Cheers,

Pendel

:-)

Edited September 27, 2016 by Pendel

September 27, 2016

Glad you came away with a positive impression of the show.

In my experience, the first show is a learning experience. Now that you know what to expect, next year should be better. That was my experience at the San Francisco show, where I was overwhelmed at the first show.

Yes, those looking for a specific pen will go EARLY. It is the old saying "the early bird gets the worm."

September 27, 2016

I haven't tried my bottle of the blue ink but, when I was there, there wasn't any black light shining on the blue ink and it looked pretty nice. I hope one of the hardcore inksters do an in-depth review of it.

Edited September 27, 2016 by Lloyd

September 28, 2016

I haven't tried my bottle of the blue ink but, when I was there, there wasn't any black light shining on the blue ink and it looked pretty nice. I hope one of the hardcore inksters do an in-depth review of it.

I was being facetious about the black light; at the show it was intended for the other two inks, but I still fail to see why one would want to have an ink that glows in black light, unless one was showing off penmanship at a disco club...

:-)

Edited September 28, 2016 by Pendel