The Universe of Writing Culture
Pilot celebrates the
Vanishing Point on its 50th anniversary happy 25th birthday
Visconti! find the perfect
Holiday Gifts in our annual guide
A regal green marbled ebonite cap trimmed in sterling adds distinction to Laban’s new Green Marbled Delta— an elegant triangle of classic design, superior quality and luxurious writing fashioned from .925 sterling silver. Fountain pen with rhodium plated steel nib: $280; Rollerball: $270; Ballpoint $260
Mattegical. The black matte Vanishing Point retractable fountain pen. Now, even the nib is black. www.pilotpen.us
FI N E WR ITI NG COLLECTION
DECEMBER
52
VOLUME 27, NUMBER 1 ON OUR COVER: PILOT’s 50th Anniversary Maple Wood Vanishing Point
69
You’ll love our Holiday Gift Guide! Find something for everyone on your list—and a treat for yourself!
40
a pen is more special...
44
treasure trove
52
Visconti goes silver
56
tried and proven
59
California dreamin’
62
cultural icon
65
all wrung out
48
two anniversaries
...when you can imagine the era that brought it to life.
44
Paris’s Museum of Letters and Manuscripts holds the past...in handwriting.
The well-known Italian brand celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary.
Bexley and its made-in-the-USA writing instruments have stood the tests of time.
62
Rik Knablein gets in touch with his artsy side to create pens with “Wow!” power.
Montegrappa honors the legendary Quincy Jones.
Twist-fillers of yesteryear are one more “wrung” on the ladder of pen history.
Pilot marks the golden anniversary of its Vanishing Point and its ninety-fifth year in business.
56 48
34
departments WHAT’S HOT NOW
06 view
on milestones
08 mail
our readers speak
10 news 14 now
people, places and events
10
new pens and other products
16 date 20 note 22 shop
mark your calendar
holiday giving
Airline International
28 getting started 34 strokes 84 network 86 source 88 imho fill ’er up!
Joe Vitolo
22
classified advertising
88
guide to products and services
first love
10 14
THE ROOSEVELT PEN
view
4th in the President’s Series
The intricately sculpted portrait of Theodore Roosevelt in sterling silver artfully captures the character of the United State’s 26th President.
Roosevelt is framed by his famous quote on diplomacy - and his philosophy of life in general. Olive branches refer to his Nobel Peace Prize, while the leaf border acknowledges a driving passion for the environment.
go to
www.curtisaustralia.com for pricing and more information on this collectible masterpiece and the entire President’s Series of sterling silver pens info@curtisaustralia.com Phone 908.448.6694
On Milestones e celebrate a number of birthdays with this issue, so many that I want to call your attention to it. Not only is it the ninety-fifth anniversary of the Japanese brand Pilot/Namiki, but it is also the fiftieth anniversary of the company’s beloved Vanishing Point—an anniversary edition of which graces our cover. Visconti of Florence, Italy, and Bexley of Columbus, Ohio, turn twenty-five and twenty, respectively. Isn’t it wonderful? Three different pen brands, far apart from each other geographically and also in the kinds of pens they produce, are celebrating their well-deserved longevity. We salute them, and you can read about all three in this issue. Also, we profile a much newer brand, RiKwill, and take a look at Montegrappa’s new pen in honor of musical polymath Quincy Jones. Deborah Basel and Richard Binder are back with the latest in their respective series on calligraphy and fountain pen filling systems. Julian H. Kreeger, who usually writes about nibs for us, instead devotes his column to a won-
W
derful museum he visited while in Paris last summer. Let him take you to the Museum of Letters and Manuscripts—and go see the real thing if you are in Paris. Vintage pen collectors, especially, will enjoy Jeff G. Bohn’s essay about a particular 1915 pen, as he ponders the era and the attitudes and values into which his pen was born. I have just enough space to mention our Holiday Gift Guide, which is designed to make it a bit easier to fill your gift list. And, if you are one of the early birds who completed your shopping last summer, our Gift Guide will help you decide how to spend that holiday cash! Thank you for reading these words, and be assured that all of us at Pen World wish you the best holiday season ever—and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
editor@penworld.com
P.S. Check out our newly redesigned website at penworld.com!
Acin
the
Test
of
Time BY JIL MCINTOSH
Pilot/Namiki celebrates two milestones: its ninety-fifth anniversary and the golden anniversary of its popular Vanishing Point.
hile they’re primarily intended to be practical, pens can also be as fickle as fashion. A new one will hit the market and may do very well at first, but gradually its market peters out and it is retired. Then there are those that stand the test of time, driven by their design and functionality. One such pen is Pilot’s Vanishing Point, celebrating its fiftieth year in 2013. To commemorate the milestone, Pilot—which is also marking its ninety-fifth birthday—has issued a limited edition Pilot 50th Anniversary Vanishing Point in maple wood with 18 karat gold accents, the first time this retractable fountain pen has been rendered in wood. The Vanishing Point is the name you’ll see it wear in North America— elsewhere, it is known as the Pilot Capless. The 50th Anniversary Pen, limited to 900 pieces worldwide with 300 available in the United States, is presented in a matching maple box, which also contains a small wooden box holding five ink cartridges, and a unique serial number plate.
W
48
Pilot’s 50th Anniversary Vanishing Point
“The Vanishing Point is one of the most innovative fountain pens on the market, because of its design and its ability to serve as a day-in and day-out workhorse,” says John Lane, general manager of Pilot Fine Writing at Pilot Pen. “This will be the tenth limited edition Vanishing Point, but in the past they’ve always had a brass barrel with a lacquer finish. This is the first time it has been finished in a natural material.” The Vanishing Point wasn’t the first retractable pen when it debuted as the Capless in Japan in 1963. Starting in the late 1800s, a few manufacturers had offered “safety” pens with nibs that could be retracted before the pen was capped. But the Capless was revolutionary, with a complex inner mechanism and an airtight trap door that sealed in the small, flat nib, preventing the pen from leaking or drying out even though it didn’t have a cap. The original Capless, introduced in November 1963, had an aluminum body and a twist mechanism to extend or retract the nib. It had a very short clip and wide center band. A second version, brought out a month later, had a gold-plated body. For 1964, a pushbutton was used to activate the nib. The body was stainless steel and plastic, and the clip was much longer, so that the pen bore more of a resemblance to the design used today. Both twist and pushbutton mechanisms were offered in 1965 and 1966, and in 1968, a sliding clip was used to activate the writing unit. A new version released in June 1971 went back to the pushbutton, which the pen has used ever since. When Pilot established its American branch in 1972, it introduced the Vanishing Point name for this model. Today, the pen has a loyal following. The Vanishing Point is incredibly complicated inside but is easy to use; despite its complexity, it is competitively priced; it can be activated with one hand, without the need to remove a cap; and it is immediately identifiable. The modern clip is also a Vanishing Point hallmark, located close to the nib where it does double duty: it not only secures the pen in a pocket or pen case but also serves as a guide for the fingers. Lane admits that many people are skeptical about the pen when they first see the clip’s placement but quickly become converts once they’ve tried writing with it. “When you put your fingers on it, it puts the nib at the perfect angle for optimal ink flow,” he says. “Without the clip, you could roll it and it would be at the wrong angle, and the ink would start to skip.” 49
The company originally planned to make the 50th Anniversary pen faithful to the original Capless of 1963, but ultimately felt that a new version of the current pen would be more practical. “They took the original out of the museum, but it was thin, with a silver barrel and gold accents, and we weren’t wild about it,” Lane says, adding that although this limited edition pen is meant for collectors, it still has all the practicality and writing performance expected of a Vanishing Point. He expects that the pen’s primary market will be with buyers who already own a Vanishing Point, and especially with those who have collected all of the previous limited edition pens, which date back to 2004. While regular Vanishing Point pens retail for $175, the 50th Anniversary edition is $550. All come with medium nibs. The other major anniversary, Pilot’s ninety-fifth year, is marked by a pair of limited edition maki-e dragon-themed pens. The company’s roots date to 1915, when Ryosuki Namiki, a professor in Japan, left his job to start a business making gold pen nibs. Two years later he was making writing instruments; however, the year the company deems its founding year is 1918, when Namiki joined with a partner, Masao Wada, and formed the Namiki Manufacturing Company. Pilot was the brand name for their products. In 1925, Namiki patented a process of applying a protective lacquer to the pens, and then began decorating them with the ancient art of maki-e. Because Pilot offers such a wide variety of products, and in an enormous range of prices, the Namiki name today is reserved for the company’s maki-e offerings. However, U.S. customers will now see a new name, Pilot Fine Writing, which Lane is introducing. It will cover all writing instruments ranging from about $20 right up to Pilot’s luxury sterling silver pens. “I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel, but to emphasize that if you go to our factories in Japan, you’ll see that the same care and quality is given to a G2 rollerball as to an Emperor,” Lane says. “Quality is first with Pilot, and the company will not put out a product that’s not superior. It’s nothing but the best for our customers.” JIL MCINTOSH is a freelance writer based in Canada. She is a pen collector and writes frequently about pens and cars.
Namiki Robori Ryu (Rising Dragon)
50
Namiki Ryu (Dragon)
Maki-e Masterpieces Pilot is celebrating its ninety-fifth anniversary with two magnificent Namiki maki-e pens: the Nobori Ryu, or Rising Dragon, and the Ryu, or Dragon. Both feature iconic Japanese dragons rendered in maki-e, combining taka (raised) and togidashi (burnished) maki-e techniques, to symbolize Pilot’s energy and success in the past and in the years to come. The Ryu, a vest-style pen in the Yukari size, captures the dragon in gold and silver on a black base, enhanced with gold applied in the traditional seirei-nuri technique. It is limited to 400 pieces worldwide, at $1,300, but if you don’t have one in your collection yet, you may be out of luck: all of the U.S. allocation is sold out. The Nobori Ryu is the work of artisan Seiki Chida, and is an enormous Emperor vest-type pen that features an 18-karat gold nib. This piston-filler is limited to ninety-five pieces worldwide and retails for $12,500.
51
VON MOOS PENS ARE UNIQUE BY NATURE. EACH PEN IS A PIECE OF ART MADE IN SWITZERLAND USING MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES. PRECIOUS WOODS ARE CAREFULLY SELECTED AND THE DIAMANDS MEET THE HIGHEST STANDARDS WORLDWIDE.
THE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS GIFT
A LIMITED EDITION VON MOOS PEN CUSTOM ENGRAVED FOR YOU ANDRÉ VON MOOS WILL VISIT THE U.S. IN NOVEMBER TO PRESENT THIS SPECIAL CHRISTMAS LIMITED EDITION PEN IN PERSON. TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, PLEASE CONTACT VON MOOS BEFORE OCTOBER 27 AT INFO@VONMOOS-MANUFAKTUR.COM. TO INSURE CHRISTMAS DELIVERY, ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY NOVEMBER 15, 2013.
Von Moos Manufaktur AG | Kasernenplatz 2 | Postfach 7085 | CH-6000 Luzern 7 | Fon +41 41 318 36 36 | Fax +41 41 318 36 37 info@vonmoos-manufaktur.com | www.vonmoos-manufaktur.com
Est. 1968 Genève Suisse
724 263 2286 t 201 894 4710 info@totallyworthit.com t www.TotallyWorthIt.com
Ferrari 300
Produced under license of Ferrari Spa. FERRARI, the PRANCING HORSE device, all associated logos and distinctive designs are property of Ferrari Spa.
Distributed by Kenro Industries 393 Jericho Turnpike, Ste 2 Mineola, NY 11501 1-800-741-0005
Limited Edition Specialists Large Selection of Vintage Pens Pre-Owned Pens Fine Pens, Accessories, Books Please call 800-253-PENS or visit WWW .F OUNTAIN P EN H OSPITAL . COM and request our free 92-page catalog.
800-253-PENS | 10 Warren Street New York, NY 10007 | www.FountainPenHospital.com
R
An emerald that is truly within your reach. Introducing the Waterford Kilbarry Emerald Isle – Named for the beautiful parish in Ireland where Waterford is located. Available in: Fountain Pen with Bi-Color German made Steel Nib in Medium, Roller Ball and Ball Pen
Exclusively distributed by Hampton-Haddon Marketing Corporation {ÇääÊ7 ÃÃ> V Ê Ûi ÕiÊUÊ* >`i « >]Ê* Ê£ £{{ÊUÊÓ£x {În £ÓääÊUÊwaterfordpens@hamptonhaddon.comÊUÊwww.hamptonhaddon.com
Ganesha
Hanuman
L akshmi
Col l ec t ion Indi a n Gods
Exclusive fountain pens hand painted in Russia
au a uthorized ret ta ailers
Th e U S A A i r l i n e I n t e r n at at i o n a l www w.. a i r l i n e i n t l .co .com Singapore E l e ph p h a n t & Co Cor a l w w w. w. e l e p ph h a n tt - co c o r a l ..co com
P h o e n i x L acq acquer A r t www w.. p ph hoenixl a acq c q u e r a r t.co t. c o m i n fo f o @ ph phoenixl a acq cquer a r t t.co .com dii a l +31 d + 31 (0) ( 0 ) 6 5 4 97 97 24 8 8
network PPENTOOLING.com PENTOO ENTOOOLING.com OLING com m TM
Vintage V int i age F Fountain ount o ain P Pens en ns & T Tools ools F For or o R Restoring estoring The Them em
%BMF #FFCF t "SSPZP (SBOEF $" (714) 408-7574 t XXX 1FOUPPMJOH DPN Shop at our website and email your requests to pentooling@gmail.com Presenting Eschenbach, Acculux, and other well made Illuminated Loupes
The Ink Flow
2014 ARKANSAS PEN SHOW
TM
Fine Pen Retailers
COLLECTIONS ACME ANCORA AURORA BEXLEY CARAN d’ACHE COLIBRI CONWAY STEWART CROSS
HOME
ORDER INFO
We make writing an enjoyable experience TRACKING
LINKS
CONTACT
F. A. Q.
CART
www.theinkflow.com FinePens@TheInkFlow.com 210.493.6135 Description
Retail
Yo u r P r i c e
Buy Option
S. T. Dupont Shanghai Limited $2990.00 Edition fountain pen
Click the buy button
Buy
S. T. Dupont Place Vendome L. Edition fountain pen 481047
Click the buy button
Buy
S. T. Dupont Place Vendome Limited Edition Roller pen 4 8 2 0 4 7
Click the buy button
Buy
. T. Dupont Samourai Limited.
Click the
Buy
$2500 00
FEBRUARY 28–MARCH 1, 2014 WYNDHAM RIVERFRONT 2 RIVERFRONT PLACE NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR 72114 RESERVATIONS: 501.371.9000 REQUEST $94 PEN SHOW RATE
Friday, February 28: Noon—7:00 pm Saturday, March 1: 9:00 am—6:00 pm Admission: $ 5.00/day or $10/entire show Seminars Basic Pen Repair • How New Pens are Born Saturday only: Pens for Kids & Palmer Method writing classes taught by teacher/artist Shawn Newton
Sponsored by the Arkansas Pen Club
Vanness, Inc.
network Reach your target clientele with a display ad in the world’s premier magazine for pen connoisseurs.
Contact Susan: sbowen@penworld.com or 281.359.4363
84
Newton Pens
PEN WORLD Information: Tim Byler, 501.228.5134 bylert@comcast.net or arkansaspenclub@gmail.com
ARKANSASPENCLUB.COM
Sell, trade, buy and repair pens the way you want.
Nathaniel M. Cerf President, Repairman
info@ThePenMarket.com • 847.708.5062 P.O. Box 5337
•
Glendale Heights, IL • 60139-5337
Pen World 1988-2013 Order back issues of Pen World. Buy issues featuring your favorite pens. Only $9.95 per issue plus S&H. Rare issues are $15.95 each plus S&H. Discounts for orders of 10-plus copies. To order: email info@penworld.com • online at penworld.com Pen World • P.O. Box 550246 • Houston,TX 77255 Phone 713.869.9997
Pens Plus has been serving the pen community in both the USA and abroad since 1995. We are secondary market dealers of both new and used limited edition pens and are serious buyers who pay the highest dealer prices for collections both large and small. Please email your inventory to us at the email address below, or feel free to call us directly at the phone number shown.
85