The Psychology Of Fountain Pen Collecting

[proton007]

Bumping this thread because it seemed to be the best place to post this link. I was getting a bit concerned about the collecting thing getting out of hand, so I began to poke around the interwebz. There is much more out there of course, but this article seems to touch on a lot of things folks have mentioned here, and that truck me as interesting. Apologies if it duplicates too much stuff from other forums, I did search "psychology of collecting" here on FPN.

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/1449381/site_id/1

 

Thanks for the link. IMO it's a comprehensive analysis of the phsychology of collecting.

[sargetalon]

That was a nice read. I especially liked the first article so thank you for sharing. Much of that rings true with me. I grew up with a collector, not of pens though, and traveled to shows & shops most every weekend growing up. I guess I got caught up in it somwhere along the way. Can't really say how much of my drive to collect is nature vs nurture. I don't collect many different things but rather focus my efforts just on Pelikan fountain pens. I particularly enjoyed the line in the first article that stated, 'sees collecting as a blend of acquisitiveness, intellectual curiosity, a desire to possess and organize tangible objects, the lure of immortality and "a certain amount of showing off."'

[ISW_Kaputnik]

When it comes to fountain pen collecting and other interests of mine, I've given considerable thought to the "why" of them, but the conclusions are probably best left private. Liked the article that Mardi13 links, though.

 

As for the "what", though, there is something about antique BCHR and celluloid that really appeals to me. I like having samples of different filling systems, crescent, lever, vacumatic, TD filler, piston, yes, even CC/Cartridge. I like pens that I can take anywhere, but have quite a few that it is wisest to restrict to home use. Vintage pens, with their history and beautiful designs are my esthetic favorites, but well thought out and practical modern pens have their place too. The sheer variety is what appeals to me, and I don't want to restrict myself too much..

[Art]

WOW! So many options. That's a beautiful collection of Targas. I have a wonderful Shaeffer that I use regularly but am not sure of the model. It writes smoothly and is very comfortable in my hand. I have a lot of learning to do.

[amk]

Yes, there is a compulsive streak... I remember a thread here on "what else do you collect?" and so many people also collected something else - watches, guns, books, whatever.

 

I'm primarily a user. I've used a fountain pen all my life, try to do a little calligraphy, enjoy writing with a FP and had five or six Waterman Laureats and Cross ATX before I embarked on this collecting thing.

 

I find I'm a bit completist about a few pens. I aim to have a complete Lamy 2000 collection - really only the pencils, plus the metal ballpoints and rollerballs, to go - though, since there's a pedant inside all collectors, I'm not sure whether I need the Mercedes-branded Lamy 2000 or not.... and I have only a few gaps in my Kaweco Art Sport collection.

 

But I also like the fact that pens have led me down some interesting routes. For instance I recently got a big black pen simply because it had a good Waterman gold nib. Having got it home I found it was a Matcher Colombe - a French brand that there's not a lot of information on, but looks like it made some quite good pens. In India, I had huge fun, met interesting people, and ended up in places I would never have gone to as a tourist, simply because I was looking out for stationery and pen shops. I've also found that my sense of design, fashion and art in the 20th century has been greatly sharpened by looking out for pens of different eras!