My first time at a pen show: recommendations?

[GreenVelvet]

I think I am going to attend my first pen show later this month (NE Pen Show in Boston). Since so many FPN members are experienced pen-show attendees, I thought I'd bounce this question off you folks. What do you wish you had known when you went to your first pen show? I am curious about little things like whether I should bring cash or can pay with a credit card, but also other more subtle things like "if I see something I really like, should I snatch it up or shop around?" etc. Is anyone open to haggling or are prices set? Bring a pen case to be ready for purchases? That sort of thing.

 

Any advice or recommendations would be ever so helpful!

[OldGriz]

I think I am going to attend my first pen show later this month (NE Pen Show in Boston). Since so many FPN members are experienced pen-show attendees, I thought I'd bounce this question off you folks. What do you wish you had known when you went to your first pen show? I am curious about little things like whether I should bring cash or can pay with a credit card, but also other more subtle things like "if I see something I really like, should I snatch it up or shop around?" etc. Is anyone open to haggling or are prices set? Bring a pen case to be ready for purchases? That sort of thing.

 

Any advice or recommendations would be ever so helpful!

 

Some vendors do accept credit cards, but they tend to be few and far between if you are looking at vintage pens.... mostly they are the brick and mortar dealers who do shows also..

I would figure on bringing cash.... although dealers will accept checks with ID (I know I do)....

I would also suggest knowing what you are looking for before walking in the door... have a good idea...

Walk the WHOLE show looking at all the tables to see if they have what you want. Ask the vendors about the pens you are interested in and then thank them for the info, tell them you will be back and leave to look at other tables...

You may very well find what you want at a less expensive price from another vendor....

Virtually all the vendors will be more than happy to talk to you, after all they want to sell you a pen and if they are not nice to you, you most likely will not want to deal with them...

BE PATIENT... dealers get backed up with customers some times... don't feel insulted if a dealer asks you to wait a bit, even if in the middle of the conversation, to take care of someone who is there to buy instantly... that person may very well be coming back to buy a pen he talked about earlier...

Most dealers will haggle, within reason..... By that I mean don't offer 1/2 of what the dealer is asking for a pen... if you have a reasonable price in your mind you can always ask... the worst that can happen is the dealer comes back either with a counteroffer or says "I'm sorry, I can't sell at that price"....

Bringing a pen case to put your purchases in is a good idea....

 

Now the most important thing to remember when going to a show is to HAVE FUN...

[GreenVelvet]

Thanks! This is really helpful advice.

[ethernautrix]

I'm tempted to come to this show. I have friends in RI I would love to see and could stay with (and maybe even drag along), but I'm afraid of how I would pillage my budget, which sortv exists as a theoretical anyway -- and has worked so far cos I haven't been to a pen show yet. But I've heard stories.... Thinking, though; thinking....

[richardandtracy]

My suggestion is that:-

1. Before you go, put a limit on your buget.
2. Before you go, decide what you are particularly interested in. And write it on a list to avoid forgetting.
3. Put a max price you are willing to pay next to each item on the list - saves getting over-enthusiastic.
4. You walk round the show several times before putting your hands in your pockets to buy anything. Before the third time round all will be a blur.
5. You take a map of the tables and note down what interests you on the map, so you can find it again.
6. Take a badge with your FPN avatar printed on it - you may be amazed at how many people will recognise it.
7. Take a couple of your favourite pens with you to compare with others in the restaurant.

Regards,

 

Richard.

Edited May 14, 2009 by richardandtracy

[lefty928]

I've been to only one pen show and went as a newbie with no pen-buying ambitions, but did come away with a couple little thing "next time" thoughts. Come as early as possible, particularly if you know you want to visit especially popular sellers/areas (for instance, Susan Wirth). Bring a lot of cash. As OldGriz says, you can't count on credit cards being accepted. (This may depend on location. I don't have a car and the show was in an isolated suburban area. Come to think of it, I might next time bring a lunch. At any rate, there was an ATM at the hotel, but it was broken for several hours.) And, as mentioned in an earlier thread, if you want to play at the very popular ink sample table, go early as the bottles do get contaminated with other colors as the day wears on. It was helpful that I had a rough idea of which tables I especially wanted to visit that day.

[gregamckinney]

The only thing that I would add is a slight modification of the "walk the whole show" recommendation.

If you are looking for something rare and find it, buy it right away. It probably won't be there when you loop around again.

 

Regards, greg

[Otter1]

Richard Binder has several articles on going to a show at his website (www.richardspens.com) which are helpful. I was just reading them as I may go to the Boston show for the first time myself this year.

 

I live an hour away from Boston, but can only go for a day trip so I am trying to figure out whether to go to the Saturday informal preview or the Sunday general admission session. Can anyone characterize the differences between the two days for folks who have never been to the Boston show?

 

[Imzadi]

I attended my first show last year in Ohio. I remember being overwhelmed with the size of it all. Soooo many tables, people and the pens! So many I had read about and wanted to try, admire, and talk about. Just take a deep breath and go slow. When I was feeling overwhelmed, I would go sit in the bar for a few minutes and collect my thoughts. The vendors are very understanding of being a first timer. I wrote my FPN name on my nametag and before I knew it several people said they recognized my name and we were chatting like long lost friends. Don't be shy. The vendors are truly sincere about being there for you. I sat at John Mottishaw's booth for probably 45 minutes asking questions etc. I left the proud owner of a Pilot VP and a Sailor Pro Gear, both tuned to my specs. I also gathered lots of info along the way to prepare me to future purchases. The best advice is ....have fun.

[johnboz]

All of the above info sounds great. I just attended my first show in Chicago. Here's what I'd add:

 

- In addition to having a "want list", know what you're willing to pay for a pen. That way if you see the pen of your dreams, you'll know if it's a fair price and if you want to pay the asking price. Then you won't have as much regret if you continue to walk the floor and return to find it gone. Also, don't expect to remember everything. Write it down (that's what pens are for, right?)!

 

- Meet as many of the sellers as possible! I was so happy with most of the sellers at the Chicago Pen Show. Everyone was very nice and willing to spend some time talking about pens.

 

- I really agree with the "bring a lunch" recommendation. Although it might be nice to leave the show for a bit to eat something, it might be a major hassle to leave the building, get food, return and find (and possibly pay for) parking again. If it's in a hotel, the restaurant prices are usually outrageous, so a brown-bag might be the best option if you plan on spending all day.

 

[Deirdre]

Also? Start at the back.

[Kimo]

A couple of more thoughts:

 

1) I know you are not likely to fully appreciate this first piece of advice yet since it is not related to buying an actual pen, but you will thank me later (6 months? a couple of years?) for telling you this. Bring your favorite fountain pen with no ink in it, a couple of dozen q-tips, and a small book with blank pages. You can get blank books at book stores or even office supply stores. First thing on opening day, when you buy your ticket ask them where the ink testing tables are and go directly there. Most big shows will have several dozens or even more different brands and colors of ink. Sit yourself down and start making yourself an ink sample book. You can arrange one section by brands of ink - each brand with samples of each color made by that brand; and, then do a second section where you do similar colors such as all of the different blues, then all of the reds, then all of the greens, and the blacks, etc. etc. Use a q-tip to make a broad swath of the ink's color and run it across the page so that the swath starts out thick and wet and ends up thin and dry so you can see what the difference in colors are when writing with a wet nib vs. a relatively dry one. Write some words so you will see how that ink looks. Include the name of the brand and the name of the color. What you will wind up with is an invaluable reference to the different inks that are available to you for your pens. As was mentioned before you need to do this as soon as possible as some people are not very considerate or knowledgable and they wind up dipping their pens into different colors and brands without first ensuring they have really cleaned their pen and the inks get contaminated and unreliable as to how they really look from a fresh bottle.

 

2) Don't be all hot to buy pens at your first show. If you are, you will likely wind up paying more than you need to, and you will also likely wind up buying pens without giving them an eagle eye scrutiny and when you get home you will find all kinds of issues that you wish you had seen at the show before you decided to buy or pay the amount you did. Take your time. The dealers are not going away - they will be back at the next show and they will also be around to sell you all the pens you want in between shows. Pretty much all of them do business with collectors on the internet, most have their own websites to sell pens, etc.

 

3) If you find that your money is burning a hole in your pocket and you simply must buy a pen or two, take your time and buy quality. There will be a gazillion pens there and most will have issues of one kind or another which is one reason why many of them are there on a dealer's table in the first place rather than in someone's personal collection. Chips, cracks, crystalizing, incorrect nibs, brassing, deep scratches, personalizing, fading, staining, franken-pens made up from parts, etc. etc. are all going to make a pen one that you will eventually need to trade up from so save yourself money and recriminations and buy quality. Keep in mind that most of the best pens never see a dealer's table. Either the dealer tucks it away in his own personal collection, or he sells it directly to one of his regular customers.

 

4) Definitely bargain, especially on old or used pens. Most dealers of new pens won't want to bargain on their new stock, but with the economic crash the number of buyers at pen shows and other collectible shows has gone down markedly, and when they do buy many are sticking with the lower value things. Dealers are not going to give their pens away, but you will be in a stronger position these days than you would have been a year or more ago.

 

5) Most big shows have a couple of pen repair guys and nib optimizer guys. If you want to take advantage of this kind of service, find out who will be there in advance and find out if you need to make an advance appointment.

 

6) If a dealer is not busy, strike up a conversation and learn from them something about the kinds of pens they specialize in. Keep in mind that dealers are only people and so some will be the nicest most helpful people, some will be miserable bastards, some will be hucksters, and others will be somewhere in between. Take them as they come and if one is not interested in simply sharing their expertise and appreciation of pens with you then just move along and find one who is.

[Anne-Sophie]

I second the list of pen you want and the price you want to pay for it.

 

If you can, go on Saturday, do so.

Sundays at a pen show means chaos, you can barely see your feet, let alone make wise purchase decisions.

 

Or go both days, Saturday for planning and playing and Sunday for buying.

 

 

Take the cash you want to spend before you go,

Bring a lunch, a snack(power bar etc..) and something to drink

And a bag, big enough, to hold everything securely.

 

Use the table printout they give you at the show and write down the name of the vendor at each corner then use that to find your way in the room when you come back between breaks.

 

Bring a pen case if you are into vintage, otherwise it is not necessary, most modern pens come with some sort of boxes.

 

In a pinch, you can buy a case from Pendemonium.

 

 

Between show rounds, go to the ink table, get a couple fresh piece of paper from the table and use the inks that catch your eyes, with the dip pens provided .

On one of the sheet write the name and maker of the ink , keep it with you during the show, at the end of the show head to an ink vendor to get your favorite.

 

You can also bring your favorite paper to test the inks, I highly recommend doing that.

Do not dip any of your pens in the ink bottles, they have been opened, to dust, mold, and sun all day.

 

 

The ink table and Pendemonium were the two places I was able to put my thoughts together.

 

Pendemonium has a very extensive knowledge and selection of everything Sheaffer and nice inkwells at reasonable prices, they also have lots of paper, pen related books and fun things. Sam is always a joy to talk to. (not affiliated with her in anyway just an happy customer)

 

 

I second the advice of writing down what pen from which vendor caught your eyes, the pens you handed and didn't care for, the pen you one day might consider or even the way out of your price range pens.

 

It cost nothing to hold a pen and see if you like the weight, the feel...

One day a FPN member may sold his/hers at a reasonable price.

 

 

 

Take your lunch outside for a nice break, you'll be on your feet all the time looking at pens.

 

I think all Holiday Inn have drinks vending machines so keep some change to get a bottle of water if you get really thirsty.

 

 

I have never been to the Boston show, have fun and give us a full report

Edited May 14, 2009 by Anne-Sophie

[GreenVelvet]

Folks, this is so, so helpful!

 

I am interested in maaaaaaayyyybe buying a flex pen, but not interested enough to spend big bucks. I doubt I'll buy many pens (famous last words), I am not a collector and there's nothing else I'm really looking for, but I'm really into checking out all the tables and playing with the inks! And paper.

 

I would NEVER have thought of bringing my own ink journal. Of course I keep one, and of course I'd love to keep the records. Brilliant. I guess these folks aren't too tight about security if they let us bring in a bag of our own stuff, including lunch - coool!

[Anne-Sophie]

I just checked your pictures, you have an eclectic collection!

 

Right now, go to the forums where collectors of vintage flex hang out and ask who will be at the show.

Inquire about vintage pen vendors at the show too.

 

 

 

Getting your flex pen at the show:

 

If you want a flex that will fit you like a glove go to the show as early as you can and after registration go to Susan Wirth booth.

 

She has chairs, paper and inked fountain pens, which is the only way you can really know if the pen is going to be right for you.

 

I believe that most of her pens are "user grade" so that is why she doesn't mind inking them for people to try on.

 

 

If you cannot find what your want at Susan Wirth's, check Pendemonium , and the vendors you found out about on the forum.

 

 

I know that most vendors do not allow dipping of New Old Stock (NOS) or new pens. I don't know about vintage pens, especially "user grade" vintage pens.

 

 

Don't count on being able to have your pen tweaked at the show by a nibmaster, they are usually far too busy tweaking the pens of their regular customers who contacted them far in advance of the show or getting the pen jewelery bought on impulse to write.

 

 

 

Meeting up people

 

Print out an FPN logo write your name on it and put it on the other side of your badge, walk around this way.

 

 

 

Getting free stuff

 

Shows usually have goody bags and raffles that allow you to win goodies, you have to be present to get the goods or they draw another name.

Edited May 15, 2009 by Anne-Sophie

[skipwilliams]

Susan Wirth always has flex nibbed pens. You can also bring your own ink, paper, and paper towel and ask if you can get something that catches your eye at another table. They can only say "No".

 

- If possible, make a list of "want to see" or "want to buy" pens. Often I got to a show with a specific objective of picking up several pens that I haven't seen otherwise to gauge their size and balance. My list tends to grow in the months before a show as I see pens online that I've never held or think of something that I need to fill a collecting hole.

 

- If you're hunting for a rare item, be careful to pass one up, as it may be gone when you return.

 

- I like the map idea

 

- Cash is the best way to go, otherwise you may spend too much. I also tend to make a maximum out-of-pocket list and keep a running total. CC's are dangerous

 

- If you have questions about a pen, don't hesitate to ask. If the price seems too low, there's a reason. In a place with so many knowledgeable people; there are not any ignorant antique dealers who don't know a pen's value.

 

- Yes, prices are frequently negotiable, but only to a point. I either say "Can you do XXX on this pen?" or "What's the best you can do on this pen?" If it's a nice pen, then the prices will likely stay UP at the beginning of the show. Dealers don't have an incentive to lower prices too early.

 

- If you have any pens that need nib tweaking or repair, get there early and do that first. Those waiting lists fill up quickly. Then go shopping.

 

Skip

 

[lefty928]

Susan Wirth will be my first stop the next time I have cashflow, as I'm still yearning for a flexy nibbed pen. Being able to try out her stock is great, and there are only so many chairs in front of her table! At the pen show I attended a couple years ago, she gave an informative presentation on shopping for pens and finding the right fit for your handwriting. Here's the pen show calendar she keeps up: http://home.netcom.com/~swirth/2000.htm

 

One more thing I hadn't thought out fully before I attended: I wish I had made a list of the more mundane things to pick up from vendors I buy from anyway, such as converters. (I wasn't in the market for big pen purchases, either.) And if there's something you've been eying on, for example, Pendemonium's site, it never hurts to inquire in advance if they will be shipping a supply of that particular item to the show, since vendors have limited space. Brenda of Paper & Ink Arts gave the D.C. 2006 Super Show a try, and she allowed customers to order in advance and pick up the order at the show (saves on shipping).

[Kabe]

Make sure your biggest strongest friend goes with you, and tell him to stop you from going overbudget. Even if it involves force

[SecretAgentMan]

I went to the Chicago show, my first. Random observations.

 

Decide before you go if you're spending money or not. If not, don't take any money. I could have spent $15K in 20 minutes, if I wanted my wife to leave my dead body in a ditch somewhere. Even without $$, I managed to buy a stub nib for my legacy. It's true, a lot of folks don't have the wherewithal to take credit cards. That's about credit card companies and transfer banks, just ask any small business about the 5% surcharges and the $10 fees and all that stuff.

 

I was surprised at how friendly everyone is. Smile a lot, you'll get a lot of smiles. With only 1 or 2 exceptions, the exhibitors I encountered were proud of their pens and interested in people who were interested in fountain pens.

 

I used my "gun show" etiquette -- don't pick something up until you've made eye contact or exchanged a "hello" with the person on the other side of the table. If a pen looked rare or expensive, I always asked if I could handle it. They probably thought I was nuts, but I'd do it that way again.

 

Some of the exhibitors packed up and left before show closing time, so beware of waiting until the very last minute to make up your mind about things. Do stop by Susan Wirth's booth, if she is there. I was amazed at what different nibs could do.

 

I'm not a dickering kind of guy, so I can't give you any advice there. Make a list of the pens you want to see - I wanted to see a Duofold, a Vacuumatic, etc. I did that first, and was surprised and delighted by my "safari." Ask any and every question that comes to mind. Take a notebook and an envelope and record vendor names, tx. numbers, and collect their cards.

 

By the end of the day, my head was literally spinning, and I had to sit down outside and take a breather. Next time I'd have a good breakfast first. I mean, I felt a bit drunk after seeing so many pens and related items that I admired and wanted.

 

I took a couple of pens and got the nibs smoothed. Might want to do that, too. Check for discount coupons for parking and so on, in case the registration people forget about them.

 

There were a million pens there, it seemed, and most of them went home with the exhibitors. Go slow, there'll be more pens come down the road to the next show. Have fun and good luck.

 

 

[sumgaikid]

While I haven't been to a pen show(the Miami pen show will be my 1st),there is something that I

haven't seen mentioned--bringing a jeweler's loupe. I believe that Richard Binder sells them on his

website. I certainly plan to bring mine. It will save you from buying something that could have a

problem that you hadn't noticed while you were there.

 

I also think that wearing a nametag with your FPN moniker is a good idea.

 

John