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Hi lovely people, this is a little update about my newly purchased Pelikan 120 fountain pen. A few days ago, I have made this post about the fountain pen I purchased. The pen didn't came with packaging. Original owner didn't have one. Interestingly enough, the other day I bumped into an advert, about a guy who was selling this vintage pelikan 120 packaging, but without a papers inside. The best part is - nib of my fountain pen has " F " insignia, same as on the box that was for sale ! So I purchased it. Please take a look, and tell me if this could be the genuine packaging for Pelikan 120 vintage fountain pen? Thank you in advance ! Sinsirely yours - Tinpanalleybluesman.

The Ferocase Pan-Gora Classic Pen Box (45 pens) I ordered from La Couronne du Comte earlier in November, taking full advantage of the free international shipping offer and 20%-off site wide discount for Fountain Pen Day, has finally arrived in the post yesterday. This is what I was expecting: Ferocase Pan-Gora Classic Pen Box (45 pens) [FER-930] The rosewood Pan-Gora Classic pen collector's box by Ferocase offers room for 45 pens. The tempered glass window shows your pens in a stylish way, while at the same time the case offers maximal protection. All compartments are covered with a soft plush velvet. The case measures 40 x 21 x 14 cm and weighs 4.5 kg. Source: La Couronne du Comte but what I received is, well, not even remotely what was shown or described. Mine certainly is not made of rosewood, or look anything like it. But then, had I looked at dneal's review four years ago of the one he won in an auction on eBay, I should have known better. I don't think the material lining the pen trays qualifies as velvet, either. Not that I mind the darker colour at all – when in fact I would have preferred it – but it's just a thin veneer, and I doubt the veneer itself is made of whichever wood it purports to be, as opposed to just being stained with the particular colour. However, I very much took exception to the evidence that someone – either at the Ferocase factory, or in the LCdC warehouse – must have closed the lid (or, more likely, slammed it down) while there was a small hard object, perhaps a loose screw, sitting on the rim of the top tray on the right-hand edge. Whatever happened, it left indents in the wood, and caused the black paint to flake off, on both the rim of the tray and the rim of the lid. (I have photos of the damage, which I sent to LCdC, but I'm not going to post them here.) Of the three slide-out pen trays, each with a capacity of eleven pens, one came loose right out of the box. A second one came out with a little bit of jiggling, but the bottom one wouldn't come out no matter what, so I was a bit confused as to what the design intent was and which trays were the anomalies in manufacture. On closer inspection of the tray, specifically to find out why there was an unsightly bulge in the rear right corner (top right corner in the photo above), I figure that the trays were not meant to slide out, but ought to have been prevented from doing so by two wooden pegs coming out of each tray's rear corners. The manufacturing process must have been to glue (or just jam) the peg into place in the rear left corner, then insert the other peg into the hole on the opposite side and allowing it to push the lining slightly off the inner edge of the tray, and insert the tray into the box at a slight angle. Once the tray was inserted, the peg is then struck through the lining with a small hammer or some such, in a manner that not intended to be easily reversible (to extract the tray back out of the box). Whoever assembled it did not do a particular good job of hammering the pegs into place in the top two slide-out trays. Now, in all fairness, I don't mind that 'fault' that much, since there is utility in my being able to pull the trays out, say for pen display and/or photography. The inconsistency in the workmanship, and therefore the lack of attention to detail, is quite telling though. Even though this has dented my long-held faith in German manufacture being most precise, with rigid processes that make paying due attention to detail a foregone conclusion, I'm still prepare to trust Japanese and German manufacture above Korean or Italian manufacture, which is in turn above Australian or American manufacture, with Chinese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese manufacture at the bottom of my list of preferences. (It's just a bloody wooden box! I'd gladly settle for a Vietnamese-made pen display case if the delivered price was right, and I had avenues for recourse if the product is not to specifications.) I reported the issue of the damage on the rim to LCdC, and atypically for its Customer Service team, I got a reply in the same business day, offering me an apology and a substantial partial refund as compensation. I did not pursue the issue of the colour or the material not being as advertised, but chose to just accept the offer and call it square. Why? With most of the options available to me in the market today – especially with the display cases (purportedly) crafted in the US or (in other cases, in which I'm more confident) Japan – sellers either simply won't ship to Australia, or want to charge something to the tune of US$80 or US$100 for delivery alone. That's close to the effective price, after accounting for the offered partial refund, it cost me all up to acquire this display case. I need a pen box of this capacity, and if this was to be judged only on its own merits, instead of focussing on where it was accidentally damaged or does not match the description in the item listing, it's actually pretty good for that amount of money. I wouldn't be so keen on spending three- or four-fold just to have a pen display case made actually of rosewood or some such, and I already have a 30-pen display box – slightly better constructed, out of I think better material, purported right here in Australia. Furthermore, I've had plenty of dealings with LCdC these past few months, and in the whole I'm happy with the commercial relationship and what it offers me, so I actually have a reason to stay on good terms instead of pressing the boundaries of what I think I could justifying demand. So, with that out of the way, let's talk about this display case on its own merits. This 45-pen case is compact, with a significantly smaller footprint than my 30-pen case. That's good. The depth of the slide-out trays could be a tiny bit limiting, but nevertheless the slots will accommodate just about all of the pens in my household except for the Platinum Izumo pens; those will have to go into the top tray (with a capacity of a dozen pens). Not being made of solid timber, it's also lighter and makes it easier for me to move or carry from one room to another fully loaded, in spite of tendonitis in my wrist. Just lifting the lid on the heavier 30-pen case could cause my wrist to complain@ All the same, it's solid enough. As I've mentioned before, effectively having removable pen trays is an advantageous 'feature'. The top tray in my 30-pen case can be lifted out, but only after the lid is (almost) fully raised, and thus not very convenient. The lining material in this display case is adequate, although I'd probably have preferred a darker colour to more readily hide dirt and stains. One feature this box could do with – but then understandably drive up its price and its size and/or total weight – is a lock. Not really for security per se, but simply to stop the trays from sliding out of the box (completely or just halfway) when moving or transporting the box. Unless I'm mindful to either carry the box at an angle, or put a strap around the box prior to moving it, I run the risk of having my precious pens spill all over the floor. My verdict: This box is of a good enough design, and sturdy enough, to be well worth $200 (in local currency!) delivered – in view of the other options on the market – and if you can get it for significantly less out of pocket, it's positively a bargain, as long as you know what you're getting and not misled. At that price, I don't think you could reasonably expect top-notch workmanship.

I just partially cleared out my desk to make room for more stuff. I removed many cardboard and plastic boxes that pens came in. Right now they are in a paper bag. Do you keep them? If so why?

A couple of weeks ago I spotted a lovely burgundy vintage Sheaffer on the website of a well-known and reputable British vintage pens dealer, at a very attractive price. I ordered the pen, but as fate would have it, the dealer sent me an email that upon final inspection he'd found a hairline crack in the section, so the deal was off. We corresponded for a bit and I shared my small collection of vintage pens with him and inquired what he felt was needed 'to complete my education'. Among the pens he kindly suggested was the Parker 51. I've never been a Parker fan, based on looks that I don't care for, bad associations with my 70s/80s school days and less-than-stellar impressions left by modern Parker pens since the '90s or so. I researched the 51 a bit online, on FPN and in Andreas Lambrou's book and took the plunge. I then spent a few days agonizing over which one to buy. The dealer in question has a large number of them, all fully serviced and restored, with a wide variety of nib-, colour- and era-choices. He suggested a wonderful burgundy oblique italic because it was in great shape and a real writer's pen. I hesitated, because I'd prefer to try a nib like that before I buy. In the end, primarily based on the wonderful writing samples that were included along with photographs of the pens, I chose this: Boxed, with matching mechanical pencil, fully serviced and at a very good price. There are fancier colours for this pen, but I always force myself to make choices based on writing, not aesthetics. The writing sample of this pen just seemed to match my style of writing. Once it arrived, I decided to ink it up with a dark ink (I'm partial to filling pens with ink of the same colour as the pen). I'm very impressed with the quality of this pen. They just don't make 'em like this anymore. I don't find the design to be particularly attractive, but it does have a certain Sputnik-age late'40s/early-'50s charm. It must have been quite modern at the time. Ergonomically, it's wonderful. It just melts into my hand. The nib is a medium. It's smooth and wet, but not sterile. There's texture, some subtle feedback. There's not much character in the writing, as line width is identical in all directions. The wetness of the pen prevents shading, but there is some to be seen. As a writing machine, this pen is marvellous. I can do long sessions with it without any fatigue. It won't make me forget my '59 Sheaffer PFM-III, though. That pen has subtle variations in line width, offers more shading, has slightly more pleasant feedback and is a stunner to look at. As far as black cigars go... wow.

Dear all, I have the good fortune of a Swan 242 1/2 50 in my collection. My pen came with its original guarantee slip (fun for a 100 years on), and in a presentation box. However, as far as I can see in the advertising, Mabie Todd didnt make presentation boxes for single pens (only pens with pencils) for this model and at this time? I can only assume the branded, cardboard box the pen came was discarded at some point and the guarantee and pen itself transposed. Although it seems strange that someone went to such effort to conserve the form, unfilled in and redundant? Aside - Im intrigued to know what the packaging options were for this pen. Perhaps one day Ill cross paths with something period and correct in which to make this lovely jade example at home! Best.

Hello ,guys ! I am new to the forum ,just purchase my first montblanc for myself ,I have bought a 145 for my friend as a gift for doing the surgery on my mom ! So I am digging the montblanc, I have bought the Greta(mint condition) but is missing the box that it came though .I still have to wait for the pen to arrive. I am looking for the box in new or pristine or mint condition.Of course I will pay for it ,reasonable prices of course .I really wanted a nice pen .Since I bought the pen for my friend I fell in love with the pen. Hopefully some of you guys have a box that is just laying around !! Thank you very much for your time !!!

Hello fountain pen enthusiasts, Today I am writing my very first review. I am new and not well informed on the subject, I will probably make some mistakes. So, please excuse any error I can write. I am open to critics as long as they are not mean. Recently I was looking for several fountain pens in various colors to match with my mood. I already own a blue and I was looking for a red one to pair with the dark blue suit I have to wear sometimes. I am no a fortunate person, sadly I cannot afford the Parker I really like. I do not think buying a £400 or so pen is a good idea when I have million of things to buy first. Initially, I was lurking on Amazon, latter I took some days looking on Aliexpress. I started to have a growing interest toward the Picasso brand. I was conquered by the PS-915 with a red barrel and gold nib. Eventually, I found an appealing offer on eBay for the decent price of £26.31 (US$ 38.80), free delivery. I bough this baby and a Picasso Pimio 923 at the same time. It is amazing how easy it can be to buy the things you like on-line. A single click an your money is turned into smoke and impatience. Less than one month after I became the happy owner of two nice red pens. It did not last for long, when I have shown the Picasso Pimio to my best half I lost it in a heartbeat. Too bad, this poor pen was too appealing for here, and what woman wants is what woman gets. I have a mixed feeling, do I have so good tastes? Are they too girlie? Anyway, I was not prepared to that, it was a shock, to me the parker vector was a Royce Rolls. Now It makes me feel like the vector is a Lada. The box and its content: The pen came with a "Gift Box", I do not know if the other option was a blister. The pen traveled overseas, I am not sure if any other option than a box is an intelligent choice. My first impression was positive, the box looks clean and sturdy. A sticker inside contains a paint to scratch, I removed it, revealing a code. Its purpose is probably related to the after sale service, an authentication code to verify if it is a genuine product or a counterfeit one. I did not buy a lot of pens in my life but I bough a lot of high quality tools, the use of codes like that are generally, a good practice. The "shell" box protects its real content, a black box made of plastic and covered with a plastic/paper material, all sewed to the plastic. Even if it is not leather, this material is not easy to scratch, as long as you are not careless. Inside the box there is a white cotton like fabric, it seems to be a light felt. Along with the pen, an inspection card and a small general guide are enclosed, of course all instructions are written in an authentic Chinglish, nobody is perfect. The box: The pen and the nib: The pen is delivered with a converter, I did not use such thing until this year. I must admit, it is a real pleasure to chose which ink I use from the infinite colors and brand available on the market. You probably all know that, but I do not. To me, fountain pens were made for cartridges and quills for the inkwells. The nib is large (0.357 in, 9.7 mm), it is the largest nib I have seen in my life and I must confess that I love it. A dove with an olive branch is engraved on the surface, as well as the words Picasso and FRANCE. Is the nib made in France? If the pen refuses to write after 35 hours so the nib is French. I am still suspicious, even if it was clearly written "made in France" on it. Anyway, does it really matter? The nib is made of gold plated steel, this seems to be specific to the PS-915 with a red and gold barrel. The tip presents no problems, there is neither baby bottom nor misalignment, and the slit is perfectly parallel. The manufacturer says on its website that you can return the pen within three months to repair or adjust the nib and other parts. I cannot say if they have a god after sale service, but at least they seem to propose a solution to problems that occur within the first three months after purchase. If you have dealt with the Picasso after sale service, please fell free to complete this review with your own experience. The gold parts of the cap are pinker than the gold of the nib. I do not know if it came from the gold plating on a different material or if it is a brass covered with enamel. This is difficult to say without a destructive analysis. The barrel is made of celluloid, so the use of solvents must be avoided, even worst, this material is highly sensitive to fire/heat. The cap remains tightly clipped on the pen when closed. The only problem I observed is that the cap does not fit very well at the bottom of the barrel. Better use the pen without the cap. Either because it will fall from its bottom, or because it will be very hard to write when it is covering the nib. With a diameter of 13.3 mm (0.524 in), the barrel is thick but it is comfortable to use. The total length, with the cap on, is about 157 mm (5.7 in). Without the cap, from the tip of the nib to the bottom of the pen, the length is 129 mm (5.07 in). The pen: The nib: The writing experience: The first thing about the Picasso pens I like, is the ease of writing, the nib literally floats on the paper. The size highly depends on the paper used, in my case I find it slightly too thick, so I reserve it for the A4 paper size and bigger. The tip does not scratch the paper, this was predictable since the tip is well aligned, as shown on the pictures. The writing: This is the end of my review, you are free to judge by yourself what you think of this pen. In addition to the red and gold barrel presented on this review, the PS-915 is available with a green and silver barrel, and with a black/grey swirls and silver barrel. Note: This is the pen I bough. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Picasso-Fountain-Pens-915-Eurasian-Feelings-Rosy-Celluloid-Barrel-Luxurious-Gift/401163887600?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649 Note2: Pictures in the spoilers above are in low resolution 1000*750, the links in the spoiler below are linked to the high resolution pictures (2000*1500). List of links: ​ Geoffrey Hautecouverture

Found this beauty on a Dutch auction site. There is a story behind it: What makes this cabinet unique is the story that goes with it ..... Once upon a time in the late '70-s/early '80-s the general manager of Parker Netherlands designed this cabinet and had some 100 made by a German factory that was renowned for the cuckoo-clocks it made. The cabinet was intended to surprise the global Parker CEO when he came to visit the Netherlands. He did like the cabinet, but when he found it was made by the cuckoo-clock company he forbid it ever to be sold as a PArker product, because .... everything Parker sells is made by Parker itself and by nobody else ..... So in the end Parker NL ended up with some 100 cabinets they were not allowed to sell. They therefore decided to use them as a marketing tool and presented them as a gift customers that bought 7 high-end Parker pens in one purchase

Hey everyone! I just got this idea and tried it. I am new to fountain pens and have some ink bottles that are taller than I would like. I am a klutz so I tried to figure out how to keep the bottles (ahem, Noodler's, ahem) from tipping over while I was filling them. I took the box the ink came in and use only one other piece of cardboard to make this pretty stable stand for my Noodler's ink. It is as simple as cutting the box down a bit, folding over the sides and taping the flaps to a square piece of cardboard. I have included a graphic and two images of what I came up with. I used duct tape. Hoping to learn stuff from everyone here. Thanks bbrachman

Friends, I'm looking for an original box for my Danish Montblanc No. 20 pen, circa 1935-46. Does anyone have one for sale, or know of someone who does? Cheers, Rob D.

My wife and I paid our monthly visit to our favorite Japanese resale shop on Rizal Avenue in downtown Manila ("the armpit of the city", as one poet-friend picturesquely calls it), and I found a couple of very nice wooden boxes (selling for about $3-$5) which I've repurposed for my pens and inks: The second box came with built-in dividers so it seemed a natural home for inks: Not bad for less than $10, plus the pen tray, one of which I still thankfully had lying around.

http://www.penshop.co.uk/products/authentic-models/ae3118022000-authentic-models-colourful-prose/ Just saw this, and wondered about the ink....can't seem to see what the brand is('Authentic Modes' is as far as I got, and Im not familiar with it) Just curious.... Alex

I decided to take some pictures while I was making a simple pen box for my father's birthday. I was so happy when I found a Parker 45 (that was in great aesthetic and functional condition) for my father's 45th birthday. But there was no box so I needed to make one myself. If you want to give away fountain pens without a box, maybe this simple tutorial can help you. I managed to finish this box under one hour and I spent nothing, every material and tool that I used was found at home. 1. Materials needed: - coloured cardboard - some kind of foam (polystyrene, thick cardboard, etc) - piece of old paper (for the greeting card) - any kind of textile - a few pins - short leather strip (or any other material that you think will work) 2. Tools needed: 3. Making the cutting plans for the box (dimensions in centimetres): 4. The bottom part cut and prepared for folding: 5. The bottom part folded and prepared for glueing: 6. Top part cut and prepared for folding: 7. Top part folded and prepared for glueing: 8. Cut the foam to the interior dimensions of the bottom part: 9. Cut the groves in the middle of the foam with the sharp blade, two cuttings at an angle of 45 degrees: 10. Take the piece of textile and cut it to the dimensions so it covers the foam. After it is positioned fix it to the foam using some pins. Install the leather strip in the same way: 11. Take the greeting card, write whatever you want in it and glue it in the inside of the top cardboard piece: (the inscription 'Boldog születésnapot' means Happy birthday in hungarian) 12. Put the top part on the bottom part and you're finished : I know it is nothing special or fancy, but it is simple, cheap and fast to make if you need a basic gift box. Hope I was helpful for somebody. Have a nice day!

Does anyone here knows why there is so many different packaging versions for the Safari pens? I went to a local pen shop to buy some Safari pens and I was given this, rather nice, boxes for each one (see attachement). At first, I thought it was due to the fact that all are special editions, but turns out all the Safari, Vista, Al-Star pens they carry are sold like these! The couple of pens I've gotten from the US all came in small dark grey cardboard boxes and I've seen another package from a European FPN member that is only a cellophane bag. Is this determined by the export market?

Okay, this might be a rather dumb question, but when one purchases a pen and it comes in a box, do you always keep the box? I have lots of pen boxes (some still storing the pens, others empty and some empty with booklets and paperwork) of those pens that I've purchased new in the past 25 years. Obviously, vintage pens or those "found", pen show purchased, swapped, etc. usually are boxless, but does the box on some pens make them anymore valuable? You realize that if this addiction hobby continues, I could easily acquire MORE boxes and that would require MORE storage space! Like I said, dumb question, but I'd be curious what others do. Tell me.....

If you are in the market for a wood box or desktop organizer, you might like to check out http://www.ebay.com/itm/LE-NBA-and-IBM-Business-Partner-Wooden-Valet-Desktop-Organizer-/390866758344?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5b01796ac8 on eBay. If you are an "IBM Business Partner" or a collector of all-things-IBM, you may find the listing of particular interest.

Hello, I just bought a Sheaffer Valor which I've been saving up for some time now. The pen is great, what what disappointed me a little was the box. I had come to believe it would have come in a wooden box, but it was actually packaged in a rather normal Sheaffer box. Does anyone know if this is standard? I bought this at a Sheaffer retailer at a department store.

Hi All, I'm looking for information on vintage Pelikan pen boxes, specifically which box(es) is correct/original for which model from the 1930s to the 1960s. Photos would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance, Rob

So, i am soon going to start a project creating a pen box out of a Cigar box. I plan to make it hold 4 pens (more like 3 pens and an ink syringe) and 4 vials of ink. I have a few questions before i start (and one random question). 1. (random question) i plan on buying this Pilot Metropolitan off Ebay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pilot-Metropolitan-Fountain-Pen-Silver-Zig-Zag-/400499897700) and they say it has a "Pilot aerometric converter (squeeze type)". Do you keep the nib attached to the converter when you squeeze it? 2. What is the maximum length of a pen? I dont want to someday buy some really long pen and have it not fit in the box. What's the longest you know of? Would 6 inches be enough room for all pens? 3. To the other people who have undergone the box making process, where do you buy the wooden compartment things for the inside of the box? I dont know how to word it so i havent been able to search it and i have absolutely no skills what-so-ever with saws, sandpaper, or any other power tools. 4. Can you get the ink in the converter from a vial similar to this style? http://www.ebay.com/itm/251327332990?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649 I mean both the Pilot Aerometric converter and the normal converters. I've never tried either let alone owned a vial similar to this. Thanks in advance for the help.

Hello fellow Parkerites, I recently acquired this lovely faux Shagreen Duofold case. I wonder if someone can help me with its approximate date Is it correct for an early or later Duofold? Thanks in advance for your wise council. Rob D.