What Is A Sane Number Of Pens?

[peterg]

I ride BSA motorcycles (there is never only one), even make emergency blood deliveries on them. Once it is fixed I will be driving a 60 year old Bristol & getting a 78 year old BSA car going. I have (well) over 1,000 pens but don't have the time to count or sort them out.

 

I think I lost sight of sanity some time ago but I'm sure I'm still within excentricity.

[Brian Anderson]

I have (well) over 1,000 pens but don't have the time to count or sort them out.

I tried counting a couple of years ago. I got down to the 10th or 12th drawer in the pen chest where there are dozens of desk pens all willy nilly, and then Lisa called me for something. I decided at that moment I wasn't going to ever start over.

[JotterAddict62]

I just looked at my computer properties for my pens and it says 169 folders with 1435 files.

This includes all Parker displays and other items besides the Parker pens. I think I have at

least 50 -70 pens that still need to be inventoried. Jotter, P21, P45, P51, vac, & Duofolds.

I have not a clue what I have and that is a good thing for a collector/user ?

 

Ken

 

P.S. I have not included all the non Parkers that I have...

[blINK]

I have actually been struggling with this lately. Over the past couple of years, my small collection has gone from 3 to about 25 pens.

 

I can absolutely appreciate the n+1 theory and I marvel at some of the beautiful collections that our members have. Drawers and drawers and cases and cases, hundreds and thousands of pens. All so wonderful and impressive.

 

My problem is that I have obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Real OCD. Not the "OCD" that people carelessly throw around when they are talking about a hairline scratch bothering them or a nib being stained.

 

So the compulsion is that I have to use all of my pens each day. Even if it just to make a quick note. I feel the need to use each pen. If I don't, I obsess over it and have trouble sleeping. To the point that I will get out of bed at 2am and scribble something down just to use each pen. Fortunately, when I am staying away from my own house, I am able to keep the feelings at bay. Otherwise I would have to carry all the pens with me. Ha ha.

 

I realize this sounds silly to most people, but it can be problematic. It isn't as easy as just ignoring it.

 

For example I love the Parker "51." It has a perfect balance for me, I love the design, love the way it writes. I have 2 specials, one with an awesome gold nib, and a vac Demi set, all in perfect condition. I love them all, but don't need 3. I would rather trade in the 3 for 1 51 in plum.

 

So my goal over the next few months is to get down to about a half a dozen pens I really love. I know that is a low number for most people, but it allows me to use each pen every day without being overwhelmed.

 

Now that everybody knows the degree of my craziness, carry on!

[WaskiSquirrel]

So my goal over the next few months is to get down to about a half a dozen pens I really love. I know that is a low number for most people, but it allows me to use each pen every day without being overwhelmed.

 

Now that everybody knows the degree of my craziness, carry on!

 

I think this is a great goal. I'll set the number aside because that's a personal choice. The real take-away from your message is to surround yourself only with what you use and love. I'm dealing with that in my own collection and have been gradually setting aside pens to give away. I'm up to 9 to give away, and want to increase the number a bit more.

[islandink]

I have actually been struggling with this lately. Over the past couple of years, my small collection has gone from 3 to about 25 pens.

 

I can absolutely appreciate the n+1 theory and I marvel at some of the beautiful collections that our members have. Drawers and drawers and cases and cases, hundreds and thousands of pens. All so wonderful and impressive.

 

My problem is that I have obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Real OCD. Not the "OCD" that people carelessly throw around when they are talking about a hairline scratch bothering them or a nib being stained.

 

So the compulsion is that I have to use all of my pens each day. Even if it just to make a quick note. I feel the need to use each pen. If I don't, I obsess over it and have trouble sleeping. To the point that I will get out of bed at 2am and scribble something down just to use each pen. Fortunately, when I am staying away from my own house, I am able to keep the feelings at bay. Otherwise I would have to carry all the pens with me. Ha ha.

 

I realize this sounds silly to most people, but it can be problematic. It isn't as easy as just ignoring it.

 

For example I love the Parker "51." It has a perfect balance for me, I love the design, love the way it writes. I have 2 specials, one with an awesome gold nib, and a vac Demi set, all in perfect condition. I love them all, but don't need 3. I would rather trade in the 3 for 1 51 in plum.

 

So my goal over the next few months is to get down to about a half a dozen pens I really love. I know that is a low number for most people, but it allows me to use each pen every day without being overwhelmed.

 

Now that everybody knows the degree of my craziness, carry on!

No, that doesn't sound crazy.

 

I think that even if one doesn't have a diagnosis of OCD, most of us in the affluent modern world have easier access to possessions than people ever did in the past and have to contend with the very real question of how much is too much. The spectrum of how people deal with that decision ranges from strict minimalism to hoarding. Both extremes seeming to be ways of avoiding the difficult business of finding a balance with enough.

 

When I posed the question, I did not intend it facetitiously, though I have enjoyed the amusing responses. I was trying to think through this for myself, because I was happy many years ago when I had 4 pens (one inherited from my grandfather, two Parker 51s from my father and a Sheaffer Targa). I bought some inexpensive pens because I use them daily and don't like taking more special pens to work. And then a few pens that were nicer. And I have been eyeing others. So I wanted to pause and ponder whether more was better and what a comfortable number would be that would allow me to enjoy them and not merely become acquisitive. This is not meant in any way to disparage those with beautiful collections by the way--I do admire them. And covet quite a few.

 

Though I admit to more than a little ambivalence since I was just ordering a few cheap Chinese pens for fun....

[Helen350]

No, that doesn't sound crazy.

 

I think that even if one doesn't have a diagnosis of OCD, most of us in the affluent modern world have easier access to possessions than people ever did in the past and have to contend with the very real question of how much is too much. The spectrum of how people deal with that decision ranges from strict minimalism to hoarding. Both extremes seeming to be ways of avoiding the difficult business of finding a balance with enough.

 

When I posed the question, I did not intend it facetitiously, though I have enjoyed the amusing responses. I was trying to think through this for myself, because I was happy many years ago when I had 4 pens (one inherited from my grandfather, two Parker 51s from my father and a Sheaffer Targa). I bought some inexpensive pens because I use them daily and don't like taking more special pens to work. And then a few pens that were nicer. And I have been eyeing others. So I wanted to pause and ponder whether more was better and what a comfortable number would be that would allow me to enjoy them and not merely become acquisitive. This is not meant in any way to disparage those with beautiful collections by the way--I do admire them. And covet quite a few.

 

Though I admit to more than a little ambivalence since I was just ordering a few cheap Chinese pens for fun....

"So I wanted to pause and ponder whether more was better and what a comfortable number would be that would allow me to enjoy them and not merely become acquisitive."

 

In reality, more is not necessarily better. We live in a society in which we are never satisfied until the next item is in our hands. However, when it comes to pen collecting it is not about reality, but a passion that can often lead to an obsession. Do I really need 80 pens to write a letter? No! Do I need 80 pens to take class notes? No! Do I need 80 pens to complete the book I'm writing? No, not really. But my passion and interest for these wonderful writing instruments satisfies something deep within me. Some would say they collect them for the beauty of the pen; some just like being able to add something new to their collections; some would say that the FP helps in their creativity; some would say because I want to; some would say it's better than collecting shoes; some like the mechanics of it because it gives them an opportunity to "fiddle"; or some would say it is an investment for the future, and for others it could be a status symbol. There are a plethora of reasons for each of our collections.

 

The real question is what is comfortable for you? What can you afford? What are your motives for buying a FP? When will you recognize if you've gone overboard? (LOL) Once you settle those questions, you will have the answers you seek! Have some fun in your collecting

[Consulting_Detective]

Personally, It really depends on your preferences.. lol,

 

I have 4 and I want to get more, you could say my hobby is starting to grow into a obsession

[langere]

The sane number of pens is the number you can afford to have without losing your home or going hungry.

 

Erick

[Quintane]

 

--an interest ? 2 or less

--a hobby? more than 2 but less than 30

--a passion? 30 to 90 functioning pens

--an obsession? 91 minimum -- there is no maximum on obsessions

--a disease/hoarding disorder? More pens than you can count or view in a normal week.

--and a happy state of recovery? Yes I am. Thank you!!!

 

What was the greatest number of pens you owned at one time and what is the stable number that you are comfortable with?

I currently have 44 pens with another 6 on order. That's fountain pens only. I do not know how many other pens I have. My daily use stack contains 13 pens with 10 different ink colors.

 

The quoted has been the only complete answer to the initial question. This fact is itself quite interesting. Perhaps it shows the impossibility of an answer to the question posed in terms of quantity. Viewed in these terms, I might more or less agree with the quoted numbers, although my personal case introduces variations. But of course the important issue is qualitative. For a simple user, for a hobbiest, for a passionate (this includes a collector, of course), even for an obsessed, the rational ideal (which is also debatable) is, I submit, that each pen acquired should hold some sense, some meaning, some value, some purpose for its owner. I think "disease" or "disorder" starts when pens (or any other object, by the way) are acquired precisely in a quantitative way, just for having "one more", and not for its intrinsic quality (sense, value, meaning, purpose). I can have one or I can have one thousand. If each one of them is cherished, appreciated, valued, for something that it and only it has (and provided, also, that this acquisition does not affect or interfere with other duties or responsibilities in my life), then I move within rational bounds. If I buy pens compulsorily, just for having one more, and this one more pen has for me just the value of being "new" and nothing more, then I should start to think in some way to recover. --- I am sorry for this quite serious answer. Perhaps it is not in the spirit of the initial question, as it is certainly not in the same spirit of most of the answers given (answers which I have really enjoyed). But I could not stop myself. Being a philosopher, this is a sort of professional distortion.

[Riayain]

I'm going to say 10 pens. Plus 1 extra pen for every child, niece, and nephew that I might have in the future. For sentimental reasons. It's the same reason why I'm writing and keeping daily journals. I want to eventually pass them on to my children, their children... since I never had anything like that and always wished that I did.

[ethernautrix]

 

The quoted has been the only complete answer to the initial question.

 

The quoted is an arbitrary categorization, just someone's opinion. I stand by what I said: A sane number of pens is whatever works for the user or collector (not including the hoarder in the clinical sense of the word). What other standard could there be?

[JimCouch]

Not sure about sane number of pens, but I thought everyone knew how to calculate the PROPER number of pens:

 

The proper number of pens = X+1 where X is the current number of pens you have.

[Tancred]

At what point (or pen count) does simply using and enjoying writing with fountain pens and not giving it much thought morph into:

 

--an interest ?

 

--a hobby?

 

--a passion?

 

--an obsession?

 

--a disease/hoarding disorder?

 

--and a happy state of recovery?

 

 

What was the greatest number of pens you owned at one time and what is the stable number that you are comfortable with?

 

 

 

I have 28 pens - all of them expensive ones! I'm planning to stay within this figure. Any number higher than 30 is simply pointless unless you have huge amounts of space in your house.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Tancred

[Tancred]

A sane number? Probably one.

 

This really isn't the right place to be asking.

 

No. Two would be the 'sane' number - one in blue ink, the other in black. Maybe also one in red ink, so three pens at the most.

 

But looking at it from a collector's perspective, around 20 to 30 pens is perfectly normal. Collectors don't use all their pens - sometimes they don't use any.

[Chrissy]

A sane number? 3. One that you're using with blue ink, a spare, and one that you're using with a different coloured ink

 

Me? I must be insane. OH tells me I have too many pens and bottles of ink

[setriode]

I am pleased to inform you that I am singularly disqualified from answering the question.

[pmhudepo]

 

I have 28 pens - all of them expensive ones! I'm planning to stay within this figure. Any number higher than 30 is simply pointless unless you have huge amounts of space in your house.

 

Huge amounts of space? Most of my pens are in a Monteverde 36 slot pen case and even three of these would not take up more space than two large A4-binders. On the other hand, if you keep your pens on display in nice pen cases as, for instance, Thier. seems to do, then sure, they take up a lot of space.

 

Now, using 30+ pens on a regular basis, filling and cleaning them, getting to know their characteristics, that is a challenge for me. And that is what has slowed me down.

[Tancred]

 

Huge amounts of space? Most of my pens are in a Monteverde 36 slot pen case and even three of these would not take up more space than two large A4-binders. On the other hand, if you keep your pens on display in nice pen cases as, for instance, Thier. seems to do, then sure, they take up a lot of space.

 

Now, using 30+ pens on a regular basis, filling and cleaning them, getting to know their characteristics, that is a challenge for me. And that is what has slowed me down.

 

I keep my pens in their original boxes, so that they retain value in case I need to sell them, and many of these boxes are huge. I have a whole cabinet full of pens.

[pmhudepo]

 

I keep my pens in their original boxes, so that they retain value in case I need to sell them, and many of these boxes are huge. I have a whole cabinet full of pens.

 

Ah, I see! Indeed, 30 pens in original boxes take up a lot of space. Many of my pens are old and didn't come with a box when I got them.