The end of an experiment

[tandaina]

I've got a full writeup on my blog, here (http://illuminatedlife-ink.barefoottheology.com/?p=166), for those interested. Including lots of pictures. ;)

I'm wondering who else has done something similar? I know Gourmet Pens has talked about selling off a goodly part of her collection to buy a couple really big deal pens she badly wanted. I've used a very small subset of my total collection for the last roughly seven months now and I'm really surprised with the result: I don't honestly miss the pens I didn't use. Not a single one.

So I'm also likely going to sell off all those that didn't make it into my little minimalist collection to fund two particular pen purchases. ;) So, anyone else gone the downsize/minimalist route? What was your experience, did you learn anything about yourself or your habits?

My own experiment came from an evolving relationship with pens that I think is common. Start with one or two, start reading forums, get really excited and buy everything in sight! Learn what you like, sell what you don't, but more of what you like, etc. And now I think maybe I've learned enough to distill what I like down to a few of what some might call grail pens. Just those few amazing pens you want to use all the time. (It has made choosing what to ink harder because I sort of want to use them all.)

[Laurie]

I really enjoyed reading your post and blog. I can find many similarities in my short fountain pen life. Unfortunately my collection does not boast some of the very expensive pens I read about and which you have. I suppose the best of my collection is the Platinum Century 3776 Blue Chartres with a broad nib. I am glad you have it on your roll. I love it too. I find the semi transparent blue body and the smoothness of the nib very satisfying. Next best is probably the Pelikan 400 and then the Faber Castel Emotion which also is like a big smooth cigar. I love my Wahl Esterbrook Skyline with a nice flexy nib. It is probably the age of the pen and the lovely feel of a flexy nib that hooked me. The other real favourite is my first Parker 51. Black with a beautiful lush medium nib which I just love. I think the nib and the sheer simplicity of the pen, its great reputation and the fact that I hooked this in the wild for a very low price, makes this pen one of my favourites. Then there is the middle pens which I wont elaborate on. The pens I find I just dont use are a Targa (despite loving the look of the nib) and a Waterman Le Man which I fitted with a gold nib from Dutchpen. They are beautiful pens but I find I keep going to the others. The pens that sit on my desk as my go to and the ones I dont bother putting in a protective cover are a few Pilots (Prera, Plumix, Metropolitan) with F, M and italic nibs. Funny I really love using them and just love the click of the cap on the Prera (demonstrator) Oh I forgot my first purchase (Lamy Al Star) and my Lamy Studio which also has an italic nib which I probably would put in my most favoured.

My collection is not as large as yours and I dont intend to get rid of anything but I am trying not to be tempted to buy any more, except if I find a Parker 51 in an op shop or somewhere for a bargain. I dont think I could resist the temptation. Funny enough my buying these days is more into dip nibs and I have quite a good collection. I was given a Musselman Perfection nib (can retail for as much as $60). As a comparison I have bought many nibs on ebay which just arent flexy enough for me and they are sitting in a fishing tackle box unused and probably will never be used. Again I dont think I will sell them as there probably isnt a market. Like the pens I am just going to curtail my buying of nibs rather than cull the herd.

As I have said before I fully understand people having this huge collection but as you say, if you dont use them what is the point of them just sitting there. I always think that if you die and the family are gathering your assets in, I doubt that many would find a use for the fountain pens you have collected and will just sell them off

[penwash]

A well-written and well-expressed thoughts. And the fact that you have put a *lot* of thoughts into your collection shows to me the real kind of passion.
And the beauty is, I can appreciate and enjoy the journey that you went through and the conclusion, despite probably, were I to take on a similar project, I'd end up with a very different outcome.

[rpsyed]

I entirely agree with your post. Of the pens I've bought in the last year and three months, 2 have been from Romillo, 2 from Shawn Newton, 1 from Danitrio, 1 from Eboya, 1 from Hakumin/Edison, and 1 from Nakaya. Another has been ordered and paid for from Renee Meeks/Scriporium Pens. A couple of those - Nakaya, Danitrio, and Eboya - aren't custom, but they are all handmade. I've personally decided to limit myself to 15 pens. So to justify buying another pen, it really has to be special. I buy pens because I enjoy them but also because I use them. And I have no desire to own any more pens than I can reasonably put to use on a regular basis. I also have kind of odd tastes and so going custom is often the only way to get a pen that fits my requirements. It also helps that all the custom penmakers I've had the opportunity to buy from have been just outstanding to work with. Shawn Newton, Ernest Shin, Renee Meeks, and Alvaro Romillo have always patiently answered my questions and delivered first-rate products. (In the case of Renee Meeks, I haven't received the pen yet, but I trust that my experience with her will be no different from the experiences of all her other satisfied clients.)

As far as paring down what doesn't get much use, I suck at selling pens (haven't sold a single one), so I usually just give away the ones that aren't getting use to friends. User grade Wahl, Waterman, and Morrison flex pens were gifted to friends, and an Edison Nouveau Premiere was gifted to one of my penpals.

[mhosea]

It is thought provoking. I think one thing we can all probably agree on is the concept of getting the Nakaya or Omas you actually want if that's not the Nakaya or Omas you actually have, and selling stuff you have but don't really want is a great way of raising funds to do it.

My situation seems more complex in that I am a little bit of a collector, a little bit of a user, a little bit of a restorer/tech, and an inkophile, with no particular focus on any of them. I also have limited interest in very expensive pens, lets say $600+. I just don't want to own them for some reason, which is a subtly different concept from not wanting them, if that makes any sense. So, while I understand it, I don't see myself selling off pens so that I can consolidate value into a smaller number of more expensive pens. In the first place, I don't even know what sort of pens I could possibly like better than the ones I already have. And yet, I do keep buying pens...for the fun of it, I guess.

[Laurie]

It is thought provoking. I think one thing we can all probably agree on is the concept of getting the Nakaya or Omas you actually want if that's not the Nakaya or Omas you actually have, and selling stuff you have but don't really want is a great way of raising funds to do it.

My situation seems more complex in that I am a little bit of a collector, a little bit of a user, a little bit of a restorer/tech, and an inkophile, with no particular focus on any of them. I also have limited interest in very expensive pens, lets say $600+. I just don't want to own them for some reason, which is a subtly different concept from not wanting them, if that makes any sense. So, while I understand it, I don't see myself selling off pens so that I can consolidate value into a smaller number of more expensive pens. In the first place, I don't even know what sort of pens I could possibly like better than the ones I already have. And yet, I do keep buying pens...for the fun of it, I guess.

Mike your thoughts are very similar to mine I have no great desire to own a Mont Blanc or a Visconti. I may be wrong but I cant see how they can justify their price. A pen is a pen. It puts ink on paper. I often see writing samples on this forum of different expensive fountain pens and think that is the same as my cheap pens. But I suppose it is all a matter satisfying your interest and your funds to support that interest. I own a Honda Civic motor car which gets me around. But I desire a Porsche Carrera GT Turbo or some other exotic car. But it is a dream. I cant afford it and even if suddenly I had the money to finance my desires I am not sure I would indulge. I think over indulgence eventually gets to a stage where you dont have anything to aspire to. What else is there to satisfy me. I feel sorry for people who have reached that situation. My present aspirations are for another Parker 51 but at the moment I really cant afford one. But that does not stop me looking. I look on ebay and see it will cost me around $100+. No. I am happy with my present one ($30) but if I walk into a op shop and see one for a similar price it will be like finding the Holy Grail.

In a nutshell what I am trying to say that in my opinion if you have too large a collection of fine pens what else can you buy to give you satisfaction?

[Sandy Fry]

I thought about paring down. Decided instead to be more selective in my pen buying. I bought everything in sight when I first started ( I believe I have almost all the pens I bought except for those I gave to friends ) and most of those were fairly cheap.

There are a fair amount of my pens that I have never used yet ( and may never use ) but like Mike, I am a little bit of a collector. Selling the pens I rarely, or have never, used would be pointless as most folks already have them and I would not make much money ( if any ) on them. Easier to keep them and it lets me see my humble beginnings in the FP world. I swear I will use each and every one of them eventually

I will never have a vast collection but will have a collection of pens I am proud of and will use on a regular basis. So, in a sense, I guess I am paring down!

@Laurie...I have been saying it for a long time. A pen is a pen is a pen. Yet we still keep spending our hard earned money on pens " that put ink on paper" when we could use the office Biro!

Each to their own.

David

[Paddler]

I caught the pen restoration disease a few years ago. Made the rounds of the flea markets and antique stores and bought lots of pens and put them back in serviceable condition. In doing so, I found out what I like to use in terms of nib characteristics, balance, filler mechanisms, etc. Then I started grinding nibs and learned to make the poor writers into good ones. At one time, I had about 80 pens, plus family heirlooms, and only used six of the best ones. I have been giving them away by the handful.

I too have a collection of dip nibs and pens. I use those too, but I could easily pare down to a dozen types or so, as I can take most pointed nibs and grind them to whatever I want.

[mhosea]

I think over indulgence eventually gets to a stage where you dont have anything to aspire to. What else is there to satisfy me. I feel sorry for people who have reached that situation. My present aspirations are for another Parker 51 but at the moment I really cant afford one. But that does not stop me looking. I look on ebay and see it will cost me around $100+. No. I am happy with my present one ($30) but if I walk into a op shop and see one for a similar price it will be like finding the Holy Grail.

This reminded me of


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wtYGZt7aI4

[pajaro]

How true. Until about 2009 I worked with a Parker 51, a few Montblanc 144s, a Montblanc 146, and a couple of Montblanc 164 ballpoints. Also a lifelong accumulation of about a net 100 or so Parker 51s in a cardboard box. Discovering forums I tried all kinds of other pens I had never considered before. While this was fascinating, I still used the 51 and a couple of MB 144s. Still using them now. The hundred Parker 51s were the remains of a larger glut, many having been sold on ebay. Now down to a few dozen.

Many of the pens I tried I traded for, and the others were bought used on ebay. There was a savings there, but now I have all this junk taking up space. Frankly, if it's not a Parker 51, a Montblanc 144, a Montblanc 146 or a Pelikan, I have formed the impression it is an inferior pen. I can waffle slightly on Sheaffer Touchdown pens. They do need maintenance, though.

What to do? Sell the junk pretending they are good pens? Not sure I can manage it.

Done Nakaya, done Omas, done with them, traded and thankfully gone. I aspire to no more expensive pens. I don't really want anything to distract me from using my old favorite Parker 51 or my MB 144s in beautiful bordeaux.

Incidentally, if you heat set the nib on some of the modern C/C pens that dry up too fast, it improves their performance.

[pajaro]

It is thought provoking. I think one thing we can all probably agree on is the concept of getting the Nakaya or Omas you actually want if that's not the Nakaya or Omas you actually have, and selling stuff you have but don't really want is a great way of raising funds to do it.

My situation seems more complex in that I am a little bit of a collector, a little bit of a user, a little bit of a restorer/tech, and an inkophile, with no particular focus on any of them. I also have limited interest in very expensive pens, lets say $600+. I just don't want to own them for some reason, which is a subtly different concept from not wanting them, if that makes any sense. So, while I understand it, I don't see myself selling off pens so that I can consolidate value into a smaller number of more expensive pens. In the first place, I don't even know what sort of pens I could possibly like better than the ones I already have. And yet, I do keep buying pens...for the fun of it, I guess.

Mike your thoughts are very similar to mine I have no great desire to own a Mont Blanc or a Visconti. I may be wrong but I cant see how they can justify their price. A pen is a pen. It puts ink on paper. I often see writing samples on this forum of different expensive fountain pens and think that is the same as my cheap pens. But I suppose it is all a matter satisfying your interest and your funds to support that interest. I own a Honda Civic motor car which gets me around. But I desire a Porsche Carrera GT Turbo or some other exotic car. But it is a dream. I cant afford it and even if suddenly I had the money to finance my desires I am not sure I would indulge. I think over indulgence eventually gets to a stage where you dont have anything to aspire to. What else is there to satisfy me. I feel sorry for people who have reached that situation. My present aspirations are for another Parker 51 but at the moment I really cant afford one. But that does not stop me looking. I look on ebay and see it will cost me around $100+. No. I am happy with my present one ($30) but if I walk into a op shop and see one for a similar price it will be like finding the Holy Grail.

In a nutshell what I am trying to say that in my opinion if you have too large a collection of fine pens what else can you buy to give you satisfaction?

Stamps--foreign postage stamps. Model trains. Got many.

This stuff is fun while you do it, but I find collecting enthusiasm runs its course, and I start collecting something else. My brother has a collectiion of every rifle used in WWI, and a lot of UK uniforms. I am tired of collecting and I am getting kind of tired of writing with pens. I am a retired IT guy and prefer the electronic. It's more fun looking at other people's collections, kind of like I feel that dogs are wonderful -- in somebody else's house.

[tandaina]

Fun to hear everyone's experiences!

I do think for me the collecting thing runs in courses and then the enthusiasm is gone and I end up keeping just what I like to use.

I didn't even think of this as a "consolidate to the most expensive pens" experiment. Because these aren't necessarily the most expensive pens I've owned (OK the Nakaya are they're sort of their own class). I've had plenty of more expensive pens that I just didn't care for. That cheap little M200 is still one of my favorite and most pleasant pens ever.

[nospam666]

I used to be a collector, which led to a lot of what I call "used to be" clutter around my house. E. G. I used to be a stamp collector. I used to be a punk rocker. Now I find that I don't need to own a thousand books to be a person who loves reading.

I have gone full course and turned into a bit of a minimalist. All of the clothing I own would fit into two carry on suitcases.

I have been buying different fountain pens just to see which nibs and feeds I prefer, but eventually I will get it down to about 5 that are used pretty regularly. I already know I prefer super light bodies and springy nibs.

Same for inks. I have five that I love and I feel no need to buy more. I shop for them but don't desire to own them.

I also see no need or desire for very expensive pens. The most I have spent on a pen was 160 for a pilot custom 74, and that's my upper limit. I could afford to spend more, but not without risking a little of my self respect. I already have so much, & I truly don't feel good when I overindulge. This is probably informed by my BFF and I adopting a needy family for Christmas, and seeing the items on their wish list was truly humbling.

[Laurie]

Hi Mike there you go. I must be right. No higher authority than Mr. Spock. Did a run of the op shops the other day. No 51s. What irks me is that there are probably thousands of them sitting in drawers and covered in other junk and no one knows about them. I put an ad on a local free classified site but I dont hold out for any response. The anticipation that I will find one in the wild is a good feeling. Bit like at kid being told only 10 more days until Xmas.

[penwash]

Wow, reading all this "run its course", "end of the road" stuff is pretty depressing for me who just got started with fountain pens.
I know, I know, I don't have to read this, but at the same time it's fascinating to read and think about.

Positively, it makes me appreciate more people who still love and can talk about fountain pens for hours even though they are 20 years into the collecting. I just met a bunch of them yesterday at the local Pen Club meeting. What a group.

I do think that the people in the fountain pen community is a big part, FPGeeks included, and you guys are great.
What a lonely hobby it would be if I can't share what I think and got excited about with anyone else.

[Laurie]

Yes I agree Penwash. Maybe the interest in fountain pens is reliving a past time when they were the accepted tool of writing. Maybe that and the sheer beauty of them. Funny enough I have been using those packaged shavers in the supermarket and complaining for years that the quality of the blade has deteriorated. 1 or 2 shaves and the things are blunt. I was passing a tobacco store (no I dont smoke) and there was an old safety razor in the window. I recalled using them when I was young and began shaving. It was a brand new safety razor (Comoy brand I think) Also he had some safety blades (Astra made in Russia) so I bought it and some blades and having been using it for the past few weeks. Best shave I ever had. Brought back the memories I used to have of these things. It was a similar feeling to when I renewed my interest in fountain pens. So maybe it is just recreating a link in the past and hanging onto to it.

[tandaina]

Wow, reading all this "run its course", "end of the road" stuff is pretty depressing for me who just got started with fountain pens.
I know, I know, I don't have to read this, but at the same time it's fascinating to read and think about.

Positively, it makes me appreciate more people who still love and can talk about fountain pens for hours even though they are 20 years into the collecting. I just met a bunch of them yesterday at the local Pen Club meeting. What a group.

I do think that the people in the fountain pen community is a big part, FPGeeks included, and you guys are great.
What a lonely hobby it would be if I can't share what I think and got excited about with anyone else.

Oh heavens this is NOT end of the road! I fully intend to use fountain pens the rest of my life! And I'm sure my little cache of pens will change and evolve for the rest of my life, but I imagine it will be slower than it was early on in the hobby. Evolution, not ending. And of course some folks never take this evolution. There are plenty of restorers, collectors, who continue to expand and have whole rooms dedicated to pens. There's no wrong way to do it, so long as you aren't putting yourself into debt or damaging your relationships. ;)

For me it's about figuring out what I love and enjoy and just concentrating on that rather than on that urge for the new and different, just being more discerning I suppose?

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Very true. I am at the point where I am fairly sure of what I want in fountain pens. I say pens rather than just one pen because no one pen can do everything. What I have noticed with my own writing - poor though it is - is that I like italic nibs, crisp ones, and I very much like flexible sharp points. I can get the first without too much trouble - a custom pen body and all the nibs I would ever need from Mr Masuyama. The flexible stuff is what vexes me the most. It cannot be had in fountain pen form without having to pay absurdly large amounts of money. Bear in mind that the chance for me to stumble across such a gem here in New Zealand is nil. So, from a dealer, I would have to pay somewhere between 500 and 800 dollars plus customs fees plus 15% local tax plus insured shipping. By then we're looking at the thick end of $1000, if not having passed beyond it.

Being so far away I do not even get the chance to try stuff at pen shows. Of course none of this is of any concern to dealers of vintage flex, whose eyes are firmly nailed to the bottom line it seems.


And so I have to settle for dip pens. I get more flex from a dip pen, at the expense of corrosion and lack of convenience.


At this time I am down to 3 Esterbrooks fitted with Osmiroid Italics (because I haven't been able to approach Mr Masuyama yet!), a Parson's Essential which was a gift (and I always keep gifts), a vintage Aurora 88 and 4 Mabie Todd pens (3 stubs and a medium) none of which suit my writing style. Looking back over the past year or so is an exercise in depressive thinking.


Hey Laurie, I received this very day a small packet containing a dozen Myers Post Office Pens, and a dozen Salcher Wien 50 pens. The first is, I think, a medium writing pen, the second a nice flexible fine. I continue to accumulate bunches of odd nibs in the search for what appeals in usage!

Incidentally, don't dismiss those pens in your fishing box. I have found pens that I didn't like at first but have gone back to - having acquired a bit of writing experience - and realised that they are actually quite nice after all. Something to think about.

[tandaina]

Very true. I am at the point where I am fairly sure of what I want in fountain pens. I say pens rather than just one pen because no one pen can do everything. What I have noticed with my own writing - poor though it is - is that I like italic nibs, crisp ones, and I very much like flexible sharp points.

Me too! (Though I need obliques.)

I actually ordered a Desderata just now, his email came through saying he had some in stock and I struck! ;) I cannot stand dipping dip nibs, I find it frustrating and I don't like the holders I have. So I thought playing his a fountain pen/dip nib would be fun. Hopefully this will give me a chance to really work on flex style writing!

[pajaro]

Wow, reading all this "run its course", "end of the road" stuff is pretty depressing for me who just got started with fountain pens.
I know, I know, I don't have to read this, but at the same time it's fascinating to read and think about.

Positively, it makes me appreciate more people who still love and can talk about fountain pens for hours even though they are 20 years into the collecting. I just met a bunch of them yesterday at the local Pen Club meeting. What a group.

I do think that the people in the fountain pen community is a big part, FPGeeks included, and you guys are great.
What a lonely hobby it would be if I can't share what I think and got excited about with anyone else.

Don't lose heart because some collectors burn out. I have burned out a few times already. Burned out on Parker 51s for a while when I had over 200 in boxes. Unloaded some, started trying out other pens. I think I burned out this time because I am retired and have nothing to write, except a log of the medications I take so I don't overdose on something. I could use the pens to write verse, but the PC is better for that. Too many pens, and it's hard to pick sometimes. So I use the first 51 I bought or one of the MB 144s (F, M, EF and stub). All those other pens are just collectibles. I'm not sure how I am going to regard the pen accumulation in the long run, so I am dragging my feet on selling them off.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

All these people standing between me and a chance of a non-vintage flex pen. I am so sorry. Crossing your name off the Christmas card list right now! :baby:

[ethernautrix]

I think I answered this question in the last two threads I posted in (especially that last one, about the acquisition stopper), so I will try not to go on and on (I'm a little embarrassed about my long answer, but not embarrassed enough to attempt succinctity (succinctness?)).

Yes! I agree!

About no point in having a gorgeous pen with a lousy nib or a gorgeous nib in an ugly pen, cos -- not being a collector - I won't use those pens. I do believe the nib is the easiest part to fix, though, so I've bought gorgeous pens and bided (bode? boded?) my time until I fixed the nib situation.

I also agree about appreciating a handmade or custom pen over the mass-produced models, although I do like plenty of the latter.

I never did consider myself a pen collector, despite the numbers of pens I've always seemed to have had, and it still seems strange to call this a hobby. I buy pens to write with them; I buy gorgeous pens... cos beauty!

I've culled my so-called collection down to about 17 users (the other 20 or so are more memento/souvenir/gift category), and I've been considering if I can go a step further and not use cases when I carry around my pens. I remember an fpn member who pulled a couple of Nakayas and other expensive pens out of his front trouser pocket. That was how he carried his pens. No case, no slips -- just in his pocket! I don't know if I can do that (yet). (Well, I generally don't have pockets, but I mean carrying a few NICE pens in a pen pouch as if they were wooden pencils.)

With fewer pens, I'm less caught up in the paradox of choice and get straight to writing faster, and still with a little thrill that I'm using such a beautiful pen.

[tandaina]

I think I answered this question in the last two threads I posted in (especially that last one, about the acquisition stopper), so I will try not to go on and on (I'm a little embarrassed about my long answer, but not embarrassed enough to attempt succinctity (succinctness?)).

Yes! I agree!

About no point in having a gorgeous pen with a lousy nib or a gorgeous nib in an ugly pen, cos -- not being a collector - I won't use those pens. I do believe the nib is the easiest part to fix, though, so I've bought gorgeous pens and bided (bode? boded?) my time until I fixed the nib situation.

I also agree about appreciating a handmade or custom pen over the mass-produced models, although I do like plenty of the latter.

I never did consider myself a pen collector, despite the numbers of pens I've always seemed to have had, and it still seems strange to call this a hobby. I buy pens to write with them; I buy gorgeous pens... cos beauty!

I've culled my so-called collection down to about 17 users (the other 20 or so are more memento/souvenir/gift category), and I've been considering if I can go a step further and not use cases when I carry around my pens. I remember an fpn member who pulled a couple of Nakayas and other expensive pens out of his front trouser pocket. That was how he carried his pens. No case, no slips -- just in his pocket! I don't know if I can do that (yet). (Well, I generally don't have pockets, but I mean carrying a few NICE pens in a pen pouch as if they were wooden pencils.)

With fewer pens, I'm less caught up in the paradox of choice and get straight to writing faster, and still with a little thrill that I'm using such a beautiful pen.

Hehe, being a gal I rarely have real pockets, certainly not anything I can stick a pen in. Which leads me to care not one bit about clips (seriously I'd love if more pen makers didn't use them, pens are so much prettier without) but really like pen rolls and such as just dropping a pen into my purse pretty much means it's a pain to find. ;)

[pajaro]

I think I answered this question in the last two threads I posted in (especially that last one, about the acquisition stopper), so I will try not to go on and on (I'm a little embarrassed about my long answer, but not embarrassed enough to attempt succinctity (succinctness?)).

Yes! I agree!

About no point in having a gorgeous pen with a lousy nib or a gorgeous nib in an ugly pen, cos -- not being a collector - I won't use those pens. I do believe the nib is the easiest part to fix, though, so I've bought gorgeous pens and bided (bode? boded?) my time until I fixed the nib situation.

I also agree about appreciating a handmade or custom pen over the mass-produced models, although I do like plenty of the latter.

I never did consider myself a pen collector, despite the numbers of pens I've always seemed to have had, and it still seems strange to call this a hobby. I buy pens to write with them; I buy gorgeous pens... cos beauty!

I've culled my so-called collection down to about 17 users (the other 20 or so are more memento/souvenir/gift category), and I've been considering if I can go a step further and not use cases when I carry around my pens. I remember an fpn member who pulled a couple of Nakayas and other expensive pens out of his front trouser pocket. That was how he carried his pens. No case, no slips -- just in his pocket! I don't know if I can do that (yet). (Well, I generally don't have pockets, but I mean carrying a few NICE pens in a pen pouch as if they were wooden pencils.)

With fewer pens, I'm less caught up in the paradox of choice and get straight to writing faster, and still with a little thrill that I'm using such a beautiful pen.

Your last sentence strikes a chord with me. After trying a lot of pens out of curiosity, I have settled back to using mainly my old favorites I had since about 1990. Once in a while I pick out one of the others and use it for an hour or two before resuming use of one of my core pens. So, now I pretty much disregard most of the couple of hundred pens I have. Nice to look at, but I just didn't become comfortable with most of them. It feels like it's too much work to sell them.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Wow, reading all this "run its course", "end of the road" stuff is pretty depressing for me who just got started with fountain pens.
I know, I know, I don't have to read this, but at the same time it's fascinating to read and think about.

Positively, it makes me appreciate more people who still love and can talk about fountain pens for hours even though they are 20 years into the collecting. I just met a bunch of them yesterday at the local Pen Club meeting. What a group.

I do think that the people in the fountain pen community is a big part, FPGeeks included, and you guys are great.
What a lonely hobby it would be if I can't share what I think and got excited about with anyone else.


Naaah, don't worry. I've burnt out on pens, pared pens either via sales or giveaways, but I know it's like the waves on a beach: some day, a tide will roll in, and on the crest of the foam will come a new obsession, like Sheaffers with Triumph nibs, or glitterfied inks. Then my eyes get big as saucers again. Oooo, shiiiinyyyyy!