Baltimore Pen Show 3-5 March 2017

[Toll]

I am looking forward to being at the show on Saturday! Seems like it will be bigger and better!!

[CraigN]

Hello all,

 

We just returned from a 3-hour tour of the Baltimore pen show. Sorry, there are no photos to share but will share my observations. Since my wife & I have only attended the Baltimore & DC pen shows, I will make some comparisons.

The Westin BWI Airport is a nice enough place, but we didn't spend time visiting the hotel to say much more. The ballroom is much larger than last year's location. When we arrived at 1130, there was no line of people waiting to pay for admission. Some vendors were still setting up, but many people were ready to do business. We recognized many people from last year's show and previous DC shows.

 

When attending DC pen shows, we normally arrive on Saturday and leave after Sunday shopping. Crowds at the DC show have been large and it's not easy to move between tables. In contrast, visiting a smaller pen show on a Friday is very relaxed. We were able to spend time visiting with vendors without feeling like we were keeping others from doing business. People performing repair work didn't always have lines of people waiting to perform work. Try that on a weekend at the DC show! Several repair people were present, bring abundant talent for pen repairs and nib work. I left a Sheaffer Valiant with Gerry Berg for overhaul and purchased another Valiant from him in a color that I didn't own (pearl & black stripe). It filled like a dream tonight and writes well. My wife purchased a Sailor that we hadn't seen before. We also purchased pencil leads from John Veley and chocolates from Brandon Lee.

 

Any comparisons between pen shows is not meant to disparage either venue. We like the DC pen show for its vast number of pens to view and we enjoyed our visits over the past years. The Baltimore show is different but also very nice. We are fortunate to live close to both shows.

 

Regards,

Craig

[JordanN]

I was hoping to stop by the show today, but had some obligations come up. Hopefully, I'll make it over there tomorrow morning or Sunday afternoon.

 

I'm hoping to get a Shaeffer Lifetime repaired, and maybe handle a Franklin-Christoph pen.

[D.C. in PA]

As has been noted, this show is more relaxed than the big ones, although it is about 40% larger than last year with about 100 tables registered. The key to keeping things comfortable is the size of the venue. The isles are wide, there is plenty of room for vendors and show attendees, and the room is fairly bright - aiding in seeing and evaluating pens. The mix of vintage and contemporary pens is good.

If you are coming on Saturday or Sunday, stop by the Pen Collectors of America table and say hi.

D.C.

[Tasmith]

Returned home earlier this evening from the Baltimore Pen Show. Very nice venue with plenty of free parking. Driving from either Baltimore or Washington the location is perfect and easy to get to.

 

Arrived early and was in at 11:00. Small crowd at first, but slowly built up to a nice number of people attending for a Friday. Relaxed and friendly and had plenty of time to talk with vendors. There was ample space between the tables of vendors so I never felt like I was always in someones way like can happen at other shows. Saw several families there which was nice.

 

Tested a few Franklin Christoph pens and really liked the Model 31. Didn't buy but may order one online in the future.

 

Saw the Kanilea Pens in person for the first time and pictures do not do the pens justice. They are gorgeous! Hugh and Karol are such a nice couple and their story behind Kanilea Pens is inspiring.

 

Didn't purchase a whole lot as I brought cash and stayed within budget.

 

From Anderson Pens: Rohrer & Klingner Salix Iron Gall Ink in blue. TWISBI Eco 1.1mm stub. My first TWSBI!

 

From Vanness Pens: Akkerman No.10 Iron Gall ink. Inked my TWSBI Eco with it when I got home and just love how it writes and looks.

 

Renewed my membership with the Black Pen Society and Paul Erano's Fountain Pen Journal. PCA (Pen Collectors of America) was next to Paul Erano, I just renewed my membership this week via mail.

 

From Crazy Alans Emporium: Rhodia #18 5x5mm Ice grid pad.

 

And from Thomas R. Baley: A Pelikan 150th anniversary Pelican Cloisonne pin.

 

Once again, Bert Oser of Bertram's Inkwell did a fantastic job of organizing the Baltimore Pen Show!

Edited March 4, 2017 by Tasmith

[GClef]

http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/gclef1114/Tutuguans/FC6D6DFF-E360-4127-8406-BE004BB46181.jpg

[Tasmith]

Would someone post a followup after the show with a recap of pen stores/resources in B'more? I can't make it to the show, but visit Baltimore about once a year and would like to know where to shop (or at least window shop). Thanks!

I don't know of any in Baltimore, but in Columbia , MD which is just south-west of Baltimore is the Pen Boutique http://www.penboutique.com/.

 

A bit farther away in Rockville, MD are Bertram's Inkwell http://www.bertramsinkwell.com/ Bert is the organizer of the Baltimore Pen Show. And the Pen Boutique's other store in Montgomery Mall. Pen Boutique and Bertram's Inkwell are about 15 minutes from each other so it's easy to visit both on the same shopping trip.

[goodpens]

I don't know of any in Baltimore, but in Columbia , MD which is just south-west of Baltimore is the Pen Boutique http://www.penboutique.com/.

 

A bit farther away in Rockville, MD are Bertram's Inkwell http://www.bertramsinkwell.com/ Bert is the organizer of the Baltimore Pen Show. And the Pen Boutique's other store in Montgomery Mall. Pen Boutique and Bertram's Inkwell are about 15 minutes from each other so it's easy to visit both on the same shopping trip.

Thank you so much. This is very helpful. Too bad there aren't stores in the city itself, but maybe I can make it to one of these spots on a future visit.

[JordanN]

I was hoping to stop by the show today, but had some obligations come up. Hopefully, I'll make it over there tomorrow morning or Sunday afternoon. I'm hoping to get a Shaeffer Lifetime repaired, and maybe handle a Franklin-Christoph pen.

 

I enjoyed the show today, and was mostly successful at staying within my $100 budget for day.

 

My general impression is that the show had a great location, and there was sufficient parking. Additionally, everyone there seemed very patient and friendly. There were a few booths with very expensive pens, and even those vendors spent time sharing knowledge with me and inviting me to try out their pens. Prices were very reasonable, and there were a few booths that had prices lower than Amazon on some of their items.

 

Richard Binder had the best spot of the show; his was the first booth on the right when I walked into the room.

 

I stopped first at the Aurora booth. The gentleman manning it explained that he was there strictly to represent the brand and was not authorized to sell pens, so he encouraged me to try all of their pens that they had laid out and inked up. It was the ultimate in low-pressure interactions and I very much appreciated the opportunity to try out their pens.

 

I dropped my father's Shaeffer Lifetime off with Martin (of Martin's Pens 51) to have him restore it.

 

I stopped by the Franklin-Christoph tables. I enjoyed trying out their nibs, but I decided that their pens are too light for me. I still think their pens and company are neat, and they definitely had plenty of people buying their pens today.

 

I saw a few booths featuring flexible nib pens and their attendants were enthusiastic about explaining their merits and letting me try them out, even very expensive pens. I was trying to stay under $100 total today, so I wasn't able to buy any, but I was tempted. At one of the booths, I was offered an amazing deal on a Pilot Falcon, but I turned it down for the same reason.

 

I learned about military clipped pens, which have a smoother top and abbreviated clip to make them able to clip to a pocket with a flap over it. I also learned about plunger fillers; they're pretty neat.

 

Frank of Federalist Pens and Paper (Frank_Federalist_Pens) offered me a great deal on a vintage Esterbrook, which I accepted. It has resistance on the cap threads, but I'm going to try to smooth it out. So, today, I went from having no functional vintage pens to being the proud owner of two of them (at least until I gift my dad's pen back to him). I also bought a Rhodia A5 pad from him (the price was right).

 

I enjoyed talking to the folks at The Woodshed Pen Co. The husband/wife team was offering high-gloss turned pens with a crocheted case for $135 (edit: misunderstood: thought they said $35). I wish I could have taken him up on it.

 

For whatever silly reason, I brought almost all of my fountain pens with me. It's kind of funny how that works; I guess by bringing the pens with me, I felt that I somehow established legitimacy as a pen enthusiast. I proudly showed off my set of modified JinHao pens at every opportunity. It's interesting how much pride I felt at showing off the pens that I've modified, even if I did so as a total newbie.

 

I only exceeded by budget by $5 by buying an unmarked Chinese fountain pen (possibly JinHao) for $10 from Toys From The Attic at the end of my visit. I probably could have gotten it cheaper online, but it was worth it for the instant gratification. That booth was interesting because they truly covered the spectrum from the cheapest to most expensive pens.

 

Diplomat and Bexley are now on my "Probably Buy in the Future" list as I liked the way they felt and wrote. Bexley looks like a good one to eyedropper and I like the fact that they are based out of Ohio.

Edited March 5, 2017 by JordanN

[JordanN]

The nice folks from The Woodshed Pen Co. They were offering a wood-turned fountain pens and matching crocheted case combo at a great price.

 

[Toll]

I made it and I loved it -- lots of people and energy! I got away without buying anything -- sorely tempted by a Cartier Pasha from 1988 that I may go back tomorrow to take a second look at. I also gave a hard look at some Montblanc's (Tate, Schiller, and Tolstoy) and Dupont's. The venue is very nice -- glad to see lots of parking -- and the room seemed to be the perfect size for the event. All good!

[JordanN]

 

It looks, according to my home office whiteboard, that my wife and I are up to 32 (!!!) fountain pens. I need to find friends to whom I can give pens and get them addicted to fountain pens. My plan is to give them a decent pen and provide basic maintenance and refills as long as they need my help.

[GClef]

http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/gclef1114/Tutuguans/65B88D51-9534-45FF-BA76-85367BB5C7FA.jpg

[Crisco]

The nice folks from The Woodshed Pen Co. They were offering a wood-turned fountain pens and matching crocheted case combo at a great price.

 

 

Thank you for this. Any idea where these can be ordered online? Their website seems to not sell any finished pens.

Edited March 5, 2017 by Crisco

[JordanN]

Thank you for this. Any idea where these can be ordered online? Their website seems to not sell any finished pens.

Sorry. I didn't get contact info from them.

[OmegaMountain]

Thank you for this. Any idea where these can be ordered online? Their website seems to not sell any finished pens.

Try their Etsy store maybe?

 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheWoodShedPenCo

[SpecTP]

I got Richard Binder to fix up the nib on my MB146. Works wonderfully now. Was hoping to come by early Sunday to get work done on a MB22, but alas, I could not make it.

[Tasmith]

0304171741-1.jpg

 

My general impression is that the show had a great location, and there was sufficient parking. Additionally, everyone there seemed very patient and friendly.

 

Frank of Federalist Pens and Paper (Frank_Federalist_Pens) offered me a great deal on a vintage Esterbrook, which I accepted. It has resistance on the cap threads, but I'm going to try to smooth it out. So, today, I went from having no functional vintage pens to being the proud owner of two of them (at least until I gift my dad's pen back to him). I also bought a Rhodia A5 pad from him (the price was right).

 

 

Great show indeed!

 

Beautiful Esterbrook. How much did you pay may I ask?

[Crisco]

Try their Etsy store maybe?https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheWoodShedPenCo

I always forget about Etsy! Thanks much friend!!

[JordanN]

Great show indeed!

 

Beautiful Esterbrook. How much did you pay may I ask?

I paid $40.