I think a lot of light has been cast on the nature of collecting in comments and emails. I’m very grateful to those who made the time and effort to examine their own behaviour in this regard.
There may, in some cases, be psychological compensation going on. Collecting may give the opportunity to bring order to a worryingly disordered universe and as nothing in life is ever properly complete, having every Wyvern model ever made brings peace and contentment. I hasten to add that none of this came from the experience of my correspondents but from a couple of articles I was kindly shown.
Then there are those who were always destined to be collectors. Even as children they collected. There are so many affordable items that can form a collection. It was often much later that they came upon fountain pens. They are a very satisfying collectable given the number of brands and models.
There are another group who would never have collected if they had not become fascinated by fountain pens. Their collections are about knowledge. More than anyone else they are the repositories of the history and development of the fountain pen.
There is an often-mentioned divide between collectors and writers. Some do not even restore the pens that they acquire. They are objects to be viewed and examined, Just because they were made to write with doesn’t mean that has to happen. But there are collectors who write with every pen they have. Perhaps the pen is bought for its beauty or rarity but it is restored as a working writing instrument, made to write as well as it can and used regularly. These are not hermetically sealed categories. They often drift one into another.
Several collectors have written on the subject of their collections, either on paper or on the Web. They have provided us with so much valuable information and I would regard many of those collections as historical and very valuable, a small museum of the history of communication. The problem may be that the rest of the world does not see fountain pen collections in the same way.
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I have probably always had a collecting tendency, but I have always been fascinated by the history of fountain pens and the extension of knowledge as well. There are so many details that have seemingly been lost to time. Taking one example, there doesn’t seem to have been a detailed analysis ever undertaken of Parker’s Newhaven archive. Although the British Parkers are certainly amongst the most well known of fountain pens, significant gaps exist in our knowledge. For example, regarding the post-war Duofold series, are we really sure that production of the Victory Mark 5 continued alongside the physically identical Junior? If so, what would be the point? Surely it would have been futile and cost prohibitive to keep the two separate production lines of pen barrels? Yet the online Penography claims that the Victory continued as late as 1965. I suspect that the Victory was phased out in the late ‘50s.
Another detail that I find questionable is the claim that the Demi had a number 15 engraved on the nib, indicating model number. I have never actually seen one of these and seriously doubt if they actually went into production. All the Demis that I have come across had the same 25 nib common to the Standard model. Finally, I am not convinced that the alleged date number engraved on the nibs of these Duofolds is being correctly interpreted. Of course, I could be completely wrong, but further research may conclusively settle these issues. Another issue is that the models and time production dates of British Parker 51s vary significantly from their American cousins, and yet many people seem to erroneously believe that international production came to an end in 1972. When exactly did Newhaven finally terminate the 51? Some say that it could have been as late as 1978. If so, our time lines for the production of the Mark 2 could be inaccurate.
A final comment on pen collecting: am I the only pen person to find British pen shows boring? Apparently, in the States they hold seminars and lectures on different aspects of the hobby at their pen shows. Sadly, in the UK pen shows are little more than market places that you have to pay to get into. If you are not interested in buying modern pens at highly inflated prices then there is no point in attending. Pen shows are geared solely towards the pen collecting addict (which I am not) who often act like children let loose in a sweet shop on pocket money day. When I occasionally attended these events in the past it was tragic to watch grown men shelling out hundreds and hundreds of pounds, and then sheepishly declaring that they will have to hide their haul from their wives. It becomes like a gambling addiction for some. It is a great pity that we don’t have a forum once a year where we could all come together to meet, socialise and impart our knowledge. Surely, there should be more to the hobby than sitting at home alone and reading Stephen Hull?
You make interesting points about Parker Newhaven. Because of the geographical remoteness of my location – and one or two other issues – I’ve never been to a pen show. I would like to go if only to meet my online friends in the hobby. And yes I would doubtless spend a few quid!
Deb, rest assured you are not missing much at the pen shows as they are presently constituted.
From the limited experience I have they are largely populated by middle-aged males pouring over tables of overpriced, fancy (and, to my mind, hideous) Montegrappa-style, cartridge converter, pens. Most of the dealers are thoroughly charming and honest people, but a significant minority would be more at home in the secondhand car trade.
Personally, I found that the most fascinating aspect of such a day is to look at the slightly crazed facial expressions of some of our fellow pen enthusiasts. Their eyes are positively aglow as they gawp and the tables strewn with pens. If someone suddenly shouted “fire!”, I bet about half of them would remain in the room hopelessly mesmerised by the objects of their desire. To be a spectator at a pen show is to enter the world of Desmond Morris’s “people watching”.
Unfortunately, taking money off them is like stealing candy from a baby. I once saw a gentleman shell out over £1,500 for some limited edition monstrosity, without so much as questioning the price. The dealer (who, as I recall, resembled the late Norwegian actor Tutte Lemkow) quickly boxed the item up and passed it over to the poor drooling addict. For a brief moment the new owner looked radiant, like a child on Christmas morning, but then his expression started to change and I could almost read his thoughts of “…what have I done?”
You know what, I bet that flashy pen ended up shoved in the bottom of a drawer, clogged up with dried ink and gathering dust after the initial novelty wore off. We all like buying, owning and using fountain pens, but this is surely taking things a bit too far. Perhaps we should set up “Fountain Pens Anonymous” to help our co-enthusiasts and save their marriages?
I don’t mind reputable dealers and a healthy bit of commerce, but I would also love to have just once a year discussion groups and lectures with people like yourself. You and your husband have done so much to extend our knowledge and increase the pleasure of the hobby. I love reading your blog and I am always so pleased when you put up a new post (despite the fact that you keep frightening us that you are on the verge of departure). I particularly enjoy reading of some new rare item that you have recently discovered and then interact with the readers to obtain information. I have learnt so much from you. I had never even heard of the Ford Patent fountain pen or the appalling Queensway brand before you highlighted them. Thank you both so much for all your efforts.
We need more of Deb and less of the poor swivel-eyed addicts of the pen shows! Have a lovely weekend.
Thank you for your kind words, Adrian. You have some pretty strong opinions about pen shows. They aren’t shared by everyone.
Deb.
Depressing as it may sound, one could be forgiven for thinking that many aspects of societal behaviour planetwide currently appear to be on a trajectory that discards much of intrinsic value, both materially and culturally.
Tried and true materials are often supplanted by technologies that are unsustainable and driven by base motivation: one example ( of many ! ) being plastic ballpoint pens. Millions if not billions of them are consigned to landfill annually , and multiplied by the number since their invention, take on staggering proportions…
This is one of the many instances of a species seemingly hell bent on rendering its environment uninhabitable for the sake of short term profit for a select few.
One of the underlying feelings that are reported to be part of a collecting ethic, is definitely a desire to hold onto things that relate to a time when more sustainable and even enlightened behaviour was being practiced.
I and many others in this instance find that holding a collection of fountain pens from a past, is a way of preserving an aspect of those times in material form, in the hope that more enlightened times prevail.
These are good points, Rob, and I agree entirely. When I was buying pens I would often see a pen or two that I liked in a group of pens. Often among them were ballpoints with empty refills. I used to get refills for them and hand them out to the nurses at the hospital. They always need pens!