Record-smashing attendance for December 2024 meeting!

We had a grand total of 32 VPC members at our December 2024 meeting -- a new attendance record for a regular meeting! 😮 Five newcomers (Alex, Emily, Michelle, Sharon & Stefan) were among those at the meeting, which was held at the Kitsilano branch of the Vancouver Public Library on December 19th. Andrii, Bernie and Joy had attended a get-together at a pen store, but this was their first "regular" 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~)

Sherman snapped a quick selfie, but then realized not everyone was in the pic, so he took a couple more....

(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...

Vladan's father gave him the ringed fountain pen and rollerball set above, but Vladan mentioned that he wasn't sure of the manufacturer's name. After the meeting, I did a bit of detective work, and I think it might be the Minka "Saturn" model. I'm sorry I didn't photograph the fountain pen that Vladan gave his son Stefan (who was also at our December meeting)--a red-striped Pelikan M600---as a graduation present. It's such a great-looking fountain pen (and a wonderful gift!)...

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~)

Record-breaking attendance at our November meeting at Buchan's!

Huge thanks to Buchan's Kerrisdale Stationery for hosting our November meeting on Saturday the 23rd! 😀 There were at least 70 people in attendance (including at least 59 VPC members!!) and a good time was had by all. Our thanks also to Michael Pons of the LSF Group (distributors of Pelikan, Faber-Castell, LAMY, Visconti, Monteverde, Platinum, Pineider, and Diplomat) for donating many of the door prizes given out that night. Sherman (the "Selfie King") was kind enough to document the evening with lots of photos (thank you so much, Sherman!👏) so, without further ado, here they are...

(all photos courtesy of Sherman ~ please click on images to enlarge)

As at our previous meeting at their lovely store (in October 2023), Buchan's provided tables and chairs for our members to use. Seated around the one above are (clockwise, from lower left) Rumi, Allan, Bruce, Charles and Sherman.

Is Sherman practicing writing without looking at the paper?!? (hey--he did it while wearing a blindfold the last time we had a meeting at Buchan's -- link 😂)

Store staff preparing signage for their Black Friday sale...

(L-R) Sherman, Margaret, Matthew, me (Maja) and Grant (in hat)

(L-R) Asifa, Sherman and (Buchan's employee) Cat.

(L-R) Sherman, David C, Trevor, Lisa (✌️) and Cynthia.

(L-R) Dana, Rebecca, Amy (👋) and Sherman.

(L-R) Sherman, brand-new member Joy, Shirley, her husband Dave, Rishi and David L.

(L-R) Sherman, Andrea, her husband Don and Rumi. Andrea is holding up her brand-new Rickshaw pen storage "Coozies" with our exclusive VPC Orca design on them.

(L-R) Stuart, Fernie, Deborah, (Andrii & Glenn in the background), Asifa and Sherman.

(L-R) David C, (someone I don't recognize in the background - sorry!), Rene and Sherman.

(L-R) Mmina, Rishi, David L, Amy, Luc, Francis, Mindy and Sherman enjoying the snacks & hot drinks Buchan's provided for us!

(L-R) Rebecca, Dana (👋) and Sherman. As you can see, Buchan's doesn't just carry stationery --- they also sell things like puzzles (and other gift items)...

(L-R) Sherman, Kenneth (👍), David C. and Andrew.

(L-R) Sherman, Esther and Rumi.

(L-R), Sherman, Buchan's employees Camila & Yugo (orange hoodie), and newer member David M.

(L-R) Matthew, (Jerred & Esther in the background), Alvin, Sherman, Yen (✌️), and Grant. Alvin is holding my Radius 1934 "Settimo" fountain pen in "Cielo Blu"---a great Italian-made fountain pen!

(L-R) Anson (of Springfield Pens), Rumi, Sherman and Vladan.

(L-R) Vladan (seated), Andrea, Anson and Sherman.

(L-R) (Alejandra and Dominique - both in the background), Sharon T. (seated), Charles, Vladan and Sherman. I don't know the names of the two ladies wearing hats behind them; if you do, please drop us a line!

Sherman with Andrii, who attended his first VPC meeting that night....

There was a lot of activity at the tills that night, with many members taking advantage of the time to socialize *and* shop!

(L-R) Sherman, Buchan's store manager Irena and Camila. Sherman is holding up a lovely leather pen case by Galen Leather, whose products Buchan's started carrying a few weeks ago...

Door prize time!! Shona (in black puffy jacket) is about to spin the wheel of prizes, while Buchan's owner Inna (next to Shona) and Luc (standing across from them) look on. Brand-new member Sarah (wearing a grey hoodie) is leaning against the shelving on the far right of the photo.

That's Villoo and her husband Paul on the far left. In the foreground is Liz R's adorable little boy, who attended his second VPC meeting that night (his first was back in September 2023)... and he was as good as gold, despite all the activity 😊

Above: Andrii using one of Buchan's two pen & paper testing stations. The stations are part of a large (and beautiful) wood pen display in the store's main aisle.

A good view of the main (writing instruments and ink) aisle. The store has a great selection of pens and other writing instruments at every price point...

Luc (standing to the left of the wheel) did a great job announcing the winning door prize ticket numbers...and he did it without a microphone -- thank you, Luc!

Above (L-R): Mark (seated), Daryl, Christopher T (with hat), Adam, David C. and Lyndon.

(L-R) Lyndon, Rebecca, Andrea, Lisa, Amy, and Cat.

More spinning of the prize wheel!

There were a total of twelve prizes given out that night...

Andrea's ticket number was drawn, so she got a turn to spin the wheel...

That's Yugo (Buchan's hard-working marketing manager) snapping a photo while Bruce looks on....

Don and Andrea (holding up her Buchan's gift certificate prize)

Lucky prize winners!

That's store owner Inna (center) handing a door prize to Paul (far right). Paul's wife Villoo also won a prize that night!

Me (Maja) in the middle, with Matthew (left) and Yugo (I know I was tired that night, but I did not fall asleep during the meeting lol)

Esther showing a bottle of Octopus Fluids "Write & Draw" ink (waterproof ink) she won in the door prize draw!

(L-R) Yang and Jen L. waiting patiently during the door prize draws...

Andrii also won a chance to spin the prize wheel....

(I'm not sure what he won, but he looks pleased!)

Amy also won a prize that night...

Yours Truly also won a spin of the wheel...

...and I wound up winning a Buchan's gift certificate!

New member Joy (attending her very first VPC meeting!) won the grand prize -- a Lamy 'Studio' fountain pen!

Buchan's owner Inna with Joy (holding her prize)

Sherman with Alvin & Yen...

It's 9:15pm already??? Time for just one more photo! (L-R) Liz R. (making a last-minute purchase), Sherman, Cat (at the till), Yugo (Inna is behind him), Irena (✌️) and Camila (far right). Many thanks to the friendly staff at Buchan's for their help with our inquiries and purchases that night!

Sherman's caption for this photo: "I took a napkin from the pantry last night (at the meeting at Buchan's), and used it as the background for my Conklin Mark Twain Crescent Filler™ Collection - Spring Green/Gold Leaf Marble.  It was an echo of the napkin that I brought home (after the October 2023 meeting at Buchan's) and, later on, used as background for the Hongdian D5 Qin Dynasty Red." (seen in Sherman's photo directly below)

(very nice photos, Sherman!)

Above (left to right)--the pens Sherman brought to our November meeting:

Conklin Mark Twain Crescent Filler™ Collection - Spring Green/Gold Leaf Marble
élysée Parthenon (10 Line) Laque Trajan Blue
élysée Dragon Pen (DP Line) 龍的傳人 SE Laque Noir
élysée Finesse (20 Line) Swirls Bi-Colour
élysée En Vogue (50 Line) Laque Leather Burgundy
élysée En Vogue (30 Line) Laque Brown (1992) (Set)

Parker 25B Matte Black (Pair)
Leonardo Momento Zero Blue Hawaii
Leonardo Momento Zero Turquoise-Green
Leonardo Furore Vancouver Pen Club L.E. Blue Mosaico
Maiora Impronte Terre GT
Delta Horsepower

(Sherman's famous briefcase!)

Thanks again to Inna and her staff at Buchan's for being such wonderful hosts, and thank you to everyone who came to Buchan's for our November meeting! Details about our December meeting will be posted on our website very soon!

(~blog post by Maja~)