Pens, Right?

Just returning from the Washington DC Supershow. Usually I do not post regarding pen shows but this time I wanna.

One of the many things I love about pen shows is that you never know what will happen. Sometimes your plans and expectations will be met and sometimes not.

At this show I really wanted to sell. Sometimes I do and sometimes it is not so much a priority. This time it was a priority, but sales were only modest. Was I disappointed? Only a bit, afterall I was at a pen show working and playing with good friends.

What makes this show singular is that I got one of my grail pens. My “favorite” war is World War I (sorry Richard). And I have for sometime had so-called “trench” pens from Swan and Moore, but not the biggie. At DC I got a Parker 24 trench pen.

But wait there’s more. A friend of mine is selling parts of his collection and hecame to me with a number of things. About 35 years ago I lived and worked in Cincinnati and began collecting there, so I have a small collection of John Holland pens. (In fact my work in Cincinnati called on me to write a brief history of John Holland for a local historical guide I was working on.) Since then I have added the occasional Holland pen as it came my way.

Last weekend I took my collection to a whole new level with four new Hollands. The first is a hatchet filler 78, the next is a Mosaic Jewel Set and finally a blue and cream Jewel.

Finally, not a Holland, but a lovely red mottled hard rubber Carter 4117, not an Inx but the predecessor with a Carter Superwear nib, probably made by Laughlin

Four big pens: the Holland, a Parker Black Giant, a Waterman's 18 and an early Swan 48.

A trio: the Moore, note the ink chamber in the cap, shield by clear plastic; the Parker 24 and the Swan with the ink pellet chamber at the end of the barrel.

The Mosaic set. Anybody know how to rebuild a Holland pencil?