I have been meaning to post a round-up of my fountain pen activities over the past year and had better get on with it, before January is over. This tardiness is in no way indicative of any waning of my passion for fountain pens, which remains as strong as ever.
Pen acquisitions.
Let me begin by ‘fessing up to my annual spend on fountain pens. A look back at my handy Memento database app of pen acquisitions, shows a total of 52 arrivals last year, of which three were gifted to me. One of my purchases, a Parker 51 demi “Cocoa” fountain pen and pencil set was sold on to a lady in our pen club who had asked for help in finding one. Deducting this, I am left with 51 arrivals and a total cost of £1,828, which is up on the previous year.
However the total cost includes one grail pen namely my Scribo Write Here Africa, with its juicy broad 18k nib, purchased from the Write Here shop in Shrewsbury. This accounted for £440.00 of my annual total. If I deduct this, the total spend drops to £1,388 and 50 pens averaging just around £27 each and an average monthly outlay of around £115. This might not sound a lot to a fellow pen enthusiast, to spend on a hobby but I am mindful that I began the year (as I do this year), with a genuine intention to acquire fewer pens, not more!
Approximately one half of my pen acquisitions were vintage, which explains the modest average cost.
It is difficult to pick favourites, but here in no particular order are 10 of my pen purchases from 2024, which have given the most enjoyment. These are, from left to right: 1. Duke 551 Confucius bamboo fude nib sketching pen; 2. Scribo Write Here Africa; 3. Caran d’Ache 849; 4. Aurora Marco Polo; 5. Burnham 61; 6. Pitman College lever filler; 7. Parker 51 vacumatic; 8. Parker 51 aerometric; 9. Parker Slimfold; 10. Eversharp Skyline.
Other pen-related activites.
Aside from acquiring pens, my year has been punctuated by numerous events, including the London and Birmingham pen shows, the Pelikan Hub and our monthly pen club meets. Then there are the daily solitary hours spent in journaling, pen, ink and paper sampling, pen cleaning and tinkering, letter-writing, screen-time in following the global pen community online, reading blogs and “researching” pens on YouTube, eBay, Amazon and various online pen dealers.
As for this Fountain pen blog, WordPress informs me that in 2024 I added just 24 posts, writing 25,800 words, generating 270 likes and 252 comments. The all-time stats show a total of 276 posts (not including this one), and all-time views of 777,452. (Come on, let’s get this to a million!). I continue to be amazed at the reach of this blog, which arose in 2016 from and continues to be an extension of an innocent hobby. I do value the online interactions that it brings.
It is hard to list all the pen-related activities that one enjoys, without them sounding like a list of symptoms of an obsession. Perhaps it is. But I do have others as well, such as reading and listening to (and making) music. Having retired from work in 2024, I am wondering how I ever had time for it.
Towards the end of last year, I began the Pen Repair Course, organised by the Writing Equipment Society (WES) and led by the excellent Ray Walters, whom many will know as a dealer at pen shows. I have enjoyed his classes immensely and have one more session to attend, next month. Thus I have added pen repairing to my leisure activities and find this very satisfying and rewarding. There is a risk that the acquisition of some necessary tools can lead to marital friction. Buying a heat gun took a little bit of persuasion. But it keeps me out of mischief.
As always, I thank everyone for reading. Special thankyous go to The Pen Addict, The Gentleman Stationer and The Well-Appointed Desk who often include links to my posts in their weekly round-ups, giving my viewing figures a welcome boost. I wish you all much penjoyment in 2025 and beyond.
Fountain pen blog 
Rupert, Very interesting to see how your collection has grown. Some very nice pens added to your collection which must give you great enjoyment and pleasure as well as the arguably more important sense of achievement as you can now repair and rebuild as necessary in future years. That must be deeply satisfying.
Just shows what can be achieved when work is no longer the daily routine!!
Look forward to seeing what you get up to in 2025. I am hoping to follow your “retirement” lead at some point soon as I have gone quite a way past official retirement age already and am looking for my 2025 role or roles………needs must for the moment!! (I do still get pleasure from it but don’t want to go from a desk to my grave without some serious non-working family time in the middle!!
Charles
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Thankyou Charles. Yes, retiring from work has its benefits and it is nice to have time for other things. Having hobbies like ours, is a real asset!
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Some great additions and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of your posts. Looking forward to seeing the results of your vintage pen repairs this year.
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Thanks Paul. Yes, I do plan to post some examples of my early efforts at pen repairs. Replacing a sac is satisfying. But I learnt that Sheaffer Snorkels can be very tricky. After spending a morning seeing how it is done, I had the feeling that it is best avoided- although it was interesting to see what goes on under the bonnet.
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It’s very hard to tell which of you is most amazing: You with your energy and wit, or your lovely wife who must be a walking wonder of understanding, tolerance and patience!
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Thanks Lennart! You are very kind. I suppose my wife and I make a good team. Certainly I am lucky to have her🙂
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This reads like a perfect year – you are getting your retirement off to a great start. It’s good to see that your Scribo, although the most expensive purchase, is in your top ten favourites. I’m also glad that the Marco Polo has made it into that select band of pens – it does catch my eye.
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Thanks Pamela. The Scribo was well outside my comfort zone but I am glad to have pushed myself a little, on that occasion. It has been inked constantly, and is paying its way. I hope your year is also starting well!
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This mirrors my experience with my Onoto – similar price, smashing through the boundaries of my personal price limit, and challenging myself with a different nib. It could have been an expensive mistake; instead, I fall in love with it every time I pick it up and I’m using it every day.
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That’s great to hear. It is all too common to spend a large sum on a pen, having high expectations for its perfect performance, only to have one’s hopes dashed and be left with disappointment, guilt, and buyer’s remorse. On the other hand, to have a fountain pen that you love to use, and to use it daily, is a joy and makes the pen great value for money!
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Happy new year, Rupert!
I am very grateful to you for your candour in admitting how much you have spent on fountain pens and related products last year- selfishly, it makes me feel better about my own spending in 2024 (1 Aurora Optima, 3 Twsbi Ecos, 3 Leonardo Officina Italiana and -I think- 5 bottles of expensive inks, so a total of c. £1,000…)
The problem is that I still have a wish list of three more pens, all of which are expensive, so 2025 will not be a restrained year either.
But then, ours is a gentle, civilised hobby and one that has a certain ‘permanence’: for example, if you go to the opera five times, that will cost somewhere near £1,000 (assuming two tickets, transport and meals). At least the pens remain. To quote the old Latin proverb: ‘scripta manent, verba volant’…
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Thankyou Philip. I do sometimes think twice about sharing my fountain pen expenditure, but it adds transparency, like annual accounts. It serves as a record for me, at least, and if it is of benefit to others in any way, that is a bonus!
Your acquisitions last year sound well-considered. The Aurora Optima is a beauty and I have already been tempted by a pale blue Talentum on Iguanasell, but held off, for now!
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Although my statistics are more modest, I fully understand the temptations that a stylophile often faces. In 2024 I bought less than in 2023, but the difference was small. Now, I have reached a point where every purchase involves a little conflict, one new pen may displace another in the rotations. The problem is compounded because the number of permanently inked pens has grown.
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Thank you about your vast knowledge about fountain pens.
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