Swann Auction Galleries

I am pleased to announce that beginning February 2012 I will be working with Swann Auction Galleries of New York to organize auctions of fine modern and vintage writing instruments.

For those of you not familiar with Swann, the company has 70 years of experience in bringing to auction rare books and manuscripts. Find out more on their website at www.swanngalleries.com.

Beginning in the fall of 2012, Swann will hold semiannual auctions offering select fountain pens from the early 20th century through the present, featuring limited edition and luxury pens from the most respected manufacturers as well as historical rarities.

If you are interested in beginning or expanding your collection, or if you have fine pens that you would like to consign for the debut auction, please contact:

Rick Propas, Specialist
Fine & Vintage Writing Instruments Department
rpropas@swanngalleries.com

Marco Tomaschett, Coordinator
Fine & Vintage Writing Instruments Department
mtomaschett@swanngalleries.com

Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

He Changed Our World

Special Sneak Preview

Many of you know that webmaster Liz and I (well mostly she) have been working on an all new look for The PENguin.

Well, today is the day! We go live at 11:00 AM Pacific/12:00 Mountain/1:00 Central/2:00 Eastern.

Here's just a quick peek at what we will look like. Stop by later today to check out all the new features andand take advantage of our opening day special, 10% off on any purchase over $300.00. And that includes free shipping, available for the first two weeks.

MidMay News

Right now things are quiet at PENguin Central. Webmaster Liz is putting the final touches on the new website, coming June 1, and I am finishing up with final exams.

However I thought I’d see if we can drum up some interest and some sales, so while we are not adding new pens until after the 1^st, here are a couple of new arrivals, I just could not wait to get up on the site.

Both are kinda special.

The first is a set, 1930s Wahl-Eversharp Gold Seal red checked hard rubber pen and pencil with the soldier’s clip. This is not a commonly found set. The nib is a fine flexible Gold Seal. The pen is 4 ¾ with a nice chunky section for a good grip, and the pencil 4 1/4The set does have some issues. The pencil works, but a bit strangely. There seems to be wear to the slider. And there is a slight crack in the barrel through three threads. It is stable. But for these the set would be $850. The price here is $575.00

The next is a 1930s Pilot (Namiki) black urushi over hard rubber. The pen is in very good condition, but showing expected wear. The nib is a superbly flexible Fine marked Warranted Pilot 14 K Made in Japan #2. I was not at all sure how to price this, so I checked with my resident expert who advised $500-600. So let’s move this one at $395.00. I have filled and used the pen. It holds ink and writes superbly, but would advise having it resealed before entrusting it to your prized kimono.

Maker Faire

Early Saturday morning when I was in a meeting, I got a text from my daughter,""Would you like to go to the maker's fair? It's where people show2 off the fire breathing robots they built in their garage." Always on the lookout for amusement my reply was, "Sure. When? Where?"

Long story short, later in the afternoon we hooked up with Anna and her friends Annie and Jay.

Here's some of what we saw:


The Tesla Stage











Apologies for the image quality, I forgot my camera and had to use the iPhone.

Pelikan M1005

We have a couple of these cool, but very hot pens.

PE2458/59-2011 Pelikan M1005 in clear transparent acrylic with white metal trim. Pelikan’s latest “demonstrator” is built on the large M10XX chassis. It is an understated pen in cool tones with really very nice white metal highlights at the filler. The all rhodium plated 18K nib is a sweet finishing touch. We have two pens, a fine and medium. Comes in a nice, simple compact display case very suitable for desktop. This is one of those pens that you come to admire increasingly. $650.00, a competitive price, I believe.

Sneak Preview

The next batch of pens from The 1200 are ready for final polishing and listing on the site. Intentionally these are not the blockbusters that a few of the last lot were. If you see anything you like, give me a shout.