What Was Your Last Impulsive Pen Acquisition?

[InkyProf]

6 minutes ago, Pen Ffynnon said:

merely the first step on the path

 

So you're saying that I'm at risk of arrogance, that I need to return myself to a position of humility, to remember how far I am from my goals, and not to underestimate the labor and the devotion that will be needed to meet them? With understandable reluctance, but also gratitude, I accept your gentle chastisement. 😔

[Penguincollector]

8 hours ago, fireant said:

Not quite a pen, it was a pencil. I have been lurking on/off looking at the bay for a Montblanc Leonardo Sketch pencil. The last time I looked an auction was ending in an hour. So I kept my eye on it and at the last minute bid more than I should've and won it.

 

It's lovely but ridiculous, I can't imagine taking this to an art class, but it's wonderful.

 

  It’s soooo cute! 🥰 

[Carrau]

14 hours ago, lamarax said:

 

(here we're chatting together in Ermou st. in Athens. He drank too many coffees as you can see 😛)

A Royal Whiz Mob.  Note the pickpocket about to dip into the woman’s purse in the right upper corner-Charles is obviously the Stall, distracting the Mark’s attention! Camilla is to be the Shade, but is late on the move.  😉😏

[Gloucesterman]

28 minutes ago, Pen Ffynnon said:

Yeah, no, one never says, "no" to a stub nib. It's bad luck, I believe.

 

Congrats on your finds! That was a great flea market trip.

Thank you for the congrats.

BTW, I was unaware of the bad luck issue regarding a stub nib. I will have to be very careful at my next club meeting and the Commonwealth Pen Show (in Boston, in September).

[Penguincollector]

2 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

 

So cool - I have a set in this pattern with a fountain pen (my section looks a bit darker than yours), pencil, & ballpoint. If these Japanese painted leather pens come up in good condition, F nib, and good condition, I don't hesitate to buy them but, for now, I'm more focused on slowly acquiring the 'exotic' leather pens, like the lizard skin Pilots and the pipa pipa toad skin Platinums.

Enjoy!

 

  Thanks! The pipa pipa Platinums look really cool. Toad skin in general feels so interesting. I really like the feel of the leather wrapped pens. So far, I only have one from each if the Big Three. There’s an Amazonas on eBay now, but I haven’t looked closely at the pictures.

[Gloucesterman]

17 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

  It’s soooo cute! 🥰 

I always thought that those specific pencils were to be used when playing golf!

[Penguincollector]

34 minutes ago, Pen Ffynnon said:

Yeah, no, one never says, "no" to a stub nib. It's bad luck, I believe.

 I hope another vintage flex stub finds me so I can use this.

[Penguincollector]

7 minutes ago, Gloucesterman said:

I always thought that those specific pencils were to be used when playing golf!

   Possibly, I saw that Teri at Peyton Street had some similar Sheaffer’s pencils listed as bridge or golf pencils. They’re bigger than the cotillion ones. 

[ParramattaPaul]

12 hours ago, lamarax said:

A real one, not Foster's 😛

Nobody in Oz drinks Foster's.  It was Resch's DA (Dinner Ale- AKA 'Dirty Annie) back in the day.  'VB' (Victoria Bitter) is the first choice for most of us these days although I'll go with Smithwicks or Harp (irish), or Old Speckled Hen (English) if it is on offer.

[Pen Ffynnon]

1 hour ago, InkyProf said:

 

So you're saying that I'm at risk of arrogance, that I need to return myself to a position of humility, to remember how far I am from my goals, and not to underestimate the labor and the devotion that will be needed to meet them? With understandable reluctance, but also gratitude, I accept your gentle chastisement. 😔

Truly, one must accept the pen to refuse the pen, this is the way.🤣

[inkstainedruth]

@Gloucesterman -- A 45 with a stub nib?  And the person GAVE it to you?  Cool beans! That may make you "Sumgai of the Week"....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[ParramattaPaul]

2 hours ago, Carrau said:

Camilla is to be the Shade, but is late on the move.

Her timing has always been off.

[PithyProlix]

12 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

Thanks! The pipa pipa Platinums look really cool. Toad skin in general feels so interesting. I really like the feel of the leather wrapped pens. So far, I only have one from each if the Big Three. There’s an Amazonas on eBay now, but I haven’t looked closely at the pictures.

 

My favorite so far is the pipa pipa/Amazonas, though the lizard Pilot is a close second. Initially, I wasn't fond of the dated 1970s aesthetic of the printed leather pens, but it has grown on me. I am also aware of an embossed, peccary Pilot, a lizard Platinum, and an ostrich Sailor. Additionally, there is a plastic, 'leather texture' Sailor with a similar design as the leather pens (which I own and only now considered keeping alongside my genuine leather pens).

 

I just checked eBay and there are two Amazonas listed currently. The lighter brown one appears discolored—hard pass, IMHO. The darker one is *way* overpriced.

[PithyProlix]

On 5/13/2025 at 4:16 AM, Gloucesterman said:

The ones I have used were Osmiroid nibs and wrote quite smoothly.

 

I have a few of the Osmiroid shadow nibs. How does the Sheaffer compare, please? (I, too, was unaware that Sheaffer had a shadow nib.)

[Misfit]

I was looking at the Monteverde 25th anniversary Innova. Then the Esterbrook Back to the Land Incredible Rock Brown started calling me. But this is a false post for this topic because I haven’t bought either. 

[USG]

On 5/24/2025 at 12:20 PM, Penguincollector said:

  I just bought 2 pens: a Platinum 1974 Fountain Pen - Sheepskin Yuzen-zomi Gosho-guruma, 18k Fine Nib, and a black Parker IM Monochrome ($15!). My husband (such an enabler) mentioned that the de minimus exception is still in place for Japan, so I bought the Platinum as it has been on my list for a very long time. The Parker was a super bargain offer, and I really like the IM line. 
 

Screenshot of the Platinum from the listing:

 

Very nice PGC 😀👍

[Penguincollector]

16 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

 

My favorite so far is the pipa pipa/Amazonas, though the lizard Pilot is a close second. Initially, I wasn't fond of the dated 1970s aesthetic of the printed leather pens, but it has grown on me. I am also aware of an embossed, peccary Pilot, a lizard Platinum, and an ostrich Sailor. Additionally, there is a plastic, 'leather texture' Sailor with a similar design as the leather pens (which I own and only now considered keeping alongside my genuine leather pens).

 

I just checked eBay and there are two Amazonas listed currently. The lighter brown one appears discolored—hard pass, IMHO. The darker one is *way* overpriced.

  I think it was the lighter one that I saw, too bad. There was blush pink looking one with a white section that came up as a Platinum “Platina” when I searched “Platinum leather fountain pen.” I don’t know what type of leather it was, but it looks reptilian or amphibian.

[Penguincollector]

1 hour ago, USG said:

 

Very nice PGC 😀👍

Thanks! It’s shipped, so the wait begins.

[PithyProlix]

7 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

 There was blush pink looking one with a white section that came up as a Platinum “Platina” when I searched “Platinum leather fountain pen.” I don’t know what type of leather it was, but it looks reptilian or amphibian.

 

I see it. That's the pink Amazonas/pipa pipa. Personally, at that price, I would be really iffy on that one since the seam is separated - on mine, the seam is difficult to detect - and, more importantly, given the shape on the ink stains on the section, I would be concerned that it might have cracks. Note that I'm not in tune with pricing outside of Thailand since I buy all my pens locally here.

 

Take a look here: https://estilofilos.blogspot.com/2019/11/onconstan-platinum.html  He says that the Amazonas came in "pink, red, green, light brown and dark brown." 

 

By the way, I just read in the Fountain Pens of Japan book that, in addition to pipa pipa toad and lizard, Platinum also had snake, crocodile, and shark! And Pilot & Sailor both had calf.

[Black16]

I wanted to limit my pen shopping but ended with ordering three new pens today. Waterman Graduate Allure was dirt cheap and so used that I thought the seller will throw it into the dumpster if no one buys it out soon so I had to save the poor thing, then I noticed something interesting - a vintage fp marked Cadillac 14(K? C?) on the barrel with gold plated or hopefully even 14K nib and then ended up buying a weirdly Montblanc-resembling but with different details fp from AliExpress. It doesn't look like Montblanc totally and might be one of those inspired models but I can't be sure till it arrives anyway, I just liked the spider thing on it. It doesn't have the snowflake from what I saw on seller's pics so might not be a fake one, still seemed an interesting find. I know Moonman has tarantula fps called F9s and those were on my wishlist but they suddenly went out of stock so I hope to get either my dream F9s or at least something interesting and not a typical fake MB...