How Do You Organize Your Pens?

[draftingpencil]

I'm wondering how do some of you organize your massive collection of pens? Do use a computer to organize or are you more of a pen and paper person . Do you record the brand, date purchased, price,etc?

[jbn10161]

My collection is nothing like "massive;" it's more of an accumulation. I keep the pens physically organized by type, in a way--the Italians are together, and all the rest are together; plus, modern and vintage versions of the same pen are together. I do use the computer; I created a little database in MS Access, although a plain old spreadsheet would work just as well. Yes, I record all of the data you identified, plus also notes and some other details, including value info.

 

If you're interested, there's a FileMaker db that someone generously uploaded and made available for FPN members wherever the uploaded files live around here.

[Delphideo]

In my case there is no "massive collection". I only have 12 that fit into a nice cloth rollup and are organized by brand.

[Joshua J.]

I just have 12 pens. 10 are randomly placed in a cup lined with microfiber cloth and some foam rubber on the bottom, and 2 are hanging on magnets.

[greencobra]

I use Jonro's database that's free for the downloading here. I believe it's the first pinned message in the Writing Instruments section which would be the one we're in now. It's really well done and has entries for just about anything you want to know about your collection. I have the pens themselves in a pen box just grouped by manufacturer, nothing crazy. I had a member here at FPN make me a couple of nice boxes out of cigar boxes that I store one ofs and the like.

[sexauerw]

I use an Excel spreadsheet that has all kinds of bells and whistles, including photos of every pen. A zillion macros. Access would have been a better choice but I started when I only had a few pens and it sort of grew out of control. There are currently 17 worksheets, a chart sheet and 8 macro sheets in the workbook, and the whole thing takes up 31.5 MB of disc space. But I have lots of data at my fingertips.

[stefanv]

My collection consists currently of 17 pens. I've always got at least two on the go, and the rest are stored in this homemade box (lid cropped out of the picture), chronologically by order of acquisition:

 

http://www.stefanv.com/pens/collection/collection.jpg

[Albertine]

Mine are in a box going along the colors of the rainbow, starting with white then orange because I don't have a red pen...on through purple and then brown and black.

 

Not enough to need a list.

[Albertine]

in this homemade box (lid cropped out of the picture), chronologically by order of acquisition:

 

I like that...the picture tells a story.

[JonSzanto]

Currently, I place one to the left of the other. When I get tired of that, I'll pick it up and put it on the right side of the other one. They are both in front of me on a little shelf on my desk.

 

Of course, if I stay here any longer - I've only been on FPN for four days - I'm sure the situation is going to radically change. And it isn't going to be heading in the "simpler" direction... http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/EnvoyC/emotes/eyebrow.gif

[sirksael]

I use Jonro's database too, why reinvent the wheel right. It is about 1,5 GB at the moment due to all the high-res pictures I put in it, and I often wonder how long it will take before it will stop working due to the size.

[Phormula]

I don't have that many pens and therefore I don't need a database.

 

A couple are sitting in a cup on my office desk.

Another two are in a cup on my writing desk at home.

The others are the ones I use on the move and they are in Giorgio Fedon leathers with BPs and MPs, ready to be taken as appropriate.

[dickydotcom]

I've not got a massive collection, only 27 pens.

And of those only three makes with more than one pen; Parker, Pelikan, Sheaffer.

Those pens are in a display box together, except those I'm using, and others in the box in a second tray.

I have no idea when I bought pens other than from memory.

I bought two new pens last Novemeber, which is the first time I have ever bought new, and just won the bidding on another Sheaffer on Saturday.

 

Dick D

[BrandonA]

Within my collection box the pens are stored in chronological order of release.

 

I do have a spreadsheet also to record erial numbers.

[jonveley]

I organized mine on a wall. 2 shelves Eversharp, 1 Parker and Waterman, 1 Sheaffer, then the rest alphabetized by manufacturer:

 

http://www.jonathanveley.com/images/stories/pencils/p1010724.jpg

 

Then I used content management software (CMS) with my web page and created the mechanical pencil museum, half as a resource to others and half to keep things straight in my own mind.

 

Old printers cabinets are great, too. With the dividers removed, what doesn't fit on the wall fits neatly in there.

[FLJeepGuy]

I've got about 70 fountain pens with a handful of matching BPs, MPs, and RBs. I store all of them along with my ink, repair parts, and other ephemera in a Gerstner International 532 Large Chest and matching base.

 

The deep top compartment holds my inks, and the shallow drawers are lined with Slotted Pen Trays from GoPens.com. The two narrow but deep drawers in the top case are used for repair parts and other items like extra Esterbrook nibs, ink cartridges, tools, loupes, etc. The larger drawers hold pen cases, my watches, and just about anything else pen related that I need to store. I still have a few empty drawers and some extra liners in case I need to expand my pen storage, but as it's configured now, I can hold 110 pens in just the shallow drawers in the top case.

 

Pens are organized by manufacturer and production date with like models grouped together (i.e. - all my Parker 21s are next to each other as are my Parker 51s, Esterbrooks, etc.). I have all of my pens and inks entered into the database offered for download here at FPN with as much detail as possible. Getting everything photographed is next on my list of pen projects.

Edited March 21, 2011 by FLJeepGuy

[eric47]

I organized mine on a wall. 2 shelves Eversharp, 1 Parker and Waterman, 1 Sheaffer, then the rest alphabetized by manufacturer:

 

[USMCMom]

I organized mine on a wall. 2 shelves Eversharp, 1 Parker and Waterman, 1 Sheaffer, then the rest alphabetized by manufacturer:

 

http://www.jonathanveley.com/images/stories/pencils/p1010724.jpg

 

Then I used content management software (CMS) with my web page and created the mechanical pencil museum, half as a resource to others and half to keep things straight in my own mind.

 

Old printers cabinets are great, too. With the dividers removed, what doesn't fit on the wall fits neatly in there.

 

Wow ... that's something to see!!!

[jde]

I organized mine on a wall. 2 shelves Eversharp, 1 Parker and Waterman, 1 Sheaffer, then the rest alphabetized by manufacturer:

 

 

 

Then I used content management software (CMS) with my web page and created the mechanical pencil museum, half as a resource to others and half to keep things straight in my own mind.

 

Old printers cabinets are great, too. With the dividers removed, what doesn't fit on the wall fits neatly in there.

 

Wow, Jon! Uh... who does the dusting?

[Pensfan]

 

Wow, that wall-o-pens is amazing!

 

 

My collection is far more modest haha. I currently have 12 pens and I keep track of every detail of the purchase, purchase date, from whom purchased, what site, how much money, repair costs, modification costs, total cost of ownership, original pictures from the sale, my own pictures, unique identifying marks, nib(s), image of writing samples, etc. Currently that data is in a super fancy excel spreadsheet, though I'll probably build a better database for it eventually. I tried using the database posted here, but a few bits of data were missing that I wanted.

 

As for storage, I have a modified storage solution I played around with to hold 24 pens. So it is half full at this point.

 

Edited March 21, 2011 by Pensfan