2019: A Year In Review

[PenBuyer1796]

So 2019 has come and gone, what have you been able to add to your collection?

[JotterAddict62]

A number of Parker FP's, Jotter's & pencils from 4 local auctions this year. [ Janesville WI. ] Keeping some, sold some, selling more. For me it is in the chase of hunting down anything Parker [ & other vintage brands ]. Standing out in the rain and cold to bid on the prizes of the day. Just ask FarmBoy, I sold some pens to him this year and going to sell him some more soon.

[taimdala]

Ooh! DANGEROUS questiom.

 

(looks both ways ...)

 

 

Lamy Bronze LE

Platinum Procyon: Turquiose, Deep Sea, Citron Yellow

Conklin: 120th Anniversary Blue Marble/Rose Gold; Goulet Exclusive Blue Night

Rosetta: Magellan Blue Marble

Birmingham Pens: Sixth Avenue TK-421

Esterbrook SJ: Red and Blue with various Esterbrook nibs purchased separately

TWSBI: Diamond 580 RBT, Eco in Transparent Orange and Purple

Caran d'Ache: 849

Vintage: several from a pen show

 

Busy acquisitive year.

[langere]

No way I'm telling!

 

Erick

[praxim]

I had a quiet year, having pretty much what I need, and sold or gave away a couple as well. I added only one each of some favourite brands: vintage Onoto and Pelikan, and a 1990 S T Dupont. I stocked up on vintage Soenneckens to create a small collection and added a couple each of Santini and Visconti as new pens. Ink was at least as much purchased, and I picked up two single-pen cases from modern Onoto. I bought some different brands of journals to try their papers. It was quite a fruitful year, less busy than the previous couple.

 

I also put a line through the names of two sellers I had used previously.

[seoulseeker]

 

So 2019 has come and gone, what have you been able to add to your collection?

Gone: TWSBI diamond 580 which finally died, Faber Castell Carbon Basic (binned since the rubberized cap started to feel nasty all these years later)

 

Added: Parker Vacumatic Emerald, MB 149

Edited December 15, 2019 by PenStand

[Misfit]

I think I would be like Erick, and not admit to my purchases. I used to do a better job keeping track of the order I bought pens in. I guess I slacked off on that. I remember at the end of February, I rewarded myself for completing InCoWriMo by buying a Jinhao x750 Shimmering Sands on eBay. I got the Mint Glaze Lamy Safari, as well as the bronze Al-Star, and recently got a Lamy Studio FP.

 

I got 3 TWSBI Ecos, 6 Nemosine pens (5 Singularities, and 1 Fission), 2 vintage Esterbrook LJ pens. I tried to buy a Pelikan White Tortoise, but a Global Seller UK on amazon thwarted me.

 

Oh, I got a Moonman M2 recently. I think the Retro 51 frosted Aquamarine was this year. Oh a Kaweco Fox pen. I imagine I left something out, but at least I owned up.

 

Yup, forgot the Opus 88 Picnic pen I got on my birthday.

Edited December 15, 2019 by Misfit

[Noihvo]

 

[A Smug Dill]

Too much to list.

[OmegaMountain]

Eboya Manten I bought on my trip to Japan and an Aurora 88 Minerali. Can't remember if I bought my Pineider Arco this year or at the end of last year...

[sail1942]

In the spirit of giving, I sent a few of my pens to a friend with an interest in fountain pens.

[Mr5x5]

A Ranga ebonite pen from a group buy and a bottle of ink. Got rid of more than I acquired and am trying to get down to only those things that are used and bring joy to my life.

[PAKMAN]

Very busy pen year for me, here is a rundown of what I bought and sold this year!

 

2019 Bought:

Legacy II nib unit

Colorverse Ink Quasar blue

Monteverde Copper Noir ink

GvFC Tamitio black with fine nib bought in Mainz Germany

Lindauer Blue Mini Fountain Pen with m nib Bought in Geissen Germany

Moleskine small journal from Geissen

Gutenberg Ink Konigsblau bought in Mainz at the Gutenberg Museum

Dip Pen/ nib and two note pads from Gutenberg Museum.

Monteverde Horizon Blue

Jinhao 51A Demonstrator Fountain Pen - Blue - Extra-Fine

Parker Duovac ’41 red stripe with flex fine nib

Parker 61 first year teal in pieces fine nib

Parker 180 flighter stainless steel xf and m nibs

Retro 51 Tornado Apollo 11 50th anniversary fountain pen f nib LE#210 of 1151

Traded for bottle of Waterman blue and Iroshiruku tsuki-yo blue at pen club meeting

Pelikan LE M800 Blue Ocean OBB nib

Kulock Parker 51 coin silver f nib

Caran d’Ache Ecridor rhodium chevron fine nib

Sheaffer Imperial Sterling diamond pattern 14k fine nib

Waterman 100 Year fountain pen fine flex and pencil black with box

Parker Duofold Big Red Flat top ’27 in hard rubber med 14k nib

Sheaffer Black OS Balance ’30 14k fine Lifetime nib

Parker Vacumatic Golden Pearl Single Jewel Maxima 14k two tone f nib in trade for coin silver 51

Additive Pens ACP6 laser printed spiral barrel m nib jowo

Broadwell Meteor clip custom wood grained ebonite, Damascus fittings fp med14k Bock nib

Grab and Go pen case

Rhodia Pad

Lamy 2000 blue Bauhaus Limited Edition (#1824 of 1919) Blue xf nib

Lamy Al Star Marron xl nib

Mont Blanc Meisterstück Classique 144 Vermeil oblique m gold nib

Esterbrook Estie Cobalt gold color trim xf stainless steel nib

Parker 75 lacquer

Sheaffer Blue Connoisseur

Pelikan M800

Sheaffer Snorkel Periwinkle

Got free bottle of Pelikan 4001 brilliant red ink

 

2019 Sold:

Parker 51 – special vista blue with sterling empire cap f nib

Parker 51 – 1/10 14k gold filled aerometric f nib

Parker 51 – 1/10 14k gold filled mech pencil set

Parker 75 – Silver filled Barleycorn Pattern b 18k nib

Parker Duofold Jr. – streamlined lapis blue f gold duofold nib

Parker Duofold Jr. – streamlined lapis blue matching pencil set

Parker Duofold – black and pearl golf pencil

Parker Vacumatic – major azure pearl two tone f nib gold arrow nib

Sheaffer Legacy II – copper lacquer stub inlayed gold nib

Sheaffer Legacy II – copper lacquer matching ball point set

Krone Viceroy 18k M nib

TWSBI – Diamond 540 demonstrator with xf steel nib

KoniKor technical pen gave away

40 Pen leather pen case

40 Pen cloth pen case

Pelikan pen sleeve

Parker 45 nib

Parker Duo-vac ’41 red stripe

Visconti Opera Master SE Typhoon Santa Fe XV #3/40 Conical b nib

Pen Box

Parker 51 Coin Silver Arial Kulock traded to for single jewel Parker Vac Maxima golden pearl

Visconti Wall Street red striped f gold nib

Parker MS Parker 180

Parker 75 Gold filled Milleraies Pattern 66 m 14k nib

Parker 75 Gold filled Milleraies Pattern BP

Parker Duofold Sr blue striped Vacumatic bp conversion

Montverde Invincia carbon fiber and chrome f-m stainless steel nib

Duofold Sr. flattop lucky curve “Big Red” f nib

Venus FP

Waterman 100 Year fountain pen fine flex 14k nib

Waterman 100 Year black pencil with box

Ink well

Parker 75 lacquer

Sheaffer Blue Connoisseur

Pelikan M800

Sheaffer Snorkel Periwinkle

[senzen]

Unexpectedly my holly grail and most wanted: Pelikan m605 in solid blue and not one but two Carènes. Even with my utilitarian soul and focus on inks I can't help feeling giddy.

 

[sandy101]

I added a Platinum Izumo to the collection with a lovely broad nib.

 

I also added a Parker 51 - with a lovely nib, the one I'd had before (it disappeared) had a scratchy one and I was wondering wha tthe fuss was about.

 

I bought a Parker sonnet SE 2018 - I didn't intend to, but it was there in the shop with 50% off, followed by another 20%. I tried the nib in the shop, and bought it straight away. The 18K nib was lovely, so I bought it. It is my EDC for now, and Parker Quink does not seem to work OK with Moleskine (I have a number of Moleskine journals from years back) so I have

 

I just added a Mabie Todd Swan 6241 from the 30's (?) - it has a semi-flexible nib, so I'm hoping to try some copperplate or spencerian (whichever works best for me) over the Xmas break.

 

More importantly, I attended the London Pen Club and arranged two pen meet-ups in Reading.

 

I learnt so much going to these - people share pens, papers and inks so you get to try different pens, or the same pens with different nib sizes and so on. With bricks and mortar stores being out of reach for many people I recommend you try and have a meet-up to share resources. An pen meet between two or three people can be educational - and you don't have the pressure to buy/sell that you might get in a pens show. So, I'd certainly recommend trying it out - either visit a pen club or establish a meet-up of your own if there isn't one nearby.

 

I also completed NaNowrimo this year with 40,000 words done in fp ink (10,000 on a computer). So now, I found myself in a Writers' group and many in the group use fps and are rather attached to them.

[inkstainedruth]

Congratulations on completing NaNoWriMo! That's quite an accomplishment (I tried doing it last year and after the first few days it turned into an epic fail -- I do much better with NoPoWriMo, because it's smaller, more concrete -- a poem a day, not 50,000 words -- and because it's in the spring, not November when there is just too much going on for me).

As for the year in review overall, my great plan of limiting myself to a pen a month turned into not quite an epic fail... Not as much of a trainwreck as in past years. And in my defense, a lot of this year's acquisitions were pretty inexpensive: one of the Skripserts was a gift; the other one, plus one of the Parker 45s were $5 US apiece, and the other 45 was $4; the Sheaffer Cadet and the the Osmiroid were estate sale sumgais (I think the total between the two of them was three bucks); a 1920s era Sheaffer flat top was $6. The two Vectors were both under $14, including shipping (the Shrek Puss in Boots pen was "OMG I must have that, it's just too much fun!"; and the new one, the four color Geometric NOS pen was part of my Christmas present). The Burgundy Snorkel Sovereign still needs to checked out and maybe have work done on it, but again, it was an estate sale find at $2.

Somewhat more expensive but still in the affordable range were the purple TWSBI 580-ALR, and my OPS find -- a Dove Grey 51 Vac which turns out to be somewhat unusual -- a 1947 T pen (most T pens out there apparently have a 1946 date code). The only fairly high end pen was the Sailor Pro-Gear Slim Purple Cosmos with a zoom nib, but I saved some by buying it from Cult Pens in the UK.

In addition to the pens I got a bunch of replacement converters for some of the c/c pens (and just figured out that with the new Vectors I will need MORE); I also got some nib work done at the Commonwealth Pen Show in September on last year's sumgai Forest Green 51, so now the EF nib is not scratchy.

I have one more relatively inexpensive pen in my sights, but I'll have to see it in person before I absolutely make up my mind as to whether it's going to be an acquisition or not....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[ENewton]

The only pen I bought this year was one I am not sure even counts: a Sailor Fude de Mannen, which I thought I could use for ink reviews, angling the pen to create lines of different widths.

[Runnin_Ute]

Five purchased during 2019. A Lamy Al Star Pacific, two Pelikan Jazz Elegance (later gave the black one away and kept the whote one), and a Pelikan 400NN and a M200 Gold Marbled. I also gave away one or two others. A bottle of Edelstein Star Ruby and Robert Oster Astorquiza Olive were also 2019 acquisitions. Finished off a bottle of Diamine Sherwood Green and Sheaffer Skrip Emerald Green.

[WLSpec]

I believe I added a Diplomat Aero Factory, Sailor 1911 L Tangerine, Sheaffer Balance Plunger Filler, Retro '51 Tornado fountain pen with a chrome finish, and several inks that I don't remember!

Edited December 16, 2019 by WLSpec

[mana]

Don't recall buying a single fountain pen this year (a first in ages)... Got a black 24-pen Pelikan hard case and a black IBM branded Pelikan 450 mechanical pencil in almost mint condition with original box (albeit a bit tattered) and papers earlier this year. Bought loads of ink though including bottles of Sailor Souboku, Diamine Eau de Nil, Diamine Alexandrite. Oh, also the set of Pelikan Edelstein inks that I got for arranging the Pelikan Hub here in Helsinki. Those should keep me covered for a while... maybe?