I will be going to the Baltimore International Pen Convention next weekend. I have never been to a pen convention before and was wondering if anyone has any advice, tips, or has some experiences they would like to share.
There are some classes/workshops. Most cost money and there are some included with admission. I decided to just sign up for two of the free ones as this is my first convention. I figured I could always do paid ones at future convention. I signed up for one that is all about meeting independent pen makers and another which is fountain pens 101.
I am only going for one day but I am super excited. I have collected pens for the past few years but really started to get serious within the last two. I expect that I will probably want to purchase something while I am there.
Any advice or stories are appreciate. This community is so kind and welcoming. Even to new users like me. Thanks!
Greetings @Ethan_PT7 ; I shall attend a Pen Show here in the far corner of Italy this Spring — there are many around the peninsula throughout the year, but I am rarely able to travel, so visiting other conventions elsewhere is practically impossible. Here is what I have learnt over a few of these events, but full disclosure, it is stuff one can find anywhere else on the Internet, written much more concisely and effectively.
• Appreciate openly: if you see something beautiful, even when you will never be able to buy due to financial constraints, nor the pieces will totally capture your curiosity, do not be afraid to show your enthusiasm and compliment the booth, maybe adding a few followup questions: who knows what may come out of a discussion stemmed from a positive comment;
• Ask politely, but consistently: some sellers have an outstanding memory, and can remember requests and cries for help even after many years; I always ask everybody if they happen to have mechanical pencils or drafting equipment, and after a few times sometimes they reply «Oh, you’re the pencil guy! I remember that cute little piece I sold you last time. Look what I found this Winter in some old people’s basement…»
• Negotiate tightly, but be prepared to spend (much) more than forecast: a 40% safety increase over any budget might open windows to both fantastic bargains and unique opportunities (bring as much cash as you can: fast payments on the spot are a great way to achieve even higher discounts); there are people very good at pressing and getting crazy-low prices: I am not one of them, but after some rounds one learns how to spot good prices, or assess the seller’s willingness to budge a bit
• Whenever in doubt, unscrew instead of pulling: better turning aimlessly a pen/pencil cap for a few seconds and look like an idiot, than risking ruining a precious bakelite thread with a too-vigorous snap
• Look everywhere, speak with everyone, try all samples: it is probably true that not all booths have the same vibes — and I have met my fair shares of posh sellers and snobby collectors — but at the end of the day, basically all the people showing up are there because they love the game, and they will generally respect a fellow practitioner, even if sometimes more in the long run.
Have fun, and bring pictures and specimens for us to drool over!
Hello from Pennsylvania @Leonov. Thank you so much for your reply and advice! I really appreciate it. I will definitely share the specimens I find and the inevitable purchase(s) I make. Thanks again
Eclectic is an excellent word for my collection! I definitely do like some oddities. I need to do a post sharing my collection at some point but that is for another day. On to the recent additions! In order of my ascending appreciation:
First up, we have a Platinum preppy fountain pen with a medium nib. It is a cheap basic fountain pen that was given out for free among with some ink in a fountain pen 101 session that was included in show admission. I am not a big fountain pen guy. I am a heavy handed writer but it mostly comes down to the fact that I do not want to deal with the maintenance. I switch what pen I carry around every few days which means a single pen may go some time in between rotations. The cleaning and risk of drying out is just not for me (currently). Maybe in the future I will dive into fountain pens. Just not right now. But hey, I cannot argue with a free pen! Although, it was odd that they gave us ink with a cartridge pen but not a converter…
Next is a bit of a novelty. It is a Monteverde Illusia gel ballpoint pen. It is a twist pen that when deployed, the diamond shapes around the grip are filled with colors. Here is a video with it in action and below are my pictures of it closed and deployed. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHq_OMxPsmm/
I do love a Parker Jotter. They are simple, but elegant. Nice quality and affordable. And that CLICK! I picked up these from two different stands. The metal and black plastic one came from a guy who had a bunch of older pens and a good amount of Jotters. It does have a perpetual calendar and I had never seen this before and thought it was neat. I am relatively new to seriously collecting pens (2-ish years but appreciated them before that). The full metal Jotter came from a stand for a company called Grifos Pens of Italy. So @Leonov, I image that you could likely see them at some shows near you. Jotters are not their thing though. They make luxury pens with some beautiful metal work. The gentleman there explained that he uses Jotters and other metal pens of similar value to practice milling on as well as warming up the milling bit on. The picture below my new Jotters is one of Grifos’ pens that had a beautiful peacock design on it which is the same design milled in the full metal Jotter. It is hard to see in the picture but I liked it. The pens that Grifos’ make themselves run $450.00+ (US) and were not in my budget. I wish!
And my favorite for last, we have a kit pen that was done by a maker back across the pond in Michigan, USA called Lincoln’s Leathers. They have been leather workers for 10 years and eventually got into turning pen kits. The colorful grip is a bunch of layers of dyed leather that is glued together, turned on a lathe, and coated in acrylic. The hardware appears to be brass or bronze and has a nice mechanism. To deploy the pen, the pocket clip can be pulled like a lever on one of those old water pumps which pushes a plunger on the top that actuates the internal click mechanism. It is a heavier pen but I do not mind that. It came with a Parker insert.
I am very happy with what I got and the show was great! Everyone was so friendly and helpful. I have some pictures of things I passed on and I will post them later as this reply is already quite long. That you again for your advice. It was genuinely very helpful. Thank you @Leonov!
I definitely do like some oddities. I need to do a post sharing my collection at some point but that is for another day. On to the recent additions! In order of my ascending appreciation:
