Second Annual Poland Pen Show, April 12-13, 2014

[ethernautrix]

The Second Annual Poland Pen Show in Katowice is coming up fast - April 12-13, 2014.

 

I don't know how many of my U.S. Pen Posse friends will attend (Hello? Anyone? Anyone?), but I know Sarj and Jas (of England) will be there with amazing pens (I think everyone knows Sarj and Jas).

 

Here are some details from the Poland Pen Show facebook page:

 

For exhibitors: 200 PLN (25 euro) (payable at the door) includes 2m exhibition space, hot beverages (coffee, tea), lunch, and, on Saturday night, dinner and a party. (I like to call such things "Pen Posse," but it's a chance to hang out, eat, make new friends, and talk with old friends.)

 

I'm told that exhibition space is getting very limited, so if any vendors or traders are reading this and want to attend, please e-mail me.

 

And check out the Pen Show Poland page on facebook, if you use facebook: Pen Show Poland.

 

 

P.S. I am a Pen Posse Ambassador, not a paid spokeswoman for PSP or the Polish fountain pen board, Forum O Piorach. My connection is in friendship and the furtherance of fountain pen culture.

[Dexter FOP]

Since the end of World War II Poland as a country was economically isolated from the so-called Western Bloc countries which resulted in limited availability of any material goods including fountain pens, other than those made in USSR, DDR or Czechoslovakia. Poland, however, was producing fine fountain pens before WWII. Among others there was the Konrad Wasilewski Company, who created the KaWuSka brand and manufactured high quality pens. But as a result of WWII, very few of these pens have survived and those that had not been lost or destroyed by the war, are now extremely “hard-to-find” and very collectable.

 

After WWII, the polish population had no chance to pursue their own passions: under the communism, building a meaningful collection of fountain pens was really out of the question. Paradoxically, there are still some very significant fountain pen collections in existence that were created in secret at that time and they were never publicly displayed. Thus, many pens that went to the older generation of private collectors ended up securely locked in the desk, safe or cabinet drawers, where they probably still reside to this day.

Among the “old-school” collectors brought up in the communist era there is still a fair amount of unwillingness to both display their own collections, and share thematic knowledge. What is more, until recenty, Polish collectors did not really form any coherent groups and did not present their collections or exchange information on a wider scale.

 

So far, there were several significant exceptions to this unwritten rule. Two exhibitions were organized by the Fountain Pen Fanciers and Collectors Club (Klub Milosnikow i Kolekcjonerow Pior) in the early 2000s - one in Kraków (2001) and one in Warsaw (2008). At that time, this was the only official Polish fountain pen collectors’ association. Their official sponsor to this day is a Warsaw-based pen retail company, Bazarnik and many Polish celebrities as well as fountain pen collectors and users are – or have been – members of this association.

 

Also in 2008, the first polish fountain pen discussion board was created. Then, two years later, the year 2010 started with launching another fountain pen discussion group and this is how the Polish Fountain Pen Board was born. Forum O Piorach (FOP), whose internet address is www.forumopiorach.net, which was set up by a group of advanced collectors and fountain pen enthusiasts and the people involved in the life of this community are both collectors and those who simply like to write with fountain pens.

 

The Forum brings together people from different backgrounds and different parts of the country but they have one thing in common – their passion for pens and writing. The Polish Fountain Pen Board is not only a place to just talk about calligraphy and the history of fountain pens but also, for example, to organise local fountain pen repair workshops in various Polish cities such as Cracow, Wroclaw, Warsaw. At each of the meetings there is lot of discussion and show’n’tell but even more of the practical work such as vintage pen prepair and restoration.

 

Apart from organising the local pen collector meetings, the Polish Fountain Pen Board is also an excellent source of information when it comes to both history of various pen manufacturers and the repair and restoration. The FOP administration team puts a lot of effort into accumulation of historical background and collecting pen-related ephemera since, unfortunately, there is still lack of comprehensive thematic literature in the Polish pen collector scene. This is partly relieved by various voluntary initiatives such as the latest project called PENOPEDIA FOP – an attempt to create the first Polish encyclopedia of fountain pens.

Another important FOP initiative was the historic restoration of an extraordinary writing instrument: the Pelikan 101N, which was buried for 74 years in the tomb – along with its owner, Captain Wladyslaw Raginis. All repairs were made in 2011, in the “MeMo” Fountain Pens Repair Workshop in Wroclaw (www.opiorach.blogspot.com) and the event received significant media coverage in both the national press and the television in Poland. The repair team also received many letters of congratulations from all around the world.

 

As a result of of local pen collector meetings in Poland, as well as the visits to foreign Pen Shows (such as the London Pen Show) the polish pen community decided to launch a similar exhibition in Poland.

 

Thanks to financial and organizational support of a major Polish Film Institution - "Silesia-Film" – the dream of launching the first large-scale Polish Pen Show has finally come true. In 2013, the first Katowice Pen Show took place on 13 – 14th April in Kino Kosmos, located at Centrum Sztuki Filmowej, ul. Sokolska 66, 40-087, Katowice.

 

 

At the last year’s Show, among those present at the event there were both distributors and representatives of modern fountain pen brands and writing equipment manufacturers such as Sheaffer, Aurora, Cross, Pelikan, Visconti, Rubinato, Marlen, Delta, Platinum and Jinhao. In addition, several private collectors of vintage and modern pens from Poland and all over the world took part in the first Poland Pen Show.

 

There were also many other notable guests and collectors from all over the world: the Poland Pen Show in Katowice is unique because apart from the pen collecting aspect, it is also a cultural event and a great cinematic experience.

For the duration of the Show, you will not only be invited to take part in a wide range of multimedia presentations conducted by collectors and experts of the fountain pen history, but you will also be able to repair, restore, buy or sell all kinds of vintage or new fountain pens and writing instruments. If you love pens and you think you have the artistic flair, you will have a chance try your hand at calligraphy to see how you get on with those extra-flexible nibs. Finally, there will be several other writing-themed additional exhibitions such as modern and vintage typesetting – including the traditional Silesian font “Silesiana” – and a large variety of writing ephemera.
In the long run, we hope to make the Poland Pen Show a permanent annual event that would be present in each year’s Pen Show calendar. Which is why it is very important for us to make the first Show a memorable and positive experience. So please, visit us and show us your passion, meet new friends and do bussines.

 

 

We are looking forward to seeing you there!

The Polish Fountain Pen Board

 

http://images54.fotosik.pl/218/3e9b030a52060725.jpg

[bitterwonder]

Nice poster design!

[ethernautrix]

Dzień dobry! Have I talked about the Second Annual Poland Pen Show lately?!

 

Hahaha, did I say "fountain pen culture?" Surely I meant "fountain pen camaraderie," international fountain pen camaraderie. Good lord, I am so awkward. Anyway, I was asked for more details, and herewith - details!

 

The Poland Pen Show will be held at Cinema Space (ul. Sokolska 66, 40-087 Katowice).

As Dex said above, there will be lectures and multimedia presentations, repair demonstrations (vintage and modern!), and a calligraphy workshop. Coffee and tea and lunch will be provided to vendors, as well as wi-fi (ask for the password).

 

A couple of hotels are providing discounts:

 

Hotel Katowice. Al. Korfantego 9, 40-951 Katowice.
1 person, 98 zł/night
2 persons, 154 zł/night
(price includes breakfast)

Hotel Katowice is located 1 km from the Pen Show, a 6-minute drive or about a 15-minute walk.

 

Angelo Hotel. Sokolska 24, 40-086 Katowice.
1 person, 185 zł/night
2 persons, 252 zł/night
(price includes breakfast)

Angelo Hotel is 750 meters from Pen Show.

 

To take advantage of the discounted room rates, contact Andrew Tuziak (a.tuziak@katowice.kosmos.pl).

 

Americans, take note: the current exchange rate is approximately 1 USD to 3 PLN.

 

For those of you who are Facebook-friendly, here is the Pen Show Poland page: Hooray! Pen Show Poland! And this is Ewa Landowska the calligrapher: Ewa Landowska.

 

Katowice is about an hour's bus ride to Krakow with frequent departures and arrivals and about six hours by train to Prague. You could make a vacation of it. (Which is what I did last year. And it was an amazing trip!) Also in Poland: Warsaw and Gdansk and Wrocław (formerly known as Breslau when the Germans owned this part of Poland) and so on and PEOPLE and FOOD and HISTORY!

[RMehta248]

Couple of questions, do most dealers accept cash only or are cards etc accepted? Hoping to come from London, England, hence the question. Also how many stands or tables are there usually? I am a accumulator rather than collector ((use all my pens) and favour Italics, Stubs and Muscics... Are a variety of nibs available by modern distributors too or just M...how can any modern dealer be serious if they ONLY carry M nibs? Any info that could help me decide whether I make the trip would be appreciated? Also for modern are prices usually Eurean retail or better? Many thanks, Rajesh

[ethernautrix]

Hi, Rajesh.

 

I'm not sure how many tables there will be, but there will be modern and vintage pen dealers, and very recently, Tom Westerich confirmed that he would be in attendance.

 

I will forward your questions to the appropriate person, and either he will reply to you directly or here, or I will.

 

Lisa

[RMehta248]

Hi, Rajesh. I'm not sure how many tables there will be, but there will be modern and vintage pen dealers, and very recently, Tom Westerich confirmed that he would be in attendance. I will forward your questions to the appropriate person, and either he will reply to you directly or here, or I will. Lisa

Hi, Rajesh. I'm not sure how many tables there will be, but there will be modern and vintage pen dealers, and very recently, Tom Westerich confirmed that he would be in attendance. I will forward your questions to the appropriate person, and either he will reply to you directly or here, or I will. Lisa

Thanks, Lisa!

[ethernautrix]

Hi, Rajesh - Sorry for the delay.

 

Oh wow, I've had this tab opened for a few days at least.

 

There is more information at the Poland Pen Show page on Facebook: Poland Pen Show.

 

As for your specific questions, I don't have exact information. Whether or not vendors will accept credit cards will be according to the vendors. I'm not sure how many of them will have the equipment on hand. I imagine that some will, like the company representatives (as opposed to independent vendors).

 

I don't know how many vendors will attend, but last year, the venue was packed (not uncomfortably so). What's cool about the venue is that it is a cinema archival facility with a small theater, as opposed to the usual hotel conference room.

 

If you have Facebook, you can check out some of the vendors (from Poland, from Germany, from Italy) and some of the products that will be available.

 

A vendor (I don't remember the name) from Warsaw will have Nakayas! So there is a Nakaya dealer in Poland. That might not interest you specifically, but Nakaya is represented only at U.S. pen shows that John Mottishaw attends, so it's kindv a big deal.

 

Hope to see you there!

[Dexter FOP]

Some pictures. Katowice 2014:

http://www.fotosik.pl/u/dextersoc/album/1604974

[ethernautrix]

What a wonderful time at the Poland Pen Show! I didn't take many photos - as I was there only yesterday (not both days), but I bought a waterproof blue ink from a chemistry PhD student from Warsaw - who has an fpn account, kwzi. I will take photos of the gorgeous blue (Blue #3) tomorrow, or soon, and post them.

 

You have to see this ink! (Yes, I mean, I have to post photos.)

[ethernautrix]

I started a thread in Inky Thoughts to show the KWZ Blue #3.

 

Here's one photo of it:

 

Dex and crew organized a wonderful pen show in Katowice. I very much enjoyed the show on Saturday (did not stay for Sunday). Even though I wasn't selling pens (or maybe just a couple, but not serious about it), I did show my Nakayas and Danitrios and shared what Tomoe River Paper I had on me. One of the vendors, BuyLux (Warsaw), carries Nakaya, so I was able to direct interested buyers (and there were a few) to them. (Also, to nibs.com and to Nakaya directly. Also, to fpn. (Laughs.))

 

While Sarj had to cancel, Tom Westerich did attend, so I was able to meet the famous pen doctor! But I didn't have a chance to check out his pens. So... perhaps at another show. (Thanks, Europe!)

 

I will mention here that coffe_cup and I are organizing a Pen Salon - solely because Sarj and Jas will be visiting Poland at the end of May. I pretty much presumed that Sarj would be happy to bring along "a few pens," but we waited until he said so before we went forward. Today, we booked the meeting room at a wonderful restaurant and, if they agree, we will call the event (instead of Pen Posse, hahaha) Steinhaus Pen Salon. I'll post more details as we progress (in new thread).

[ethernautrix]

Dex, dziękuję, dziękuję bardzo for all your hard work in Katowice!

[Dexter FOP]

^{Lisa, cała przyjemność, po mojej stronie}

^{Little relationship movie:}

 

^{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F2PEAGmXyQ}

Edited April 14, 2014 by Dexter FOP

[Dexter FOP]

[media]

[/media]

[ethernautrix]

Dex! These are wonderful videos! How did I miss this thread after you posted the first one?

 

Thank you!

 

See you at Pen Salon Steinhaus!