Mister5
January 16th, 2017, 01:18 PM
Here's my experience at the Philly Pen Show. This was my first pen show, but maybe my experience will be useful for someone new to pen shows as what to expect. I went on Saturday only.
Logistics: I purchased my tickets online, and brought a printout of the ticket with me. I came from the north, and parked my car in New Jersey at the PATCO High Speedline (http://www.ridepatco.org) at Woodcrest station just off I-295. If you don't want to drive into Philly or deal with the parking, that's an option. It's $6 for a round trip ticket from there to 15th - 16th & Locust Streets. You need to use the ticket both to enter and leave the train stations; its not like using a Metrocard. Once you get off (walk up the 16th street exit towards the street), you would just walk down to 17th street, and then turn right - the Westin is just 2 blocks up and there's options nearby if you want to get a bagel or something for breakfast. I stopped by a bank at Rittenhouse Square before heading into the show as I knew that some vendors only took cash. Since I only purchased a one-day ticket I had to wait until 10 to go in, but that gave me time to nosh on my bagel & OJ (I got those just off Chestnut Street) in the lobby before heading in. There was just a couple minute wait in line before I went in. You can hang up your coat if you want, but I wore a vest and a sweater, along with a backpack - I unloaded my sweater in my backpack. Bad weather was threatening, so I kind of suspected that I might not be able to stay the whole day.
Layout: The place was packed with vendors, and it looks like the pen show used almost every spot they could get. There only appeared to be a few no-shows. Even the corridor leading to the main ballroom was filled with vendors. There was a little bit of breathing room in the middle aisle of the ballroom with some tables and chairs to rest, and I imagine if someone dragged the unwilling with them, they might spend their time there (or in the lobby of the hotel).
Franklin Christoph and Toys from the Attic took up a chunk of space in the corridor right when you get in. Along the periphery seemed to be the higher end vendors and distributors - Yafa, Visconti, etc, but as you got away from that area and into the interior, that seemed be where the bulk of the activity occurred. From what I recall these vendors had the larger setups in the ballroom: Anderson Pens, Federalist Pens, Crazy Alan, Fountain Pen Hospital, and Susan Wirth.
10:00 - 12:30 - I made a whirlwind tour of the whole place, just skimming everything, so would grasp the layout and see what I was facing for the day.
So that was shellshock.
I needed to decompress as it was a lot to take in, and to think about my gameplan. Going in the show were a couple things I knew I wanted to do: get a FC Pocket Marietta in Tiger Red with a Needlepoint, possibly a PFM, and to feel a Pelikan M800 and Lamy 2000 in the hand. A Sheaffer Carmine Red was also a possible acquisition, but I didn't have a particular model in mind. If there were KWZ or some other iron galls, I'd like to try those. Also get some paper, particularly the Rhodia reporter pads - as if I need any more paper.
So my first stop was Franklin Christoph. They had testers for the needlepoint (and all the other nibs) at F-C, and that gauge was right up my alley. But when I saw the Tiger Red, it wasn't my taste, but I did like the Vintage Green. So I had them set that aside for me in the queue to get ready - you might have to wait a bit before they get it ready for sale. In the meantime I looked at their paraphernalia - they had a special color just for the Philly Pen Show - an orange, but it veers a little toward just a touch toward the red side. Originally I was going to get the Loden but they ran out of that, and got the Philly Pen Show ink instead which I also liked and fits in my collection as I don't have any orange ink. Also they had special leather cases with an orange trim for the Philly Pen Show that you can put some of their thin A6 notebooks, and I got that plus a 4 pack of the lined, so I had something I would remember the pen show by that I could use every day. When it came time to try out the assembled Pocket Marietta, they filled it with an ink of my choice (I selected Noir et Bleu), but it turned out the needlepoint just wouldn't write, even after Jim looked at it. So they scrapped that needlepoint and fit it with a new one. The new one worked perfectly, and I paid, loaded up haul #1 in my backpack and went along the way. I bookmarked some good prices for pen cases at Toys in the Attic along the way to the ballroom.
At that point I started wandering around and looked at some of the booths. My first memorable stop was at Susan Wirth's booth. Her assistant showed me how they operate and I like how their pens were already inked up. Although the pens were not quite what I was looking for, I really liked her set-up, and since the pens were filled, they would be more likely to be what you would experience with actual use.
Another stop was a booth along the periphery where they had an M800 in Burnt Orange. I was surprised how I actually liked the Orange and the heft of the M800. I then knew I had to have am M800 but it would have to be at the right price. I saw a couple more M800's but they are out of my price range. The M600 is nice but just not the right heft, and I have an M215 which I like that weighs more. It was going to be either go big or go home when it came to Pelikan. (Well, kind of big; the M1000 was just too big, and I think I said "just look at that honkin' nib!" when I saw the M1000 in comparison to the M800.)
I stopped by the Aurora booth where they had Auroras (but not selling there), and the Ipsilon is much nicer than I expected but the nib was actually scratchy rather than feedbacky to me, so that was a bummer. But I rather liked the Optima, especially the Blue Aureloid (or whatever its called). But again I ran into the price point issue for that. I know they lowered their prices this year but still... :(
Another booth had some PFM's but they were mediums and just wasn't what I was looking for. I also wanted a maroon since I have an Imperial IV in blue which is the PFM's baby brother.
I looked around a bit more carefully at the majority of the booths until I felt like I had to take a breather and to regroup before I kerplunked the rest of the money. There's only so many pens I can take before my mind was whirling with images of chased ebonite with ringtops.
It was time for lunch. I wandered to a place that made grilled cheese just down the street from the Westin. Two sodas and a grilled ham and cheese later I made my way back.
12:30 - 5:00 - Once more into the breach. I wandered to a booth that had a makralon Lamy 2000 out, and had an OMG moment, now I knew what people were talking about and why it was a classic. But the price wasn't right nor the nib - broads and mediums are just not my thing and they have a rep for running a little broad as it is. So that was on my to-get list but it would have to be an EF.
There were a couple booths that afternoon that tried to do hard sells but that just doesn't work for me, and if it was something I really wanted I might bite. I can appreciate them trying to drum up the business though. But bulk of the vendors didn't do the the hard sell, and are content to let you look or feel the pens, and most to try them out by dipping them.
Well I wasn't going to end up with a makralon Lamy 2000 but at Anderson Pens I purchased an EF Stainless Steel Lamy Studio. The thing just called to me. I look forward to using this pen most of all for some reason. Also the Pocket Marietta I purchased from FC didn't have a converter that fits that, but F-C said they stocked it. They ran out of the reporter pads I saw they had earlier, but they had Clairefontaine index cards and Life Pistachio pads so those completed Haul #2. Anderson Pens graciously asked me for my address to send the case for the Lamy Studio. I'd say that Anderson's booth was one of the more heavily trafficked booths at the show, and appreciate their attention to service like that, given how busy they were.
Again, more wandering. There was a booth along the periphery that I returned to three times. Chalk it up to newbie stupidity (or just stupidity sui generis) but I can't remember the name of the vendor but I really liked him, and he was extremely knowledegable. He suggested I (and others) kneel down when trying out pens at booths as that replicates your arm position like how you would actually write at a desk or table. He also noticed I rotate my pen as I use it. Maybe I need to look at some obliques down the line? He identified my Vacumatic I brought with me as a standard but with a Victory nib, and told me the history of pretty much any pen I pointed out. The Oversize Vacumatics have to be seen - they're gargantuan and almost like works of art!
I really liked his Conway Stewarts in red and blue, and might chalk those up as grail pens - there were a couple other faceted pens. But his was the booth where I got a PFM I. Just wish I recalled this gentleman's name or company name! I will definitely visit his booth again at another show if he's around. Might have had classic fountain pens as part of the company name, not that half the vendors have that as part of the name. At the booth next to his, they had the Rhodia reporter pads. So combined, that was haul #3.
Then I was like, alright I've got enough stuff. Right. But I never did see any new iron gall ink or KWZ. So I did a tour du show to see what inks were around. I only saw R&K Salix/Scabiosa, at Anderson's booth, but I either have or tried already. Just as I was going to leave I recalled a sign at a booth for a $20 Parker 21. And I was like, heck I could just use that as a beater pen. I stumbled back upon that booth. The Parker 21 was OK, but while I was looking, another customer asked about a black resin Aurora Optima he had. I asked about the price while the customer was looking (probably uncouth of me I know) and he gave a price that was really good and I went from indifference to Oh Yeah., but it would depend on the nib. When the customer tried it out it turned out not to be to his liking - he leans towards broader nibs while I go the other way. It could have very easily been the other way around. This Aurora was an EF and for a European nib this is practically EEF. This was from the vendor's his own personal collection, which might explain the deal. So that, combined with a 12 pen case from Pens in the Attic I purchased on the way out, was haul #4.
The bad weather was looming for the drive home, so I ended up leaving early. I wanted to stay for the meetup but I figure better leave early to play it safe.
Lessons for me:
1. Get the names and business cards for the vendors that I really like. They are all individuals but sometimes they can kind of blur together in a miasma of pens.
2. Save, save, save even more prior to a pen show. But still go in with a limited budget. I went a little over what I expected to spend, but fortunately didn't go crazy.
3. Although I didn't have any nibs to work on, I could tell getting there early to get your place in the queue is de rigeur. That said, its also OK to arrive a little bit late if getting there early means you'll be burned out by the end of the day, to join the after party.
4. Its ok to haggle. I think the vendor at the booth where I got the PFM was willing to haggle but I just accepted the price he offered, not knowing any better.
5. Vendors really are very knowledgable about their products - these are not a bunch of guys who just have a bunch of pens they got from an auction, and they genuinely want to help people.
6. Knowing what I wanted to investigate ahead of time helped me focus. There's just so much to look at, and without any kind of game plan I'd be all over the place, and its already dazzling as a first timer.
7. Pen shows are the place to get vintage pens. I could have saved a bit getting vintage pens at the show rather than get a "bargain" on ebay or the boards only then to require a litany of repairs.
8. Take more breaks to recalibrate what you're looking for rather than become dazed by the vast assortment, and to go through your mental checklist so you don't regret it.
9. Bring a lighted loupe.
10. If an opportunity presents itself, take it!
Logistics: I purchased my tickets online, and brought a printout of the ticket with me. I came from the north, and parked my car in New Jersey at the PATCO High Speedline (http://www.ridepatco.org) at Woodcrest station just off I-295. If you don't want to drive into Philly or deal with the parking, that's an option. It's $6 for a round trip ticket from there to 15th - 16th & Locust Streets. You need to use the ticket both to enter and leave the train stations; its not like using a Metrocard. Once you get off (walk up the 16th street exit towards the street), you would just walk down to 17th street, and then turn right - the Westin is just 2 blocks up and there's options nearby if you want to get a bagel or something for breakfast. I stopped by a bank at Rittenhouse Square before heading into the show as I knew that some vendors only took cash. Since I only purchased a one-day ticket I had to wait until 10 to go in, but that gave me time to nosh on my bagel & OJ (I got those just off Chestnut Street) in the lobby before heading in. There was just a couple minute wait in line before I went in. You can hang up your coat if you want, but I wore a vest and a sweater, along with a backpack - I unloaded my sweater in my backpack. Bad weather was threatening, so I kind of suspected that I might not be able to stay the whole day.
Layout: The place was packed with vendors, and it looks like the pen show used almost every spot they could get. There only appeared to be a few no-shows. Even the corridor leading to the main ballroom was filled with vendors. There was a little bit of breathing room in the middle aisle of the ballroom with some tables and chairs to rest, and I imagine if someone dragged the unwilling with them, they might spend their time there (or in the lobby of the hotel).
Franklin Christoph and Toys from the Attic took up a chunk of space in the corridor right when you get in. Along the periphery seemed to be the higher end vendors and distributors - Yafa, Visconti, etc, but as you got away from that area and into the interior, that seemed be where the bulk of the activity occurred. From what I recall these vendors had the larger setups in the ballroom: Anderson Pens, Federalist Pens, Crazy Alan, Fountain Pen Hospital, and Susan Wirth.
10:00 - 12:30 - I made a whirlwind tour of the whole place, just skimming everything, so would grasp the layout and see what I was facing for the day.
So that was shellshock.
I needed to decompress as it was a lot to take in, and to think about my gameplan. Going in the show were a couple things I knew I wanted to do: get a FC Pocket Marietta in Tiger Red with a Needlepoint, possibly a PFM, and to feel a Pelikan M800 and Lamy 2000 in the hand. A Sheaffer Carmine Red was also a possible acquisition, but I didn't have a particular model in mind. If there were KWZ or some other iron galls, I'd like to try those. Also get some paper, particularly the Rhodia reporter pads - as if I need any more paper.
So my first stop was Franklin Christoph. They had testers for the needlepoint (and all the other nibs) at F-C, and that gauge was right up my alley. But when I saw the Tiger Red, it wasn't my taste, but I did like the Vintage Green. So I had them set that aside for me in the queue to get ready - you might have to wait a bit before they get it ready for sale. In the meantime I looked at their paraphernalia - they had a special color just for the Philly Pen Show - an orange, but it veers a little toward just a touch toward the red side. Originally I was going to get the Loden but they ran out of that, and got the Philly Pen Show ink instead which I also liked and fits in my collection as I don't have any orange ink. Also they had special leather cases with an orange trim for the Philly Pen Show that you can put some of their thin A6 notebooks, and I got that plus a 4 pack of the lined, so I had something I would remember the pen show by that I could use every day. When it came time to try out the assembled Pocket Marietta, they filled it with an ink of my choice (I selected Noir et Bleu), but it turned out the needlepoint just wouldn't write, even after Jim looked at it. So they scrapped that needlepoint and fit it with a new one. The new one worked perfectly, and I paid, loaded up haul #1 in my backpack and went along the way. I bookmarked some good prices for pen cases at Toys in the Attic along the way to the ballroom.
At that point I started wandering around and looked at some of the booths. My first memorable stop was at Susan Wirth's booth. Her assistant showed me how they operate and I like how their pens were already inked up. Although the pens were not quite what I was looking for, I really liked her set-up, and since the pens were filled, they would be more likely to be what you would experience with actual use.
Another stop was a booth along the periphery where they had an M800 in Burnt Orange. I was surprised how I actually liked the Orange and the heft of the M800. I then knew I had to have am M800 but it would have to be at the right price. I saw a couple more M800's but they are out of my price range. The M600 is nice but just not the right heft, and I have an M215 which I like that weighs more. It was going to be either go big or go home when it came to Pelikan. (Well, kind of big; the M1000 was just too big, and I think I said "just look at that honkin' nib!" when I saw the M1000 in comparison to the M800.)
I stopped by the Aurora booth where they had Auroras (but not selling there), and the Ipsilon is much nicer than I expected but the nib was actually scratchy rather than feedbacky to me, so that was a bummer. But I rather liked the Optima, especially the Blue Aureloid (or whatever its called). But again I ran into the price point issue for that. I know they lowered their prices this year but still... :(
Another booth had some PFM's but they were mediums and just wasn't what I was looking for. I also wanted a maroon since I have an Imperial IV in blue which is the PFM's baby brother.
I looked around a bit more carefully at the majority of the booths until I felt like I had to take a breather and to regroup before I kerplunked the rest of the money. There's only so many pens I can take before my mind was whirling with images of chased ebonite with ringtops.
It was time for lunch. I wandered to a place that made grilled cheese just down the street from the Westin. Two sodas and a grilled ham and cheese later I made my way back.
12:30 - 5:00 - Once more into the breach. I wandered to a booth that had a makralon Lamy 2000 out, and had an OMG moment, now I knew what people were talking about and why it was a classic. But the price wasn't right nor the nib - broads and mediums are just not my thing and they have a rep for running a little broad as it is. So that was on my to-get list but it would have to be an EF.
There were a couple booths that afternoon that tried to do hard sells but that just doesn't work for me, and if it was something I really wanted I might bite. I can appreciate them trying to drum up the business though. But bulk of the vendors didn't do the the hard sell, and are content to let you look or feel the pens, and most to try them out by dipping them.
Well I wasn't going to end up with a makralon Lamy 2000 but at Anderson Pens I purchased an EF Stainless Steel Lamy Studio. The thing just called to me. I look forward to using this pen most of all for some reason. Also the Pocket Marietta I purchased from FC didn't have a converter that fits that, but F-C said they stocked it. They ran out of the reporter pads I saw they had earlier, but they had Clairefontaine index cards and Life Pistachio pads so those completed Haul #2. Anderson Pens graciously asked me for my address to send the case for the Lamy Studio. I'd say that Anderson's booth was one of the more heavily trafficked booths at the show, and appreciate their attention to service like that, given how busy they were.
Again, more wandering. There was a booth along the periphery that I returned to three times. Chalk it up to newbie stupidity (or just stupidity sui generis) but I can't remember the name of the vendor but I really liked him, and he was extremely knowledegable. He suggested I (and others) kneel down when trying out pens at booths as that replicates your arm position like how you would actually write at a desk or table. He also noticed I rotate my pen as I use it. Maybe I need to look at some obliques down the line? He identified my Vacumatic I brought with me as a standard but with a Victory nib, and told me the history of pretty much any pen I pointed out. The Oversize Vacumatics have to be seen - they're gargantuan and almost like works of art!
I really liked his Conway Stewarts in red and blue, and might chalk those up as grail pens - there were a couple other faceted pens. But his was the booth where I got a PFM I. Just wish I recalled this gentleman's name or company name! I will definitely visit his booth again at another show if he's around. Might have had classic fountain pens as part of the company name, not that half the vendors have that as part of the name. At the booth next to his, they had the Rhodia reporter pads. So combined, that was haul #3.
Then I was like, alright I've got enough stuff. Right. But I never did see any new iron gall ink or KWZ. So I did a tour du show to see what inks were around. I only saw R&K Salix/Scabiosa, at Anderson's booth, but I either have or tried already. Just as I was going to leave I recalled a sign at a booth for a $20 Parker 21. And I was like, heck I could just use that as a beater pen. I stumbled back upon that booth. The Parker 21 was OK, but while I was looking, another customer asked about a black resin Aurora Optima he had. I asked about the price while the customer was looking (probably uncouth of me I know) and he gave a price that was really good and I went from indifference to Oh Yeah., but it would depend on the nib. When the customer tried it out it turned out not to be to his liking - he leans towards broader nibs while I go the other way. It could have very easily been the other way around. This Aurora was an EF and for a European nib this is practically EEF. This was from the vendor's his own personal collection, which might explain the deal. So that, combined with a 12 pen case from Pens in the Attic I purchased on the way out, was haul #4.
The bad weather was looming for the drive home, so I ended up leaving early. I wanted to stay for the meetup but I figure better leave early to play it safe.
Lessons for me:
1. Get the names and business cards for the vendors that I really like. They are all individuals but sometimes they can kind of blur together in a miasma of pens.
2. Save, save, save even more prior to a pen show. But still go in with a limited budget. I went a little over what I expected to spend, but fortunately didn't go crazy.
3. Although I didn't have any nibs to work on, I could tell getting there early to get your place in the queue is de rigeur. That said, its also OK to arrive a little bit late if getting there early means you'll be burned out by the end of the day, to join the after party.
4. Its ok to haggle. I think the vendor at the booth where I got the PFM was willing to haggle but I just accepted the price he offered, not knowing any better.
5. Vendors really are very knowledgable about their products - these are not a bunch of guys who just have a bunch of pens they got from an auction, and they genuinely want to help people.
6. Knowing what I wanted to investigate ahead of time helped me focus. There's just so much to look at, and without any kind of game plan I'd be all over the place, and its already dazzling as a first timer.
7. Pen shows are the place to get vintage pens. I could have saved a bit getting vintage pens at the show rather than get a "bargain" on ebay or the boards only then to require a litany of repairs.
8. Take more breaks to recalibrate what you're looking for rather than become dazed by the vast assortment, and to go through your mental checklist so you don't regret it.
9. Bring a lighted loupe.
10. If an opportunity presents itself, take it!