Friday, January 31, 2025
February 2025 meeting information!
February 2025 meeting details:
When: Thursday February 20, 2025
Where: Branch Meeting Room (in the basement) of the Vancouver Public Library's KITSILANO branch at 2425 Macdonald Street (between Broadway and West 8th) in Vancouver.
Time: 5:00pm - 7:30pm
Meeting theme/topic: NEW ACQUISITIONS (pens/inks/stationery/accessories/etc). Please try to limit your "show & tell" to 2 items per person, so everyone has a chance to speak.
DE-STASHING: If you have a pen-related item you want to give away, you can bring it to the meeting and leave it on the de-stashing table. And then, if there's something you see on the table that you want, please feel free to take it, if you wish.
Hope you can make it! 😁 There's no need to RSVP, but if you have any questions, please contact us at: vancouverpenclub@gmail.com
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Brand-new attendance record! (January get-together photos)
Our January 2025 meeting (held at the Kitsilano branch of the Vancouver Public Library on Jan. 16th) set a new record for meeting attendance---at least 36 people were in attendance, including brand-new members Adam, Audrey, and Tony! 😮 (our previous record was 32, set in December 2024)
The meeting was actually an informal get-together (such as those we also have at pen stores once in a while) and not a regular meeting (which is a sit-down "show & tell" with a meeting theme/topic), so if you're wondering what goes on at these casual gatherings, read on!
(photos by Maja ~ please click on images to enlarge)
You also might see some vintage fountain pens that our members recently acquired, such as this nice Parker '51' fountain pen belonging to Andrew that he purchased from Christopher (another pen restorer in our club) earlier that day...

... or this Parker '25' fountain pen that he bought from fellow member Grant during the meeting...
You're guaranteed to see newly-acquired modern fountain pens that our members brought to show others, such as Peter H's new Waterman 'Hemisphere' (far right, above) ... or old favourites and/or daily users, such as his Waterman 'Laureat' (far left) and Platinum #3776 Century fountain pens...
You might even see a member's entire fountain pen collection, such as Alex's Lamy '2000', TWSBI Mini, TWSBI 'Precision' (left side of pen case in the above photo) and "Vivid Pink" Pilot 'Prera' (photo below) fountain pens.
Although we're primarily a fountain pen club, we occasionally see other writing instruments, such as mechanical pencils. Alex brought some of those to show-- his Pilot 'S30' and the two black Rotrings (an '800' and a '600') seen above....
....as well as his Pentel 'Kerry' pencil (above, far left) and collection of Pentel 'Graphgear 1000' pencils that take different lead widths. Sometimes we even see rollerball pens---the black Pilot 'G2' and a bright green no-name (seen above) are what Alex calls his "loaner pens" 😄.
Our club welcomes collectors/users of all types of fountain pens -- from economical pens to their luxurious counterparts (like David J's Pilot 'Custom Urushi' fountain pen above)...and it doesn’t matter if you own one fountain pen or a thousand --- everyone is welcome!
In addition to pens made by big pen companies, we also see fountain pens handmade by small pen makers, such as the beautiful fountain pens fellow VPC member Anson of Springfield Pens makes and sells (above)...
At our casual gatherings, some of our ink aficionados use the opportunity to trade ink samples and swatch them (that's Michelle's ink swatch book in the photo above)...
In any case, there will always be lots of interesting pens to see, and friendly, helpful pen-loving folks that you can chat with, in a relaxed atmosphere....
...so please come to a meeting and see for yourself! 😁 As as our club's President, I try to attend every meeting, so when you come to your first meeting, please find me (that's me--Maja--- on the far left) and say "hi"! If you need a nib tuned or repaired, you can talk to our fellow pen club member Jerred (standing next to me)... and if you're looking for a beautiful handcrafted fountain pen to buy, look for pen maker Anson (far right of photo)!
Many thanks to everyone who came to our January meeting! Information about our February meeting (which will be a regular--ie. themed--- meeting) will be posted by the end of this month.
(~blog post by Maja~)
Friday, January 17, 2025
Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 538
Thank you to everyone who came to our January meeting last night! I'll post some photos I snapped during that (very busy) get-together here on our website next week. In the meantime, here's Christopher's review of his vintage Waterman '55' fountain pen for you to enjoy...
(photo courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on image to enlarge)
Christopher writes:
Unlike so many of the vintage pen companies of the 19th and 20th centuries, Waterman favoured its tried and true and stuck with the vulcanized rubber for many years in jet black, but embellished the finish with extremely attractive chasing and/or precious metal overlays. Still, my focus this time around, is with a smart black number, free of any chasing but with a most attractive and somewhat wide Gold-Filled barrel banding. In turn, this gold banding was beautifully engraved in a Waterman 'Indian Scroll, which is in part a floral design. The long smooth flat top cap sports a gold-filled Waterman ball ended, Ideal marked cap clip. The barrel is also flat ended and features the model identification of 55 in red relief on this flat end.
This is a typical Waterman boxed lever filler, as patented by the company in 1905. At the other end of the barrel, is a substantial section and fitted quite responsibly into this grip is both the wider Waterman , 'Spoon feed' introduced by the company in 1901 and, well seated on top, an impressive No.5 marked Waterman's 'Ideal', quite sizable 14K Gold nib. I would assess the writing ability of this goodly point as a medium flex general writing nib. This fine pen posts at all of a lengthy 7 full inches. but caps back responsibly to exactly 5 1/2 inches. Overall, the condition of this particular writing instrument is near mint and will definitely find a well earned place in my vintage pen collection.
Many thanks to Christopher for sharing this latest vintage treasure with us!
Monday, January 6, 2025
January 2025 meeting info!
January 2025 meeting information:
When: Thursday January 16, 2025
Where: The Branch Meeting Room (in the basement) of the Vancouver Public Library's KITSILANO branch at 2425 Macdonald Street (between Broadway and West 8th) in Vancouver (*same venue as December's meeting*).
Time: 5:00pm - 7:30pm
No "show & tell"/topics for this meeting--it's just an opportunity to have the full meeting time to sit and chat with other members, trade/sell inks, buy pens, etc.
Don't worry---we'll be back with a themed meeting in February!
DE-STASHING: If you have some pen-related items you don't want or need, and just want to give them away, you can bring them to the meeting and leave them on the designated table, and then take something that someone else left on the table (if you wish). This worked well last month, so I thought we'd make it a permanent feature (and it's all completely voluntary, of course)
Hope you can make it! 😊 Any questions? Please email us at: vancouverpenclub@gmail.com
Saturday, January 4, 2025
Record-smashing attendance for December 2024 meeting!
Our December meeting topics were: Fountain Pens That Remind You of Winter/the Holiday Season (our primary meeting theme) and Newest Pen-Related Acquisitions (which is always our secondary theme). Both Sherman and I snapped some photos during the meeting, so without further ado, here they are!
(~The first three & last seven photos are courtesy of Sherman; the rest are Maja's ~please click on images to enlarge~)
(Counter-clockwise around the table, from the bottom left): Sherman, Villoo, Paul, Stuart, me (Maja), Lisa, Bernie, (Grant and Jerred are hidden), Esther, Emily, Rebecca, Amy, Sharon, Oliver, Alex, Nathan, Joy, Lyndon, Andrii, David L, Dana, David C. (waving), Anson, Michelle, Yang, Asifa, Phil, Stefan and Vladan. Daryl is seated off to the right side. Christina (not pictured) had to leave early.
Jerred's newest acquisition is this impressive addition to his wonderful Delta fountain pen collection--a bright red Delta 'Gaius Julius Caesar" limited edition fountain pen with sterling silver accents.The pen was made in limited numbers and came with a replica Roman coin. This limited edition fountain pen by Delta was available in three different forms---piston-filler, cartridge/converter-filler, and lever-filler (shown above).
Paul always brings interesting new acquisitions for us to see, like this calligraphy fountain pen made in the U.K...
...and this cool magnetic 'Polar' ballpoint, one of several he bought as Christmas gifts! Paul was kind enough to bring a door prize for our draw -- a nice leather portfolio. I forgot to photograph it, but it was won by Lisa (congratulations, Lisa!)
Above: Stuart's blue Diplomat 'Viper', Sheaffer '100' in the "Friends of Winter" (Pine motif) special edition, and stainless steel Diplomat 'Traveler' fountain pens. The Sheaffer was Stuart's primary meeting theme/topic example, and the two Diplomats are recent acquisitions, both purchased from the Vancouver Pen Shop downtown. Stuart also recently bought a new Graf von Faber-Castell fountain pen (not shown) from the Pen Shop.
Above: Classic modern German fountain pens belonging to two brand-new members--Alex's black Lamy '2000' fountain pen, and Sharon's Faber-Castell "Ambition" below it. The Faber-Castell, along with a Pilot 'Decimo' fountain pen (not in the photo) are among Sharon's favourite daily users, I believe.
That's Nathan's new Nahvalur '365' Plongeur Titanium fountain pen and his clear yellow demonstrator Jinhao '82' fountain pen. Below that is another Jinhao '82' --a rose-coloured example belonging to David L. that he recently acquired.
Nathan has an excellent YouTube channel called 'Doodlebud' in which he reviews pens, nibs, stationery, inks, accessories and things related to pens (laser engravers, ultrasonic cleaners, et al). In one recent video, he used a laser to etch the tipping on the steel nib of a Jinhao '82' to recreate the pencil-like feedback (the tactile and sonic "feel") that you get when using a Sailor gold nib. Nathan repeated the same process with the clear yellow Jinhao '82' shown above ... and he really nailed it, so it was nice to be able to try the pen in person at our meeting :)
Phil came back from Europe with some very nice fountain pens, including the glossy black Monte Rosa (a vintage sub-brand of Montblanc) above. The bottom pen is Nathan's brushed steel Pilot 'MYU", a very cool fountain pen with an integrated nib (the nib and grip section are all one solid piece of metal).
Here's another great pen that Phil recently acquired--a blue Maiora 'Impronte' Capri fountain pen handmade made in Naples, Italy.
The gorgeous swirly purple fountain pen above belongs to lucky owner Joy, and it was recently made for her by our fellow VPC member Anson of Springfield Pens in his workshop. The three fountain pens above it are all Lamys (in holiday colours!) belonging to Asifa--a bright green Lamy 'Safari', and two Lamy 'Studio' fountain pens (in dark green and red).
Asifa likes to ink her pens with matching inks, and the ink she had in her red Lamy 'Studio' above was one she mixed herself and named "Asifa Red". What a lovely shade!
Vladan acquired several beautiful new fountain pens recently, including the multi-coloured Springfield Pens model above. The pen above it is his new Esterbrook 'Estie' in the "Incredible Rock" colour. That colourway is one of three available in the Esterbrook 'Estie' "Back to the Land" lineup; all three colourways were inspired by colours popular in the 1970s.
Above: Vladan's new Montblanc '146', a fountain pen model we've seen numerous times over the years at our meetings, but one that never fails to impress...
Above: Two fountain pens that definitely remind me of winter--a red & white Lamy 'Joy' calligraphy fountain pen belonging to Asifa, and Sherman's PenBBS '352' in "Snow" acrylic...
Above: My stuff (left to right): Two fountain pens I brought in for our primary theme (Winter/Winter holidays fountain pens) ---a red and white Laban '325' (reviewed here) and a clear Wing Sung '3013' vacuum-filler with Santa's sleigh and reindeer on it, my new Asvine V200 fountain pen with Bock nib (one of my best buys of 2024 --a great writer that feels good in the hand & looks cool), a swirly orange, black and white fountain pen handmade by Anson of Springfield Pens using a polyurethane resin called "Tiger Tail" (I love that pen!). a Retro 51 'Tornado' "Jack" rollerball I bought from Buchan's at our November meeting, and, lastly, Nathan's Jinhao '82', which he generously gave to me after the meeting (thanks, Nathan!).
Above my pen case is another gift from Nathan--a white, 3D-printed nib block he made himself--and beside that is another gift I got that night (I'm so fortunate!) -- an adorable purple "ghost cat" 3D-printed by Amy. Many thanks to Amy and Nathan for their generosity!
Sherman with his PenBBS '352' a very pretty, winter-y looking fountain pen
(it even has beautiful snowflakes engraved on its steel nib!)
Above: Sherman's group photo of all the pens he had with him at our meeting (left to right):
élysée Jewelry (90 Line) Laque Intarsia Bleu BP
élysée Jewelry Classique (70 Line) Laque élysée Schwan Stabilo FP
élysée Design (80 Line) Laque Jade FP
élysée En Vogue Design (80 Line) Laque Jade 14K Nib
élysée Parthenon (10 Line) Laque Classique Red 18K Nib
élysée mini Pen Satiné BP
élysée Classique (70 Line) Satiné GT BP, FP, BP, FP Chrome Nib, Letter Opener
Unknown Brand Gold Electroplated Slim BP (Gift)
Reform Slim Pearl FP (Gift)
PenBBS 492 Year of The Rat Rose Gold FP
PenBBS 352 Acrylic Resin Snow FP Snowflake Pattern Nib
A.T. Cross Sauvage 2020 Year of The Rat Special Edition FP
Pilot Vanishing Point Matte Black FP
Leonardo • Officina Italiana Furore Vancouver Pen Club L.E. Blue Mosaico FP
Leonardo • Officina Italiana Momento Zero Pen Chalet L.E. Blue Hawaii FP
Leonardo • Officina Italiana Momento Zero Pen Chalet L.E. Turquoise-Green FP Stub Nib
S.T. Dupont Classique Laque de Chine FP
Montegrappa Parola Red Resin FP
Above: an elegant Reform "Slim Pearl" fountain pen Sherman got from a generous fellow VPC member...
...along with this slim electroplated rollerball...
We had a voluntary ink swap during the meeting, and these bottled sheen/shimmer inks are what Sherman brought to trade....
...and here are some ink samples that he left with!
Many thanks to everyone who came to our meeting last month, whether you brought anything for our meeting topics or not; you brought yourself and your enthusiasm -- those are the most important things! Special thanks to Sherman for his photos, Paul for his donation of the leather portfolio door prize, and Asifa & Joy for the tasty treats they brought to share with us :)
Thank you also to everyone who came to our meetings and/or get-togethers at pen stores in 2024, and to the Vancouver Pen Shop and Buchan's Kerrisdale Stationery for hosting our August and November meetings last year! Information about our January 2025 meeting will be posted next week, after I confirm the venue booking with the VPL (**UPDATE** January meeting information posted here!)
Until then, wishing you all good things in the New Year! 😊
(~blog post by Maja~)
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Happy New Year 2025!
Hope you can make it to one (or more) of our meetings this year! 😀 If you have any questions about our club, please contact us at vancouverpenclub@gmail.com
Best wishes to all in 2025!
~Maja
Thursday, December 26, 2024
Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 537
Hope you had a nice Christmas (for those of you that celebrate)! Our December meeting report will be posted here by the end of this next week (apologies for the delay-- I'm battling a nasty virus). While you're waiting for that, here's a double shot of some very nice vintage Parker writing instruments, courtesy of Christopher!
He writes: "I think if there is one line of vintage pens and mechanical pencils which, for the most part remains unsung, it has to be the Parker Parkette. Assessed originally as Parker's bottom tier contender when introduced during the early 1930s, it is evident today that most vintage pen collectors are just as happy to pass them by. To my mind, this is a mistake because in a lot of cases, Parker Parkettes are beautifully finished and not without a quality that can stand up to a lot of other pen manufacture's products. In fact, in some cases, evidentially Parker used their Duofold line plastic on their Parkettes. And I think we as vintage pen enthusiasts all know just how good the quality was of the Parker Duofold plastic. Being so aware of the pen market, I think that Parker definitely saw the value of applying a lever filler, over a button filler, to the Parkette line of fountain pens. As for nibs, oh yes, a good number of the Parkette models sported steel points but, again, the ones I have run across have been very well made and ground. But I think the real lesson here involves basic corporate survival, in a very challenging and difficult financial time, when every penny counted. And one has to consider that although this depression period started in 1929, it still was evident as late as 1940. So, the idea of a reasonably priced writing instrument just made good sense.
The Parker Parkette was the company's second kick at the low price pen market can. It followed the 'Parco', which, basically, introduced for the first time the Parker 'Lever Filler'. But I think what is also most impressive about this Parker line of writing instruments was the extent of different products and the many years of production, which lasted into the very early 1950s. Of course, there were many different models over the years, and with them many different sets including desk sets, which will be, in part, my focus. But I cannot round this intro out without mentioning the many different beautiful exterior finishes, which must have been a great marketing tool for this Parker line of products.
(photos by Christopher ~ please click on images to enlarge)
The second set is a Parker Parkette desk set, in very fine condition, complete in its original Parker display box. The pen is a standard Parkette, finished in grey and black with red vein accents. The grey has a pearl quality to it in part and the mix of the colours gives off a slight green shade, superbly attractive in any vintage pen collector's opinion. The screw on desk set fountain pen taper, is jet black as is the grip section, which sports again a well-made and responsibly ground steel Parkette marked nib. Yet again a Parker Lever filler and when not being used the pen point and grip section slides comfortably into the desk set trumpet. This receiver is finished in jet black and can be swiveled on its metal mount which, in turn, is inserted into a beautiful white marble with a mixture of tan lines and soft grey tones desk set base.
On the bottom of this desk set base is a complete Parker Parkette product listing paper sticker, mounted on green under cloth felt. The desk set display box has a jet-black lid, with attractive white swirl line patterns. This box bottom is further enhanced with the company branding on both front and back flanges. These Parker brandings are revealed by the box lid being cut out on its front and back flanges to show this branding. The inside of the box is well appointed, with an insert to hold and secure all of the desk set pieces.
Now just as a personal touch, I was able to fit the Parker Parkette De luxe set into an area on the box insert, which looked like it was made for it. And for a finishing touch, all the writing instruments are suitably Parker Date coded 1939. This includes the fountain pen nibs. Although this finished boxed Parker treasure is not like it left the factory in the late 1930s, I find it totally satisfying and will enjoy adding it to my collection.
Our thanks to Christopher for these great write ups!
Friday, December 20, 2024
Happy holidays, etc.
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Next meeting -- this Thursday!
When: Thursday December 19, 2024
Where: Branch Meeting Room (in the basement) of the Vancouver Public Library's KITSILANO branch at 2425 Macdonald Street (between Broadway and West 8th) in Vancouver, B.C.
Time: 5:00pm - 7:30pm (we'll have access to the room at 5:00pm, but the meeting won't start until 5:30pm or so)
Primary Topic: Fountain pens that remind you of winter/the holiday season ☃️❄️🦌🎅
Secondary Topic: New pen-related acquisitions (including new inks, paper, etc)
🌟BONUS THEME: DE-STASHING!
🌟ALSO---INK SWAP! It's also completely voluntary, but if you have full bottles/part bottles/cartridges/samples in vials you want to trade (or sell), please bring them with you to the meeting. This is a great opportunity to swap or sell inks!
No RSVPs necessary! Any questions? Please email us at: vancouverpenclub@gmail.com
Friday, December 13, 2024
Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 536
Christopher writes:
"In recovery mode from the second World War, Germany ramped up its
exports. That included writing instruments. And if there was one thing
you could almost always count on with items as such, it was with a
definite focus on quality. Such is the case with an
impressive, well-appointed set that included an attractive fountain pen,
with matching mechanical pencil and ball point, all neatly fitting
neatly into a brown soft plastic case. This case is ribbed with long
vertical pockets to accommodate all involved.
(photo courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on image to enlarge)
But let me start off with the fountain pen. Finished in a beautiful lined striated green and pearl, separated by thin vertical lines but complemented at the top with a webbed ink-view window. The grip section is black and houses a well ground, generously tipped steel nib. The fittings are 14K Gold filled while the cap sports both a long typically German ring clip and a medium banding. The top clip screw is jet black and conically shaped. This is a piston filler to be operated by a knob located beneath a rounded out blind cap.
The matching Mechanical pencil is quite substantial and has a black button clicker mechanism to extend the lead to write with. The matching ballpoint is a little more streamlined and also has a clicker mechanism to bring out the standard basic refill point for writing. What I personally like about this three-piece set, is that it covers all the bases, plain and simple, but in a most attractive well-appointed way. It also appears to have never been used and possibly new old store stock. And that leaves me with the manufacturer, which I believe is Monarch, a German company and the vintage, which I would have to say is mid 1950s. Needless, this set will probably become a traveling companion and with me for journal notes abroad." Our thanks to Christopher for the photo and write up!
Have a great weekend, everyone :)
~Maja