Where Do You Intend To Go With Pen Collecting?

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

Pens are meant to be used.

I have been horrified by the realization that I have a lot of pens and inks that I will never use. Better that I cut down my collection to the pens and inks that I will love and use. Last year, I cut back the collections. This year, I know that I didn't come close to cutting the collections enough.

That may be true for you, and I respect that outlook. But it's not true for everyone.

Since the question was about my own goal behind pen collecting, the answer is quite reasonable. If the OP asked about other people's goals, it would be a different answer. But, since I was asked about my goals, I should describe them.

It wasn't a value judgement. I don't really care how others treat their pens or spend their money. The only person I can control is myself.

But, since the question was asked, I answered. I'm not sorry that it bothered anyone: I answered for me. I would hope that others answered for themselves.

[Jon Szanto]

Since the question was about my own goal behind pen collecting, the answer is quite reasonable.

The only place you didn't refer to "my" pens was in the opening statement, and therefore it certainly seemed like a blanket pronouncement. I'm guessing, then, that you don't believe that all pens are meant to be used, just your pens. In that perspective, it is more than reasonable, and the thing that took me aback was "Pens are meant to be used."

Because, quite frankly, you hear that a lot, more often from new pen owners, and quite a lot on FPN. It is good to counter that with a little splash of open-mindedness.

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

Since the question was about my own goal behind pen collecting, the answer is quite reasonable.

The only place you didn't refer to "my" pens was in the opening statement, and therefore it certainly seemed like a blanket pronouncement. I'm guessing, then, that you don't believe that all pens are meant to be used, just your pens. In that perspective, it is more than reasonable, and the thing that took me aback was "Pens are meant to be used."

Because, quite frankly, you hear that a lot, more often from new pen owners, and quite a lot on FPN. It is good to counter that with a little splash of open-mindedness.

I tried to answer in the spirit of the question. I'm sorry if anyone took my answer as an attack.

I buy pens to use. This is why I don't buy antiques or really expensive pens. A pen I only look at just isn't interesting. My goal is the use, and this is why I want to keep my collection small. I will look at a painting or a photograph. To me, the beauty of a pen is what can be done with it. As much as I may have a mild interest in the pen's manufacture, artistry, or appearance, I quickly grow bored with them if I don't or can't use them.

Others have their own goals in collecting, and that's fine. We're talking about a luxury purchase after all, and anyone who wants to claim the moral high ground with a luxury purchase needs to use a ballpoint until their head clears.

My goal is use. Hopefully others chime in with their goals.

[hsianloon]

I have about 30 pens now after 3 years, but really only use maybe 10 regularly. Most were impulse buys out of curiosity and while I did enjoy them momentarily, I now wished I had saved the money instead to buy a "big pen"

So like you I might limit myself to a pen or two a year, partly to use what I already have , and spend on a big nice pen instead of many crummy ones..

At one stage I found myself wanting to buy just for the sake of it.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I'm pretty much 'Ooooo, shinyyyyy, want!' Then I use Shiny and discover it's not right for me in one way or another and sell or PIF. Or I pick up a 'meh' pen a year later to use as a dipper and fall in love with it. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I have a peculiar set of criteria that I expect no one else to follow. I have chased Heroes, fude, No-Nonsense, Parkers, Montblancs, and Sailors.

And I have a small group of pens I rarely use but will not part with. Weird pens that somehow tickle my fancy, like a nameless pink pen made of a jelly-ish plastic. They're in a glass labeled: Weird Pens That Somehow Tickle My Fancy.

[Silverbreeze]

I seem to be collecting nibs not pens... Is that wierd. Example I now have a Masuyama Needle point, a Masuyama medium CI, a Brian Grey medium CI, a Pendleton Point, a Binder Italic-Fine, a Binder 4x Super Needle on order, a Soft Fine and a Soft Extra fine Falcons. Plus a mix of standard nib

Am I the odd ball here ? :-)

[Laura N]

Pens are meant to be used.

I have been horrified by the realization that I have a lot of pens and inks that I will never use. Better that I cut down my collection to the pens and inks that I will love and use. Last year, I cut back the collections. This year, I know that I didn't come close to cutting the collections enough.

That may be true for you, and I respect that outlook. But it's not true for everyone.

Since the question was about my own goal behind pen collecting, the answer is quite reasonable. If the OP asked about other people's goals, it would be a different answer. But, since I was asked about my goals, I should describe them.

It wasn't a value judgement. I don't really care how others treat their pens or spend their money. The only person I can control is myself.

But, since the question was asked, I answered. I'm not sorry that it bothered anyone: I answered for me. I would hope that others answered for themselves.

Why do you think your answer bothered me? It didn't. It sounds like my answer may have bothered you, and I'm sincerely sorry if it did. I don't mean to cause offense, and I apologize to you if I did. I looked at it as presenting a different view.

You said "Pens are meant to be used." That's a declarative sentence. I said, or intended to say, that's not true for everyone. That may be how you look at your pens. But it's not a truth for all pens or all pen people. The people I know who never use their pens are not represented on this forum by and large, so I wanted to present their point of view.

I think what I probably was responding to is an underlying feeling, or ethos, expressed by many people on these forums (not you in your post) that somehow being "a user" is better than being "a collector." I see things like that all the time. I myself am much more a user than a collector. But I don't think there's any particular virtue in that. I would, instead, say that the people I've met who have enlightened and interested me and taught me something about pens have all been collectors. Their interests as a collector give them a deep knowledge that I don't have. Their collection of hundreds and thousands of pens gives me a sense of the breadth of pen manufacturing (as an art or a craft) that I also lack.

Nobody expects people who collect first editions to read those volumes. Some people would think to do so is crazy, because it risks damaging a valuable object. And some people feel exactly the same about their pens. Thanks to those people, in 50 years we're still going to be able to see pristine examples of some valuable and rare pens.

For myself, I would no more want to feel like I could only own things that I used every day, than I would want to feel like I could never use my nice things because they might be harmed. I get pleasure from a lot of things, some of which I use, and some of which I only admire.

[john]

Pens are meant to be used.

Every time somebody says that, I think of these:

http://www.st-dupont.com/en/our-coll...asterpieces/#7

How can I write with the S.T. Dupont architectural masterpiece If I have it, then I will say that pens are meant for decoration

[john]

I like fountain pens since I was a kid. Started to buy the fountain pens two years ago, now I have more than 50 pieces. Can't say that I'm a collector but I'm interesting in trying different brands, nibs etc. I'm thinking that I will stop to buy any pen again after I get my Opal Starlight from Jonathon. I carry my Mont Blanc 146 daily and rest of my pens are lying in the wooden box peacefully

[Roger W.]

A lot of people will never be collectors/researchers. I happily collected coins when I was younger so I knew how to collect but, in the 1980's I was just using fountain pens. In the course of repairing some vintage pens I came across Pen Fancier and realized that you could build a collection of pens. I was going to collect every large red flattop of every brand I could find. Once you start having a lot you should have a plan unless money doesn't factor in. There weren't any guides in those days so you purely had your own imagination as to what a collection would be. Red oversized flattops gave way to the collecting lines I've followed for a long time now. Over the years budget constraints and personal refinements have lead to what I pursue for the collection. My primary brand is Sheaffer. Used to be 1912-1941 and snorkels. That included desk lamps and desk bases - there are almost 30 lamps and over 300 bases. A couple of hundred flattops and more than a hundred balances. I have gotten a little board and added Targas of which I had bought two in the early 1980's and not another until about a year ago. Snorkels got expanded to include touchdowns. Imperial IV's and VI's have also started to be added.

Also in the 1980's I came across a Boston Fountain Pen Co. pen. A rather well made 13 dropper from circa 1910. I have sought these out for a few decades now and have 100 of these. Less information to go on than Sheaffer so they have been a different challenge. As they were the precursor to Wahl and Wahls first pens are essentially Boston's called Tempoints I collect those too.

The last small pen of quality that I collect is Edward Todd. Edward Todd, Jr. took over early in circa 1900 from his dad and his dad's partner and began making fountain pens. They went out of business in the mid 1930's so like Boston there is a finite range and also the limited information.

All of this feeds into my amateur historian bent and studying the company histories provides lots of hours in a pursuit that at least entertains myself.

Roger W.

[Jon Szanto]

(Believe it or not, I posted the following text late last night, but the server at fpgeeks.com seemed to be having problems, and it wasn't there this morning. Thank goodness for Chrome "Auto-Save". Since then, Laura has more ably voiced what I was thinking, but I wanted to reiterate my thoughts to Waski...)

Waski, it's all good, and I certainly didn't think of it as an attack! As I said in my first post, I'm comfortable with the entire range of why people have these objects, and only get concerned if there becomes a 'common theme' that there is one, best way or reason to have them. For you, what you are doing makes eminently good sense.

[top pen]

Pens are meant to be used.

I have been horrified by the realization that I have a lot of pens and inks that I will never use. Better that I cut down my collection to the pens and inks that I will love and use. Last year, I cut back the collections. This year, I know that I didn't come close to cutting the collections enough.

That may be true for you, and I respect that outlook. But it's not true for everyone.

Since the question was about my own goal behind pen collecting, the answer is quite reasonable. If the OP asked about other people's goals, it would be a different answer. But, since I was asked about my goals, I should describe them.

It wasn't a value judgement. I don't really care how others treat their pens or spend their money. The only person I can control is myself.

But, since the question was asked, I answered. I'm not sorry that it bothered anyone: I answered for me. I would hope that others answered for themselves.

I agree with you. Pens are to be written with as toys are to be played with. To the extent under normal circumstances I will and have always used any pen I have acquired. There are obviously exceptions in the case of particularly old or valuable pens that are rare.

[tandaina]

I'm not really a collector in the typical sense. I have preferences, and so my pens tend to fall into categories. But I don't feel the need to say collect every variant of one particular type of pen, or have a complete set of X.

I will probably sell a few more pens I don't use (though the selling market seems really down right now). And then buy another "grail pen" (read: Nakaya). And because I find them utterly adorable I'll probably continue to buy Pelikan M200 demo pens as they come out. But that's really where I am right now. Mostly happy with what I have, not really feeling the need to add a ton.

[Tsuki yo]

I have collected many things over time. I'm not a collector's collector, in that I don't collect rare or particularly valuable examples of whatever thing I may be focused on at the time. I collect to satisfy my interests and curiosity for the most part. Or, in the instances of things like books and comics, I collect to completion but I try not to get hung up on things like having different printings and editions as long as I have the entirety of a series.

For pens, I collect based on what I like to use, and what I'd like to try out or what I find aesthetically pleasing. I doubt I'll ever "focus" my collection because, as selfish as it sounds, the focus of my collecting anything is me. So, I buy what I like and leave what I don't.

I can really appreciate the beauty of a focused collection though. Especially when it comes to vintage pens because there are just so many out there. Having a theme to collecting definitely helps with impulse control as well, since focused collecting really requires that each item added to the collection meets a certain criteria to fill a gap in the collections. Whereas, the way I collect things means there are as many gaps in my collection as there are pens that I don't own. I manage my collecting by restricting myself to things that I'm willing to keep forever, as I never collect anything with the intention of selling it when the value increases.

So, I guess where I'm going with my collection is wherever my whimsy takes me, and my wallet allows me.

[GING GING]

I'm pretty much 'Ooooo, shinyyyyy, want!' Then I use Shiny and discover it's not right for me in one way or another and sell or PIF. Or I pick up a 'meh' pen a year later to use as a dipper and fall in love with it. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I have a peculiar set of criteria that I expect no one else to follow. I have chased Heroes, fude, No-Nonsense, Parkers, Montblancs, and Sailors.

And I have a small group of pens I rarely use but will not part with. Weird pens that somehow tickle my fancy, like a nameless pink pen made of a jelly-ish plastic. They're in a glass labeled: Weird Pens That Somehow Tickle My Fancy.

That pretty much sums it up: 'Ooooo, Shinyyyy, Want!'

[GING GING]

One way I see pens is like model cars or planes. I just like to look at them, take em' apart, and hope to put em' back together. Sometimes I'll ink one up, write alittle and pour the ink back. Part of the enjoyment is just simply cleaning the pen after pouring out the ink. The biggest fun I get is just holding a pen and looking at it. But then I'm pretty simple that way.

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

Pens are meant to be used.

Every time somebody says that, I think of these:

http://www.st-dupont.com/en/our-coll...asterpieces/#7

How can I write with the S.T. Dupont architectural masterpiece If I have it, then I will say that pens are meant for decoration

One of these would hold no interest for me. It wouldn't be a usable pen.

[scrivelry]

I collect pens for the colors and to be able to write with them. I enjoy fixing things in general and pens are smaller than project cars. I will probably continue to look for pretty colors and things I can write with and repair things that need it. I may end up with more Wearever pennants than Wearever ever made, because there seems to be at least one in every mixed lot I buy off ebay, but they're not that big, and they can give them out as favors at my funeral if they want to.

(I expect to be around another 50-60 years, so I have plenty of time to suggest this to whoever seems most likely to still be here for that...)

[Jon Szanto]

One of these would hold no interest for me. It wouldn't be a usable pen.

If the day came that you could appreciate that object for more than its intrinsic function, wouldn't that be a positive step?

I have many photographs in my house. Some are mere documentation, others are transcripts of family over time. A small number are pieces, done by artistic friends and colleagues, that fulfill another aspect of observation: that of art. I am happy to look at, to experience, one kind of artifact - a photograph - in its many guises, uses, and personalities.

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

One of these would hold no interest for me. It wouldn't be a usable pen.

If the day came that you could appreciate that object for more than its intrinsic function, wouldn't that be a positive step?

I have many photographs in my house. Some are mere documentation, others are transcripts of family over time. A small number are pieces, done by artistic friends and colleagues, that fulfill another aspect of observation: that of art. I am happy to look at, to experience, one kind of artifact - a photograph - in its many guises, uses, and personalities.

One of my other jobs is photography. I don't mind pretty things. I have art as well. But, for me, a pen is a tool. Its beauty is its function as a tool. You would find that there are some photographs and paintings in my house, but I mostly lean toward function. In a 672 square foot house, I have to be smart about what I bring into the house. Clutter is a real danger in a house this small.

For me, the best things combine beauty and function. I have a great fan in my living room which is also wonderful decoration. Function is beautiful.

Even art serves a purpose. I have a photograph of my church hanging in my living room where I see it every day. It inspires me daily to do God's work. My landscape pictures inspire me to serve God's creation. My sports pictures remind me not to get fat. The art reminds me of people who were or are close to me, and some of the art puts me in the mood to create.

Art is meant to stir emotions. I like the music I do because of the feelings I feel.

But, a pen that isn't functional as a pen leaves me cold. I want a pen that works well as a pen. Absent that, it is missing something.