A Change of Perspective.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

As some of you may have realised now, although I have often started threads on subjects that I think may be of interest to others and will likely generate site traffic, they do not always represent my personal position. On the other hand perhaps nobody noticed?

I mention this here because I don't want the next thing I say to be misinterpreted as yet another change of perspective on my part. (One can only hope!)



My actual position is such that although I do have an interest in fountain pens - especially writing with them - I am not drawn to the world of repair/restoration (and have so far little need to be so drawn), nor to the more clearly defined areas that a pure collector would take (and I have no objection or negative thoughts for those that do).

When we return from the trip to the UK I am considering expanding the small sampling of pens I have. There are some problems with this though.

1. There aren't many new pens that grab my attention enough to take the plunge. To be fair, I will get to try in the hand quite a few while in Singapore (on part of the trip), but really the sample size is likely to be small (in terms of what I may buy) and limited to trying a modern Aurora (88 or Optima), the Pelikan 600/800/1000 for fit only, and anything in urushi just to get an idea of what it feels like (I have a fave Nakaya model but I'm not paying that much for a sub $100 nib - my opinion only of course).

2. I'd like to see a modern higher quality ebonite pen (ideally an Eboya) to see if there really is any subjective difference between it and an Indian ebonite pen (I know, some may say that is outrageous to suggest, but until I have it in my hand I won't know for certain).


Those are small problems that will be easily addressed on the trip. Larger problems abound when I consider the few vintage pens I may like to own.

I struggle for a market. This is probably the biggest issue. eBay is an awful place in my experience, and pen shows are beyond my reach. I am signed up for Gary Lehrer's site, but usually the link goes out well before I get any chance to access it and most of what I'm interested in (if it is on his list) is usually gone by then. Other vintage pen sites - with no disrespect to the owners - are often significantly limited in their stock. Considering the volumes of pens traded at shows and so on I have to assume that there is a large offline community (or resource pool) that I have no access to.


At this point I don't have a firm idea of what I may be chasing but the following are kinda in my sights:

1. A Waterman's 94 in Steel Quartz (any original nib) or Mahogany - I have put out a request for this but have had zero response here or on Pentrace.
2. An Eversharp Skyline in black with the green striped cap. I've not seen a decent example of this for over a year (on eBay). Again, not looking for a flex nib.
3. A Parker Duofold in sea foam green. Never seen a good example.
4. An Aurora 88P in good condition. These crop up from time to time, but with limited confidence in eBay sellers I've been reluctant to go for one.
5. A Sheaffer Balance in marine green - a big one.

As you can see, this is not a big list, though it may be a little pricey to do in one go.

While these are likely to be much easier to find for our US friends (correct me if I am wrong on this), the difficulty is a whole magnitude larger for those of us in distant and isolated lands.

What I am hoping for here is at the very least to start some conversations going. If this leads to a small network of people whose opinions I trust then perhaps some small pen dreams may be realised. It may also be a great help if some of the better eBay sellers were unmasked (perhaps back channel), because I have no idea who anyone is and there are certain sellers I avoid like the plague when they may actually be reputable (unknown to me).


Anywho, there it is. I am asking the community for some help. I don't expect any quick resolutions to any of this, and I am quite prepared to take the time to build those relationships.