Recently I had the pleasure to go to 590&co again, as well as to chat with the owner. He showed me some of his vintage pencil collection, at least the ones he had in the shop. He told me that he has more somewhere else.
As you can see he’s a big Kaweco fan.
Bonus: the t-shirt he designed! Apparently he likes kaweco so much he’s now learning German.
They take their pleasure seriously!
Is this t-shirt his work clothes or did he wear it for your photo?
Please tell me that 590&Co started as a way for a collector to further enjoy his hobby. Their branding is compelling. And now they have their own releases and collaborations. Did they start that way or did they start as a simple reseller stationery store?
I am still waiting with anticipation for the announcement of their collaboration on a 0.5mm item with LRD.
Are these special Caran D’Ache pencils?
Only the blue and gold are. They are ‘Ecrifix’ items. Note that the CdA licensed items often have light ribbing at the grip. Even the swiss drafting company Kern put their name on a CdA licensed holder.
The others are Criterium holders.
I have several pencils that look like caran d’ache, have a clutch mechanism, have its clip, but all with slight differences and different names and mechanisms. Can I be certain that all those were actually made by Caran D’Ache (licensed as you call it)? They’re genuinely old, I’m not talking about modern pencils.
No. They were not manufactured by CdA. CdA gave license to use the Fixpencil design.
Some info:
https://www.reddit.com/r/mechanicalpencils/s/53oZdiINVu
Thanks
@perpetuallypencil Can you share a photo of your old CdA style holders?
Those stubby Kawecos look awesome. What’s the diiference between the 87, 177, and 187?
(On a sidenote, it kinda looks like the Special line inspired the Leuchtturm Drehgriffel?)
Welcome @inotrym
Hopefully we get to see more of you.
Thank you! I’ve been reading the forum for quite some time and thought it was time for me to join in! 
I’ve been collecting fountain pens for years, took an interest in woodcase pencils with all the Blackwings hype, and eventually found myself researching mechanical pencils.
