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I want to thank the Dallas Pen Collectors and all of the exhibitors at the Dallas Pen Show this past September 26-27. It was my very first time at a pen show and I learned quite a bit. First, with older eyeballs, I should have brought with me both my reading glasses (which I generally don't need for reading) and a 10x loupe together with a small flashlight. There were some un-restored vintage pens that grabbed my interest but I found that I was not really in a position to make an offer or otherwise negotiate a deal because, not being able to make a valid inspection, I was totally unprepared. Also, I should have spent time before the show, making a list of items that I should be looking for and perhaps should have had my pen inventory spreadsheet on my phone as a reference. In spite of my failings, the show was definitely worth the 3 1/2 hour drive and the venue, the Hilton-Doubletree Dallas Galleria Hotel, is a really nice location. My wife and I truly enjoyed the show and plan to attend next year...fully prepared. Oh, and a travel note to anyone driving in from outside Texas and the Southeast. After 3 1/2 years living in Texas we finally stopped at a Buc-ee's and left there kicking ourselves for having not taken others' advice to visit one sooner. Wow! 'Great fuel prices and more food options than a weight conscious person ought to have...and then there's the gift shops. Cliff