How Many Pens Do You Have?

[como]

Oh gosh. I...I had to go count. DANGIT I have reached That Point. The point at which one has to run over to one's FP storage and physically count.

 

The result: 9 pens, plus an assortment of 7 or 8 Varsitys that I don't really count. ...I did ask for some for my birthday though, and that's this weekend. So I may have more like 10 or 11 come Saturday.

 

-T

 

To me, that's a very manageable number

[Fermata]

oh, I'm probably up to ........................... you're joking - no way would I say on here - one of you might tell my oh, then where would I be. But I've noticed that my duplicates are mounting up - some pens are like magnets ............P51 - 61 - 45 - Duofolds of all sorts ………. some of the Watermans.

There was a time when I hunted only in the wild, but then addiction strikes and ebay offers many tempting things that the little guy sitting on my shoulder says I should really get - another two were added yesterday - from the wild - when I was offered a g.f. 61 Insignia and a Black Laque Sonnet - both for Sterling £15.00.

I already have several Insignia 61s - but was selfish and didn't want to leave it for someone else - the Sonnet has noticeable wear to the laque on the cap and a little on the end of the barrel, but its redeeming feature is the 18 kt. nib. It's a dead ringer for the 'horizontal' example on Tony Fischier's site - he calls it unusual due to the extra wide cap band and all chrome trim - wish mine wasn't damaged. Picture attached - why should T.F. suggest this livery is unusual - anyone know. Date code is A.1 which believe is second quarter 2002.

 

Then there's the non-Parker U.K. made pens - and so it ticks on - I sense the need for another cabinet.

 

But there's side benefit to collecting many pens from so many decades, and on both sides of the pond - it's all the history you learn in the process …………. Prime Ministers, Presidents, monarchs, what happened when and where, wars - their beginnings and ends.

 

Year or two back at an antiques fair and a guy watching me picking up pens asked how many I had, and not wanting to seem too much of an anorak I said, about 300 …………….. when I asked his tally he said, about 3000 …….. so I don't feel too bad ……… yet.

 

 

I really like your Sonnet Paul, especially for the wear and tear. A friend has a Sheaffer inherited from his father works superbly well but a really worn, brass showing through but otherwise perfect.

[PaulS]

thanks for the compliments ​ - though I'd really rather it was undamaged, and for a pen that's only about 17 years old the damage seems excessive, so guess we must assume its owner treated it with abuse …………. perhaps in the long term, laque doesn't have the staying power of some earlier materials - look how most of the P51s have lasted and over a longer period.

 

Mine does appear to be identical to the horizontal Black Laque Sonnet on Tony Fischier's site which he calls unusual - though not sure why, and he doesn't explain.

[Fermata]

thanks for the compliments ​ - though I'd really rather it was undamaged, and for a pen that's only about 17 years old the damage seems excessive, so guess we must assume its owner treated it with abuse …………. perhaps in the long term, laque doesn't have the staying power of some earlier materials - look how most of the P51s have lasted and over a longer period.

 

Mine does appear to be identical to the horizontal Black Laque Sonnet on Tony Fischier's site which he calls unusual - though not sure why, and he doesn't explain.

 

 

I am not a Sonnet afficianado Paul but perhaps its the chrome trim, I cannot remember having seen another.

[PaulS]

neither am I - agree that the majority of examples on the Parker Pen site are g.f. trim, though there's a sprinkling of chrome furniture pens, and you could be correct that it's for this reason that the latter - particularly with an extra wide chrome cap band - is deemed unusual. Ordinarily, cap bands aren't this wide.

Attached is picture of another Sonnet with chrome trim - though with normal narrower cap band - and which has a rhodium over 18k nib, carrying corporate advertising for the investment bankers Schroders, and dated 2004 (date code on the pen is A., which is for 1st quarter 2002 - I think).

Not easy to photograph some of these laque colours, but there's no denying they are attractive.

 

I've ten Sonnets now, all from the wild, of which four are flighters - so perhaps having 20 per cent with chrome trim is unusual - though fortunate.

Edited June 7, 2019 by PaulS

[City74]

I have 12 pens. 8 fountain pens and 4 non fountain pens. I am only looking to add 2 more “nicer” pens and then in time see what is released that I might want on the lower end scale. My higher end pens are 1 in and 1 out sort of thing

[miwishi63]

Truth be told, I'm not going to stop buying pens until I run out of money or die, whichever comes first.

[SwipedFromTruman]

So far its just a collection of two. But Im hoping to add a vintage Waterman by the end of June!

[PaulS]

no, no - we mustn't call two pens a collection - that is simply a pair ................ when you do get the vintage Waterman, then you may possibly use the word collection, but you will need to say it quietly …………………. just so the guys who have 1500 and upwards don't get annoyed.

[Bibliophage]

I was at 40+, but I've been giving some away. That's why I buy them. "Advertising".

[como]

no, no - we mustn't call two pens a collection - that is simply a pair ................ when you do get the vintage Waterman, then you may possibly use the word collection, but you will need to say it quietly …………………. just so the guys who have 1500 and upwards don't get annoyed.

 

Two is either the beginning, or the end. Another user here managed to distill down to two after many years (two Conids, as I recalled), which I much admire and have no hope of achieving. Of course when you get to the end, you can start all over again