I find FPN a very friendly community and an excellent resource, and I like the idea of giving back.
This year, I have two Stipula pens that I no longer want, and which I would like to give away via FPN, to two winners.
WHAT CAN YOU WIN?
One of two Stipula pens.
WHO CAN ENTER?
Anyone. But, if you already have a Stipula pen, please think twice before entering.
HOW CAN YOU ENTER?
Write a comment in this thread, containing two pieces of information: 1) Which pen you are going for; 2) Why you want that pen and not the other one.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
- Enter by the end of Wednesday 21 December; that is, by 23:59 on that day, wherever you are.
- Shortly thereafter I shall assign all entrants a number and pick one winner for each pen using a random number generator.
- I shall then announce the winners on this thread and contact them via PM. I shall probably post off the prizes in the week commencing 26 December, though it may be a little later.
- Winners who do not respond to me VIA PM by the end of December forfeit their prize and I shall draw another winner.
- I will cover the cost of standard (non-tracked, non-insured) postage anywhere in the world; if you want registered mail, we can discuss the cost bilaterally.
THE PRIZES
Xalegrafica Alpha
Thin plastic pen made to look like vintage black hard rubber, with a push-button filling-system on the side, the button being held in place by a flat band (in practice, a little like a crescent filler). The nib is steel and probably a Fine. The cap is the same material and has no clip. Elegant, classic styling. Posts well and is nicely-balanced. I’ve had it for a few years and have only ever used it once, as I didn’t really get on with it. I think it wrote OK, but it is too thin for my above-average-sized hands, and the button-filler sticking out of the side makes it impractical. As far as I know, the Alpha is one of a line of Xalegrafica models that Stipula made for the Italian market, to pay homage to various vintage designs.
I Castoni, Tiger’s Eye (I think that's the model)
Translucent brown-and-grey barrel (acrylic?), with a metal section and a steel medium italic/stub nib. The cap is metal and has what looks like a tiger’s eye stone in the clip. Cartridge filling system (standard international, no converter with pen). The pen does post, but the metal cap makes it ridiculously unbalanced. The barrel has no marking – the only identifier is the Stipula branding on the nib. I know I’ve used it at least twice, but not for a while and I don’t remember the writing experience: it probably wrote fine, but as I like posting my pens, my abiding memory of using it is its unbalanced nature. As far as I know, there are various colours in the Castoni range, and most use matching materials for the cap and barrel, making a metal cap a little unusual.