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I had a great time at the 2023 Baltimore Pen show. I bought a pen from Jonathon Brooks himself and talked to the people at Schon Design about their new nib. I saw my friends at the DAYartSTORE. Got advice from Joshua J. Lax, the nibsmith. I got a vintage Waterman Safety pen for a good price. It was not too big, but it had representatives from several of the big pen companies like Pilot and Esterbrook. It was really cool to be able to talk to Jonathon Brooks and see a whole bunch of his pen bodies. I was able to ask him which ones were his favorites, and then I bought one and it writes really well and is so pretty!! I spent time in Baltimore and Washington too, looking at paintings, but was able to stop by on each day of the show and talk to someone new. I really thought it was worth it. I did a YouTube video about it at

Detroit Pen Show (Old Michigan Pen Show Returns!) next week Oct 18-20th! Details here- https://detroitpenshow.com/ Run by our friend Dale of Opus Mechan- this should be another exciting and well received "First" Show! I will be there with 4 tables of my 40+ Brands! (Largest Product Selection at Show!) Looking for something in particular from the brands/products I carry?? Let me know! Looking forward to seeing you there! Regards, Frank Federalist Pens

I apologize if someone else has mentioned this--it's been a bit difficult to navigate FPN with the server slowdown. As everyone knows, complaints about the way the DC SuperShow is run have been mounting for the last few years, culminating in the refusal of several long-time vendors to attend this year's show. I have been one of those critics, so it's only fair for me to applaud when something improves. Well, it appears that Bob Johnson, the show's owner, has taken the criticism to heart, and has made some very welcome changes. In years past, there was continued uncertainty about the show dates that made it difficult for vendors and attendees to make plans. I was pleasantly surprised to see Bob at the Dallas show, saying hello to all and handing out cards announcing the dates of the 2019 show, which will take place August 1-4. There also have been numerous complaints about the DC show's outmoded website, which was rarely kept up to date. A week ago, I received an email from Glen Bowen announcing that he is working with Bob as the Event Planner. Glen has gotten a new website going, https://dcsupershow.com/, that should be much friendlier for vendors and attendees. There is a password protected area for vendors--if you are a vendor and did not get Glen's email, contact him at glen@dcsupershow.com. These things will not solve all the problems of the DC show, but I think Bob deserves credit for responding to the complaints and for asking for help in running the show. Now if the hotel will hire adequate help in the bar and restaurant, we'll be getting somewhere.

The Tokyo International Pen Show made it's debut on September 29th and 30th (2018) at the Tokyo Municipal Industry and Trade Center. Some info and reference for next year's show: -the official website: tokyo-international-penshow.com You need to scroll down for the English explanation. News for next year's show should be published here. They said they were planning on a show again next year, about the same time in the same venue. -it is right next to the Sensoji temple in Asakusa which is a fun place. So if you come with someone who doesn't do fountain pens, they can keep themselves busy while you do the heavy lifting of spending your money. -take the Ginza subway line to the last stop of Asakusa, get out exit #3 and do a u-turn. You should be facing the Sumida River with it's iconic "Asahi Flame" that looks like a giant gold tadpole... (picture #2). -take a left and go down several blocks. When you see the eastern gate of Sensoji, look right and you should see the building with Tokyo "Skytree" tower behind it. -other pics are: the table for Shumi no Bungu Bako magazine. I bought their special Platinum 3776 Nice edition, Water Blue. It was an ink lover's delight--Ink Stand, Kingdom note, Yang Ching, Color Bar and Bungubox all had ink that I could not resist. Also got some Graphilo paper that I had not heard of before. I think it has some sort of sizing that makes sheen show up easily. If you ever visit Japan, I would seriously consider planning it around next year's show. And if you love ink, don't come--you won't be able to afford your ticket back home...

Link to my September (latest) newsletter! https://federalistpens.com/blogs/news/summer-summary-federalist-pens-papers-20 -New Site -New Products -Pen Shows -Oster Inks -Girologio Leather Products Thank You! Frank-Fed Pens

Hello all, The Pay-it-Forward project is official and now has a website! The web-address is https://StationeryPIF.com (yes, we also have http://StationaryPIF.com/ redirecting, incase someone mispells it) and all traffic from https://ThePenthusiast.com/pif should also go to this new webpage. We're just looking to get some opinions on it, in terms of thoughts and ideas for things that we should add/remove/change around. Thanks in advance, -- The Pay-it-Forward Crew

Join us this summer at the First Annual St. Louis Pen Show! We've got a lot in the works: 85 vendors / 150 tables Pen auctionLots of classes & seminarsInk testing stationsPen Shows After DarkCheck out the site for details: https://www.stlpenshow.com

The 2017 London Writing Equipment Show taking place in October this year is almost sold out of DEALER tables..We only have 12 tables left unallocated.If you are thinking of joining us you need to act now to grab a table. It looks as though it's going to be a good one. As usual table plans will be available nearer the date. All of our other shows the Northen, Eastern, Midland and Yorkshire shows are all completely fully booked and waiting lists for each show has been started - looks as though it's going to be a great year for pens. Ian Uk Pen Shows. P.S, Table plans are available now for all of our shows except London

Hi Everyone, Just a quick note to let you know that we're going to have a new pen show in St. Louis, Missouri next year. The venue has been booked, sponsors are signing up, and table registrations are open! When: June 29 - July 1, 2018 Where: Sheraton Westport Plaza Hotel, 900 Westport Plaza in St. Louis, MO Why: Because pens Registration forms and hotel info are up on the website. We'll be adding sponsors, exhibitors, and classes/seminars as they are booked. https://www.stlpenshow.com/ Put it on your calendars & hope to see you there!

The Yorkshire Pen Show takes place in Sheffield, England on Sunday 27th.November - that's just over two weeks away and it's going to be bigger and better than ever. This is the last pen show to take place in the UK until 2017. Just in time to talk your partner into to getting you the perfect Christmas gift, or if you're like me get it yourself and worry about telling the other half later! With the exception of our London show, the other five shows are ideal for newbies especially because dealers have more time to chat with you and answer your questions so don't be afraid to ask. As usual, I have the table plan for the show available as a printable pdf file if anyone wants one - just message me with your email address. See you at the show. Ian UK Pen Shows Cathedral Pens Writing Equipment Society

The UK Pen Shows' 2016 programme kicks off with the South West Pen Show in Bristol England, Details as follows: South West Pen Show 2016 Hilton Hotel Bristol,Woodlands Lane, Bradley Stoke, Bristol, BS32 4JF Open from 10:00am - 4:00pm There will be the usual pre-show get together on Saturday night meeting for drinks at the Hilton bar at around 7:00pm and then moving on to a restaurant for dinner, everyone is welcome to join us. Hope to see you at the show. Ian

Hello! This so-called "frequently asked questions" section seems kind of idiosyncratic, :-) and I guess I'll add my idiosyncracy, since I can't figure out where else to ask this. (Please forgive me if it's been asked a hundred times before--I really did try to search first.) How can I find out if there is a pen show within 150 miles from me (Seattle)? Conversely, is there a pen show anywhere in the world that is worth getting on a plane for? I'm not a professional or even a serious collector -- just would like some eye candy and geek time with other pen geeks.

The Eastern Pen Show will be held at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, Granta Place, Mill Lane, Cambridge on Sunday 9th. March. This is the second show in UK Pen Show's 2014 programme of events all lovingly put together for you guys so who's coming? As our website hasn't been updated yet (because, basically I'm a complete dummy ) here's a complete list of our 2014 programme, you will also find the listed in the FPN events calendar: Southwest Pen Show 02. Feb. 2014 Eastern Pen Show 09. March 2014, Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Granta Place Mill Lane, Cambridge CB2 1RT, United Kingdom, 0122 325 9988 Northern Pen Show 13. April 2014 Queen Hotel, City Rd, Chester CH1 3AH, 0845 373 0964 Midland Pen Show 22. June 2014 The Guildhall, Bore St, Lichfield, Staffordshire WS13 6LS Northeast Pen Show 14. September 2014 Copthorne Hotel, The Close, Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3RT, 0191 222 0333 London Writing Equipment Show 05. October 2014 Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury, Coram Street, London WC1N 1HT Yorkshire Pen Show 23 November 2014 Copthorne Hotel, Bramall Lane, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S2 4SU, 0114 252 5480 Ian www.ukpenshows.co.ukwww.cathedralpens.co.ukwww.wesonline.org.uk

Our room layout for the New England Pen Show -- June 14-16 -- includes a limited number (about 10) of shallower-than-normal tables. These tables are thinner than the usual six-foot-by-three-foot pen show tables -- they're about six feet long but only about a foot and a half deep. They're the same length as typical pen show tables, but they're only about half as wide. We can offer these tables for FREE, on a first-come-first-served basis, for anyone making a new reservation at the hotel. So if you have a smaller number of more valuable items for sale, or if you have things that don't require a lot of space, this might be for you. The holders of these tables would be considered full fledged Exhibitors and would be entitled to attend the Friday welcome reception and other Exhibitor events. The reason we're able to do this is because we have a large block of rooms at the hotel that we have to fill. So it is necessary that you do stay at the hotel in order to get one of these tables. If you'd like to take advantage of this offer, call the Boston Park Plaza Hotel for a reservation at 617-426-2000 or 800-225-2008. Tell them you're attending the pen show, giving the key words 'New England Pen Show' or 'Fountain Pen Collectors' Show'. You will be entitled to our special rate of $169 per night. Our deadline for this special rate has been extended until June 7. If you have any trouble, just call me at 828-298-0331 or my cell at 828-712-2145 and I'll fix it. (Sometimes the reservation operators aren't fully informed.) Then call me (828-298-0331 or my cell at 828-712-2145) and I'll put you on the list for the table. Thanks! Rob Morrison