How Do You Organize Your Pens?

[Dickkooty2]

I wondered whether I collect pens/writing materials to any plan which might result in a de facto organization. I started buying because I liked the design several years ago.

 

So these last few days before Christmas I thought I would try to make some sense of the clutter of pens and boxes by at least matching a pen to a box.

 

I ended up with these definitions by pile put into clear storage bags:

 

• Pelikans ... maybe 40 in matching boxes or old leather etuis of the time. Nothing in the 600 plus series ... too big! A nice mess of user-grades from 100 through 400's plus some Pelikanos and a few modern Pelikan short-appearing outliers

 

• German/Swiss Classic Set brands ... Lamy's, Rotrings, Caren D'Ache, Montblanc, Maybe 15 examples

 

* FEND ... 18-20 mostly 3 and 4 color Fend Norma writing instruments from 30's thru the end of their business

 

• Markant ... maybe a dozen of this interesting DDR brand

 

• Black Mid XXth Century German FP brands ... 25. I thought they were fun.

 

* Not-black German brands ... stuff like Schneider, bad Rotrings, Kaweco, mostly modern. 15

 

* Miscelaneous ... 10 Chinese Jinhao, three Indian examples, 6 Parkers, a Cross, 2 Watermans, that classic Wahl Eversharp in tortoise.

 

So this is my organization by sort.

 

I will start in on my really kitchy collection of ephemera and dimensional ad stuff soon. A lot matches the actual pen and I got the merchandising materials to give a sense of the time. Mostly all Pelikan. Some Markant and Fend. I worked for Parker in the 80's. They are of little interest to me.

 

I have about 20 more German and Chinese brands inked in various colors and with nib variations that I use for notes, shopping lists, and the NYT Crossword.

 

I can pull stuff together to make a point or a comparison. My real interest is in design and sense of the time rather than a complete collection of a run of manufacture,

[Bookman]

In order of acquisition, from left to right.