This is not a collector’s pen, or even an everyday user. It’s one of the later Osmiroids, the ones that use a different version of the interchangeable nib. This one is a squeeze-filler; the later ones use cartridges.

It’s a calligrapher’s pen. This one has a nib I haven’t seen before. It’s called a shadow italic or something like that. I don’t know what it’s for but it draws splendid lines! It makes a thick broad, italic line and a more slender line shadowing it.

In your 20s or 30s it seems like there’s all the time in the world. There was a guy in the office where I worked who was a calligrapher. To say I admired his work is an understatement; I thought it was amazing. I planned to learn calligraphy myself. I didn’t have time to do it right then, but there would be a time when I would learn to make those beautiful marks on paper.

Except that time never came. There was always something more pressing and urgent. About ten years ago I even bought a couple of books on the subject. I glanced through them. There were instructions on the formation of all the letters and examples of the fine writing I was sure I would learn one day soon.

When we moved house earlier this year, I reduced the hundreds of books we had amassed, getting rid of those we no longer needed or would never consult again. I looked at the calligraphy guides. I made a sensible decision, but not without regret. There was never going to be a time when I would sit down with those examples and devote myself to it for the years it takes to become a really good calligrapher. The books went into the pile for the charity shop. I hope that someone bought them and is practicing their penmanship right now.