What Was Your Last Impulsive Pen Acquisition?

[mbankirer]

Wink Glass nibbed, glass pen...haven't inked it up yet!

[JakobS]

Asa Maya in Black Matte with an Asa M nib, definitely a nice affordable writer.

 

I suppose a Sheaffer Craftsman Touchdown with a M nib was the other recent impulse buy, though I had been looking to get one for a number of years.

 

These two pens were the first two pens I have purchased in two or three years I think, so definitely not an impulse buyer generally.

 

Recently, I put in an order for a custom made pen, but it has been one I have been thinking about for five or six years now. I did change my mind on the materials it would be made out of within the last six months or so though!

[praxim]

I have the impulse to buy one today. Happen, it will.

 

Actually, I first considered a like purchase over a couple of months ago and have been turning over this particular offer for more than a week. All my pens bar one being internet purchases, I always have time to consider.

[inkstainedruth]

I could have gone crazy a couple of weekends ago at an antiques show. One dealer had a number of pens, including several Parker 45s and some pens that might have been Snorkels (he said he thought they were Touchdowns, but the feeds sure looked as if they should have had tubes coming out of them...).

But somehow, none of them were *quite* what I was looking for. Even the avocado green 45. :-(. I even went back and looked at all the pens a second time and then walked away.

And then I had a major dizzy spell and the hotel and show staff called 911 and the EMTs said my blood pressure had gone through the roof, and hauled me off to the closest ER for a Cat-scan and a chest X-ray and a bunch of blood tests as I'm grimly telling people "No, I'm NOT diabetic and yes I DID eat breakfast this morning). ER doc thought it was maybe an inner ear thing. Scheduled an appointment with an ENT who said it wasn't but didn't know WHY it happened other than possibly low blood pressure for some reason and then my body overcompensating. And gave me a bunch of stupid balance exercises to do to "retrain my brain" (as if I had had a stroke or something... ).

I'm pretty sure that I either overheated or had a virus or both. I'm also pretty sure that I'm gonna go completely bonkers and blow my budget on a pen sooner or later. In *spite* of the ER bill and the ENT co-pay (and who only knows what the ambulance charge will be, and the audiologist, and all the tests). Plus a couple of grand on getting one of the cars repaired after a fender bender....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Runnin_Ute]

Aren't most of our purchases at least somewhat impulsive?

 

Even the 3 #16 sacs and the 1551 nib for an Estie that is supposed to arrive tomorrow that I bought over the weekend from Andersen Pens. My last Estie purchase a few weeks ago came with a 2556. But the collar cracked and it fell apart. The nib had some damage anyway, but I was hoping to be able to rehab it.

[thx1138]

I don't really know where to start with this one.

Maybe;

The box of 90+ pens arrived from the US just before New Year, or

The box of 138 assorted pens (mostly Parkers) I got from the US last week.

Such a tough question.

[lgbpinho]

I could have gone crazy a couple of weekends ago at an antiques show. One dealer had a number of pens, including several Parker 45s and some pens that might have been Snorkels (he said he thought they were Touchdowns, but the feeds sure looked as if they should have had tubes coming out of them...).

But somehow, none of them were *quite* what I was looking for. Even the avocado green 45. :-(. I even went back and looked at all the pens a second time and then walked away.

And then I had a major dizzy spell and the hotel and show staff called 911 and the EMTs said my blood pressure had gone through the roof, and hauled me off to the closest ER for a Cat-scan and a chest X-ray and a bunch of blood tests as I'm grimly telling people "No, I'm NOT diabetic and yes I DID eat breakfast this morning). ER doc thought it was maybe an inner ear thing. Scheduled an appointment with an ENT who said it wasn't but didn't know WHY it happened other than possibly low blood pressure for some reason and then my body overcompensating. And gave me a bunch of stupid balance exercises to do to "retrain my brain" (as if I had had a stroke or something... ).

I'm pretty sure that I either overheated or had a virus or both. I'm also pretty sure that I'm gonna go completely bonkers and blow my budget on a pen sooner or later. In *spite* of the ER bill and the ENT co-pay (and who only knows what the ambulance charge will be, and the audiologist, and all the tests). Plus a couple of grand on getting one of the cars repaired after a fender bender....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

I can almost feel your anger when i'm reading this haushduashda

[jmccarty3]

And gave me a bunch of stupid balance exercises to do to "retrain my brain"

 

Ruth, you are a fountain pen addict AND an ink addict.

 

I'm pretty sure your brain is beyond retraining!

[inkstainedruth]

 

Ruth, you are a fountain pen addict AND an ink addict.

 

I'm pretty sure your brain is beyond retraining!

 

LoL!

Ironically, I went down to an antiques mall south of Pittsburgh this past afternoon (the same place where I scored the two 51s for $25 US + tax a couple of years ago fall). One of the booths had a bunch of new pens (recently added, according to the woman who opened the case for me). I started looking, and was thinking "Why do these seem so familiar? There's a couple of Esties with nibs I already have, a silver colored Epenco with an italic nib, a couple of Snorkels, a couple of what *might* be Snorkels but without the tube...." When I got to the last pen in the tray (a Cocoa 51 Aero) it hit me: these were the same set of pens I had looked at a couple of weekends ago at the antiques fair! Complete with that Cocoa 51, with the badly repaired crack in the barrel....

On the upside, I can tell people where they can score a Cocoa 51 and some Snorkels and some other Sheaffers (as well as Esties with 9460 and -- IIRC -- 2556 nibs). I'm gonna have to miss the next SCN meeting, sadly. I'll be curious as to whether any of the usual suspects show up with um, some familiar looking pens....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Tom_Moritz]

Oh god. I recently got tricked into buying a broken Parker 180. Worked long enough for me to shake on it. Got to class from the sellers house and the ink traveled from the cartridge to the cap to my lap. Peice of garbage doesn't web take cartridges anymore.

 

Just another reminder why I don't buy Parkers.

[AD43]

A waterman carene, just because of half price!

[Bisquitlips]

Congratulations. This looks familiar to me. Was it listed or a private sale? I am reducing my Dani collection but this one is very nice. Enjoy it.

 

Listed. Thanks!

[flyingfox]

Lamy Al-Star Pacific Blue.

 

I went up to NYC last week, and stopped by Fountain Pen Hospital. Need I say more??!!

 

I have been admiring the pics ever since it came out, but it is so much more beautiful in person... They were willing to swap out the nib to 1.1mm italic, which I was coveting. I could test the nib. I had a coupon that I picked up at Philly Pen Show. So- yes, I had enough excuses!!!

[Rhincodon]

I consider pretty much any of my purchases in this hobby "impulsive," but my biggest one recently was a Sailor 1911S Fresca Blue once I got back my tax return...

 

Sadly I didn't realize it was on backorder at that company so I am still waiting. I believe it will be worth it! My first Sailor!

[antichresis]

I just (now) bought a Chinese pen for about $17.. Not a huge amount, all things considered, but I have on my eBay cart a group of three pens at less than $10. Demonstrators will be the death (read: bankruptcy) of me

[LuckyKate]

I'd seen photos of the Platinum Lilas and said thank goodness I don't like that color at all. Then I beheld it at a B and M. Frosty lavender with a gorgeous nib. I couldn't resist.

[siamackz]

I had a long chat with myself about how I won't be buying pens for a while. Then I went and bought a lot of 8 vintage waterman's and parkers on eBay, so that I can restore them! It all happened so quickly...

[the_gasman]

Definitely not. Never again. No! No! No! No! No!

 

A tempting browse later ...

 

Oh well, just this once!

 

Cheers,

David

Edited March 13, 2017 by the_gasman

[Guardy]

I usually think things over very thoroughly before buying anything... (alas, there are a lot of pens I'm constantly thinking over very thoroughly, so that's not saying much)

 

Except for my new Faber Castell Loom, which I found for cheaper than usual, so I pretty much went "oh what the heck". No regrets here.

 

(also, everything I ever found at a flea market... but that's pretty much by necessity. I still have a very pretty Artus-Ballit in Maroon which I have to get fixed or fix myself (piston seal is done for. I think can fix that, but I can't get the damned pen open, because I lack the right tool), but I got two of my best writers that way, too)

[Tasmith]

TWSBI Eco at the Baltimore pen show.

 

Getting ready to leave the show when I passed by the Anderson's table. Thought, I wonder if they have the Eco?

 

Asked Brian, he said yes they did indeed have the Eco and even let me try his Eco to see if I liked it (if you touch it you'll buy it!). 30 seconds later I was the proud owner of a TWSBI Eco 1.1mm stub. Loving the pen!