Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 577

Don't forget that we have a meeting this Thursday at the Renfrew VPL branch from 5:30pm - 7:00pm (note the later start time)! All info here: https://www.vancouverpenclub.com/2026/10/october-meeting-details-new-date-new.html

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy Christopher's review of a classic that many of you will recognize...

Christopher writes: "When it comes to pens, the branding Montblanc is more than legendary. And if you are wondering why, well, I think a lot of it has to do with German quality which, in the case of Montblanc, is an absolute. The company has spent a myriad of decades achieving this accolade and it is to every Montblanc customer's advantage. Still, this precision comes at a price and if you decide to jump off the deep end, especially in the fountain pen or even the ballpoint department, it will definitely lighten the pocketbook immensely. But the benefits of investing in such excellent writing instruments will not only serve you well, but last a good long time.

Personally, I have a nice little Montblanc collection of both current and, may I add, vintage Montblanc pens. Some came to me as gifts, but others came by a long-term interest in pen collecting. More recently though, I had the most magnificent duo find its way into my pen collection. Can I say enough about a 144 Meisterstuck Bordeaux burgundy fountain pen and matching ballpoint set?

(photo courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on image to enlarge)

Immediately, I was taken with the smooth design lines of these two superb pens. With short domed cap tops and, with the fountain pen, a long-domed barrel end, separated with a 14K Gold filled thin banding. This banding is repeated on both caps, just down near the end of the domes. Atop both cap domes are the Montblanc, white five-star branding which is perfectly offset by the pens' burgundy finish. The matching caps sport long 14K Gold filled ring clips and at the open end of each cap, is the most attractive triple 14K Gold Filled banding. The middle band, which carries the sets identification as Montblanc Meisterstuck in deep attractive inscribing, is surrounded top and bottom by thinner 14K Gold filled bands. I should mention for authenticity's sake, that a serial number is inscribed around the ring of each cap clip. 

Regarding the fountain pen, once the cap is removed, underneath is to be found a superb 14K Gold two tone 144 marked Montblanc nib, atop an extremely responsible jet back feed. These two pen parts are securely held in a matching Bordeaux burgundy grip section. While underneath the barrel, on the inside of the pen, is a Montblanc collector filler, perfectly adequate for the job it was designed for. This fine German fountain pen posts at all of 6 full inches, but caps back smoothly to 5 ¼ inches. Turning to the ballpoint mate, it is a very good writer and sits extremely well balanced in the hand. At its barrel end is a 14K Gold filled nose cone or tip. This carries this pen to the so-called point of its purpose. As for dating, I would have to say Circa 1982. Just a marvellous set in any pen collectors' estimation and, with that, well on its way into my pen collection."

What a great-looking set! Our thanks to Christopher for sharing this wonderful find :)

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 576

Wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving and long weekend! Today's review is of a Namiki 'Falcon' fountain pen that Christopher recently acquired!

Christopher writes:
"To be honest, I had no idea of exactly what a Namiki was, but when one ended up in my hands, the curiosity factor was just too prime to ignore. So, a few choice words about Namiki...

First off, and I guess most importantly, Namiki was and still is the luxury brand for the Pilot pen company in Japan. And I do not use the word "luxury" lightly, because the quality of this fine writing instrument is extremely impressive. Equipped with a most unusual 'Soft' nib, its writing capabilities allows for almost a flexible calligraphy option. Not that the nib is flexible in the standard way, but it does present a very favourable option. Secondly, the design is rather elegant in a conservative or even subtle manner. But above all, quality marks the day with Pilot's Namiki writing instruments."

(photo courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on image to enlarge)

"So, to get the ball rolling on my Namiki (because nowhere on this pen does the Pilot branding appear), it is presented in a jet-black high-quality resin plastic with 14K Gold electroplated over brass fittings. The cap is equipped with a double Gold banding, with one wide chased and carrying the Namiki branding topped with one very narrow one which is repeated near the barrel's end. The cap also sports a very attractive ring clip, held securely in place by a matching black clip screw. This clip is definitely a good length and smartly fashioned, wide at its top with a V shape, narrowing slightly to its end.

Underneath this pen cap mounted in a comfortable to hold black grip section is a beautifully designed and more than responsible 14K 'Soft' (as described) nib. This nib, which at least to me looks like it took its design from a bird's beak, sits on a well-defined black feed. There is also another gold banding at the business end of the grip section. The barrel is tapered to its end and in turn sits extremely well in hand when the pen is in use. As for the filler, it is of the aerometric design and draws in the ink most responsibly. This aerometric filler is marked Pilot and is their Con-20 model. Evidently, it was not to last, in that the Pilot company moved on to a converter filler in the years that followed. 

As for dating this treasure, the coding can be duly sourced on the nib under both the Namiki branding and the gold content. And in very a small (if not tiny) font, the Pilot coding reads B798 -- B being the Pilot plant where this pen was manufactured (Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Japan) and 7 for the month of July, and finally 98 for 1998, the year that it was brought to life. Now this code is actually in reference to the manufacture of the nib, but I feel that things probably came together overall around the same time. As for measurements, this pen posts at all of 6 full inches, but caps back nicely to around 5 ¼ inches. Personally, I like the weight of this pen as well, since it is not too light, but at the same time not too heavy, just comfortable and well balanced in the hand to write with. One other point of this pen's history is that when marketed in Japan, it was referred to as 'Elabo', while in North America it was branded the 'Falcon' (editor's factoid: The export model-- sold outside of Japan-- was called the Namiki 'Falcon' until 2014, when its name was changed to 'Pilot Falcon'). Still, and regardless of what it was called, it is a pen I have grown to like, and in writing with it am totally sold on adding it to my pen collection."

October meeting details (new DATE + new TIME!)

October 2026 meeting details:

Location: The Branch Meeting Room of the Vancouver Public Library's RENFREW branch at 2969 East 22nd Avenue, in Vancouver, BC. The library is located on East 22nd Avenue, between Renfrew and Nootka. Link to branch's web page: https://www.vpl.ca/location/renfrew-branch

Date: THURSDAY OCTOBER 22, 2026

Time: 5:30pm to 7:30pm (new start time for this meeting!)
⚠️IMPORTANT! Please do not enter the meeting room until 5:30pm. There is lots of seating by the windows in the foyer of the library where you can chat before 5:30pm.
 

🙂SPECIAL PRESENTATION (**presentation will start around 6:00pm**)
TOPIC: “FrankenPenning Chinese Fountain Pens”
 James (and possibly Kyle) will be doing a special presentation at our October meeting. His presentation will cover:
- the current popularity of Chinese fountain pens
- where to purchase Chinese fountain pens
- brands / manufacturers of Chinese fountain pens
- How to Frankenpen – to create your customized Chinese fountain pen

We will not be having a "show & tell" at this meeting, but please bring examples of the topic to show your fellow VPC members!

Hope to see you there! Any questions? Please contact us at vancouverpenclub@gmail.com

Saturday September meeting pics!

Our September meeting was held on the afternoon of the 19th (a Saturday) at the Fraserview branch of the Vancouver Public Library, a new venue for our pen club. There were 24 of us in attendance that day, including new/newer members Corinne, Daniel, Li, Steve and Tom! Jerred gave an informative talk on basic nib tuning, and it was so interesting that I forgot to take a photo of him during the meeting. My apologies, Jerred, but thank you again for taking the time to prepare your presentation--it was very much appreciated! 😊

I did snap a few photos of some fountain pens (and pen accessories) at the meeting, so here they are...

(photos by Maja ~ please click on images to enlarge)

Longtime VPC member Leo (above) brought in a very interesting fountain pen, one that he was sure I'd never seen in person before. Well, Leo was right! Can you guess which fountain pen this nib belongs to??

If you said "Pilot MYU" or "Pilot M90", you'd be wrong, because it's actually the Parker T1!

The T1 was the first fountain pen to have an integrated nib, and this one is extra-special for two reasons--the material is made of Titanium and the nib width can be adjusted with the tiny screw underneath the nib! Because it was so expensive for Parker to produce, it was only made for one year (1970-1), and Leo was lucky enough to buy one in 1970 when he was in the U.S. attending university.

Now to some modern pens... starting with new member Daniel's Jinhao X450, a popular Chinese-made fountain pen with a #6 size nib that comes in a multitude of colours and patterns. It's a very good starter pen and it won't break the bank.

I haven't been able to find a model name/manufacturer for the two pens above, also belonging to Daniel, but I've seen them for sale on AliExpress...

Brand-new member Tom brought along a leather pen roll with some very nice fountain pens in it--(left to right) a Sheaffer 'Legacy 2' (a Touchdown-filler), a modern Parker  'Duofold' Centennial, a green-striped Pelikan M800, a Montblanc '225' (a piston-filler), and the original Pilot 'Justus' (ca. 1981), another fountain pen with an adjustable nib!

New member Steve also brought some cool fountain pens---his black Lamy 'Joy' and (above it) his Pilot 'Vanishing Point', both of which he told me are his "daily driver" pens.

Steve also brought an accessory---his Rhodia zippered pen/pencil case; I love how the orange stands out so well against the black...

Speaking of accessories, VPCer Ramiz has been hard at work making handcrafted leather products (a new venture for him), such as this really nice leather cover for a passport-sized Travelers Notebook, and a leather single pen sleeve for a Kaweco 'Sport' (or other small pen).

A couple of fountain pens I recently acquired--a Cross 'Peerless 125' Tokyo limited edition and my Opus 88 'Omar' clear. The latter pen was purchased from my fellow pen club member Skye---thanks, Skye!

And last but not least, my new Lamy 'Safari' "Neon Pink" (one of the two 2026 special edition colours...and it's not an obnoxiously loud pink! 😂) resting on a handcrafted fabric pen case made by my fellow VPCer Amy H (thanks again, Amy!)

Well, that's all for now! Thank you to everyone who came to our September meeting (it was a nice, sunny afternoon, so I suspect some members had other plans that day :) and especially to Jerred, for doing his presentation for us!

~ Blog post by Maja ~

**Information about our October meeting will be posted here on our website once the details have been finalized**

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 575

Happy Autumn! 🍁 Here's another review of a gorgeous green modern fountain pen courtesy of Christopher!  

Christopher writes: 

"Most male vintage pen collectors with whom I have rubbed shoulders with prefer pens of substantial magnitude. Still, and personally, I am not at all opposed to a small vintage trooper of good quality. And what better example of this than the Pelikan Souverain M300. Brought out by the Pelikan company in  late 1998 as the smallest contender in their top line of pens. It might have been small at 4 3/8 inches or very close to it, but posted with a size of 5 inches it definitely can be applied to paper at least for yours truly, with no problem whatsoever."

(photo courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on image to enlarge)

"I had actually seen the likes of this particular Pelikan model at an antique show a number of years ago and was quite taken with it. So more currently, when one came my way, I was simply delighted. Finished in the typical green and jet black, first off, the entire transparent green plastic barrel complemented with thin vertical lines allows the user to gauge the amount of ink in the pen. The clarity of this transparency really impressed me, but no less than the piston filler, which brought the ink into the pen quite responsibly. The filler mechanism was easily used with a black knob at the end of the barrel which turned smoothly as the working interior part moved easily down to express the air inside the barrel and then back up with the vacuum created to draw the ink into the pen. To my mind, almost a bullet proof inking system.

The cap, which is smartly decorated with a typical Pelikan 14K gold plated bill-shaped clip, is held well in place by a 14K Gold plated clip screw. In turn, this screw housed the small round black plastic Pelikan logo part, which features the Pelikan logo in gold. It should be noted that this particular Pelikan logo includes two very small chicks, which indicates that this pen was produced by the company between 1998 and 2003. This cap's main body is jet black and finished with a double 14K Gold plated banding with one thin one on the top and one thicker below, right at the open end of this cap. This cap banding is attractively complimented with a double 14K Gold plated banding at the top of the black piston filler knob. At the business end of the pen, held in a substantial jet-black grip section is a superbly made 14K Gold two tone Pelikan 'Medium' marked screw-in nib with its feed. This made this pen quite versatile with the option of interchangeable nibs. For the life of me, I cannot see anything wrong with this German made fountain pen or for that matter, any reason for not adding it to my pen collection."

I wholeheartedly agree with Christopher; this smaller fountain pen is a modern classic! Christopher, our thanks to you for this review, and all the other reviews you sent in recently!

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 574

Thank you to everyone who came to our September meeting (esp. Jerred, who did an excellent talk on basic nib tuning) on Saturday; I'll post some photos I took later this week.

In the meantime, here's another pen review...and don't be too shocked---it's another review of a *modern* fountain pen by vintage fountain pen aficionado, Christopher! 😀

Christopher writes:
 "Personally, I have always favoured transparent pens, in part or in whole. Subsequently, in 1998 when Sheaffer brought out the Levenger Seas transparent models in limited numbers for a Florida-based company as part of their Connaisseur line, I was totally smitten, especially with the green one. And also, what I thought was really special about this line of Sheaffer transparent pens was that each different transparent coloured plastic represented a different sea around the world. In the case of the green Connaisseur Levenger, the ocean selected for this pen was the Aegean sea. But let me describe this well deserving Sheaffer fountain pen as follows..."

(photo courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on image to enlarge)

"Right off the bat, one can see that this is a substantial pen of extremely good quality. The material used is a high-quality resin complemented with 14K Gold plated fittings. The cap is single banded near the top and double banded --both wide and narrow-- near the open end. The clip takes me right back to the early Sheaffer days of long and tapered to a ball end. This is a Sheaffer White Dot model which is located just above the clip. The barrel is substantial, with an attractive single banding at the bottom. Like the cap, the end of this barrel is rounded off which really adds to the overall design of this fine pen. 

At the business end, held securely in a well triple banded jet-black grip section (two at the bottom and one very thin one at the top), is a superb 14K Gold Sheaffer/Levenger marked nib. As for posting, the overall length comes in just under 6 ¾ inches, but caps back accordingly to a pocketable 5 ½ inches. This fountain pen came with a responsible converter filler which works very well. The Sheaffer model designation for this pen is '831 Green GT Levenger/Connaisseur Aegean Sea. All in all, a wonderful fountain pen and well worth added to my pen collection."

Our thanks to Christopher for another nice review! If you want to read a bit more about this Sheaffer-Levenger collaboration, check out this page on the amazing SheafferTarga.com website.

Reminder re: this Saturday’s meeting at Fraserview VPL! (11:30am-2:00pm)

📣 SPECIAL PRESENTATION: BASIC NIB-TUNING TALK BY JERRED! ✒️

Location: The Branch Meeting Room of the Vancouver Public Library's FRASERVIEW branch at 1950 Argyle Street (just west of the intersection of 54th Avenue & Victoria Drive), in Vancouver, BC.
Link to branch's web page: https://www.vpl.ca/branches/fraserview

Date: SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2026

Time: 11:30am to 2:00pm

Note: Jerred's presentation will start at 12:00pm and will last about 30 minutes. Jerred said he'll also talk about the tools and materials he uses. We won't be having any "show & tell", so you can use the rest of the meeting time to socialize and sell/trade/buy pens, inks, etc. 

Parking & Transit info in this post: https://www.vancouverpenclub.com/2026/09/september-meeting-info-new-date-time.html

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 573

Ok, so perhaps vintage fountain pens aren't your thing...but if you're looking for a modern fountain pen that you can whip out quickly and use in school (or the office) without needing to uncap it, how about the amazing Pilot 'Vanishing Point' (aka 'Capless')? Christopher sent in this review about one recently, so I thought I'd share it here....

He writes:
"In the early days of my pen collecting, my wife Chris and I were in Portland to attend the big Portland Expo antique show. At the Pioneer Place mall in downtown Portland, we came across the Paradise Pen Company pen shop. A dandy spot if you are into and or collecting pens, run by a nice well-informed chap that had everything to say about the Pilot 'Capless' Vanishing Point. And to tell the truth, as soon as I laid eyes on the one he showed me, I was totally smitten. The mechanism was so incredibly neat - with one click of the button on the end, out popped a tiny fountain pen nib atop an equally small and intricate feed. Instantly, I became a child again, with an expression of great need for this amazing item and out of the goodness of her heart, dear Chris made sure that we didn't leave the store without one. So, there is my initial history with the Pilot Capless Vanishing point, but let us turn the clock forward to just the other day when another one of these treasures came my way..."

(photo courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on image to enlarge)

"So, what exactly do we have here? To start the ball rolling, this fine pen has a most attractive leaning toward dark blue barrel and cap complemented with 14K Gold plated fittings. This includes quite a long clicker button to perform both the presentation of the 14K Fine Gold nib and the retraction action of it accordingly. At the center, between the barrel and the cap is a tightly joined but unscrewable double banding. Moving on, the so-called business end of this pen is what looks for all the world like a cap, but this part serves a multi-purpose. First off, and most importantly, it houses the nib/feed unit with a hole for these pen parts to come out through. At the same time, it also provides a place to secure a very long but most fashionable clip. As for size, with the nib out for writing, it measures a full 5 ½ inches. Still, with the nib retracted and, strangely enough, the length is identical because the clicker mechanism button is further extended with the nib put to bed, but when the nib is bought out, this button becomes a tad shorter but with the nib out in daylight that brings the overall pens length to equal the other. Otherwise, there is a tiny branding just north of the double middle banding the reads Pilot Japan. It should be noted that the Pilot company brought this model out as early as 1963 and it has retained a place in the market and been, in turn, a great success ever since. Like my first Pilot Capless Vanishing Point, this pen will become a new well-deserved addition in my ever-growing pen collection."

Christopher, thank you for the review and photo! If you're interested in learning more about the history of this revolutionary fountain pen model, I highly recommend Carmen Rivera's excellent Pilot Namiki Capless/Vanishing Point History Page here: https://carmenriverapens.com/vanishing_point.htm 

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 572

Since it's "Back to School" day for most B.C. students, I thought I'd post Christopher's review of an economical vintage fountain pen that he remembers from his own school days--the Esterbrook CX-100 model !

Christopher writes:
"Most of us who were in prep school in the late 1950s and/or very early 1960s will remember our local drug or convenience store selling the likes of Esterbrook pens. Just such a familiar brand and products that were next to bullet proof. A pen in those days for a student was definitely a necessity. Face it, you needed a pen to take notes in class, write your exams and, possibly, if you were mischievous, flick ink out of your pen all over the back of the student that sat in front of you. And believe me, these student writing instruments were up for the task. Still, and on the more serious side of the equation, Esterbrook made good quality, versatile and, as mentioned, hardy products. In the earliest days, we were equipped with a bottle of ink to fill our pens but, as time moved forward, the ink cartridge more or less took over. Gone was the messy ink on fingers (more or less) and somehow the pens seemed to fare better. But let us take a look at what I have brought to the table..."

(photo courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on image to enlarge)

"This time, I am featuring an in-store rack pen card from the late 1950s, one you would commonly see at a local drug or convenience store on a countertop or floor product rack. In this case, the card sports an Esterbrook fountain pen complete with a separate group of 7 Esterbrook ink cartridges. The general make up of this rack card is quite attractive and catchy. Finished in a light blue with white text, and red also with white text for the selling point and to catch the buyer's eye. There is also a white area at the bottom that has both the blue and red for the text colour. It is, in fact, a very well laid out card. 

But what about the product it is housing? Well, at first glance, one would just have to say that this is a typical Esterbrook fountain pen. But, in fact, it isn't since the nib carries no Esterbrook number code and the pen's cap has a very wide banding and also has chased vertical lines, neither of which are to be found on the standard Esterbrook fountain pen from the late 1950s. While the barrel is an attractive blue, this pen sports a black grip section and steel Esterbrook nib backed up with a responsible feed and covered with a chrome plated cap. It should be noted that the nib and feed are securely held in a screw-in unit which allows for a vast assortment of interchangeable nibs. This pen has a lever filler mechanism which works extremely well and, being contained in clear plastic on the rack card, it is absolutely mint and never has been used. The condition of the card is also very fine overall and ready to hang on the wall, which I intend to do in my pen workshop to admire and enjoy. Truly a nice piece for any vintage pen collection." 

Our thanks to Christopher for sharing his review (and some school-days memories of using fountain pens 😊). For more information on the Esterbrook CX-100, you check out this page about it: https://www.esterbrook.net/cx100.shtml

September meeting info -- NEW DATE, TIME & VENUE and a SPECIAL PRESENTATION!

SEPTEMBER 2026 MEETING information!

📢 SPECIAL PRESENTATION: BASIC NIB-TUNING TALK BY JERRED!✒️

Location: The Branch Meeting Room of the Vancouver Public Library's FRASERVIEW branch at 1950 Argyle Street (just west of the intersection of 54th Avenue & Victoria Drive), in Vancouver, BC.
Link to branch's web page: https://www.vpl.ca/branches/fraserview

Date: SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2026

Time: 11:30am to 2:00pm 

Note: Jerred's presentation will start at 12:00pm and will last about 30 minutes. Jerred said he'll also talk about the tools and materials he uses. We won't be having any "show & tell", so you can use the rest of the meeting time to socialize and sell/trade/buy pens, inks, etc. 

➡️Useful Fraserview VPL information⬅️:

Free Parking
• Street parking on Argyle Drive adjacent to library main entrance
• Parking lots to the east and west of the library

Transit:
Bus #20 (Downtown / Victoria) has stops on Victoria Drive.

The Fraserview branch has the VPL's largest Branch Meeting Room (it can seat 60 people) and we've never had a meeting there before, so I hope it turns out to be a good venue choice! 

No RSVP's required to attend - email us at vancouverpenclub@gmail.com with any questions about this event and/or joining our pen club! Hope you can make it! 😊