Probably not a surprise, but this year's LA pen show was, like every year I've been, a great show.
It's obvious that the organizers put a tremendous amount of effort and energy into making sure that this is so. A good pen show doesn't just happen, look around a bit and you'll always find one or two people behind it, pushing, pulling, adjusting.... Organizing! LA is no exception, and it's always a pleasure to experience the results of Boris Rice's hard work.
As in prior years, the 2006 LA show was held at the Manhattan Beach Marriot. A great hotel, this choice of venue has a lot to do with the success of the LA show. People seem to like the service, the rooms are nice, and best of all, the exhibition space is large and well lit. Oh, and for those brief moments when you're not thinking about pens, pens, and more pens, there is a large selection of dining available within walking distance! Although, given that some of the best times to be had at a show are when hitting a restaurant with four or five other pen nuts, it's probably safe to say that you'll still be thinking about pens. Just eating at the same time!
The
pens to be found in LA this year ranged from the everyday to the amazing,
with several very rare vintage pens trading hands, as well as some modern
limited editions being shown for the first time.
This year seemed to be the "maki-e year" with several examples of this artwork being publicly displayed for the first time. Conway Stewart launched their new Maki-e series with the English Rose, and also showed several prototypes of the other designs from the series. It's a striking pen that looks like it's found quite a following among collectors, judging from the fact that the edition is already almost sold out!
Another amazing maki-e edition revealed at the LA show was the work of Anuj Poddar, who has created a very limited edition set of maki-e pens celebrating Hindu gods of good fortune and success. He definitely went all out to produce a lavish and stunning pair of pens, working with top maki-e artists to ensure that the designs would come to life on the pens. We'll be covering these pens in a full length feature review in an upcoming issue.
There's
always quite a lot to see at any large show, and LA was no exception.
In addition to just getting the chance to see old friends, and meet
new ones, there's bound to be something or another that you've
been wanting to check out in person. With this show it was the opportunity
to meet Chris Burton and see first hand the work he's been doing creating
custom barrel bands for Pelikan pens. Beginning with your humble modern
or vintage Pelikan, anything from a 1940s 100N to today's monster M1000,
Chris creates a perfectly fitted replacement barrel band. You go form
staid stripes to wild and crazy acrylic, luscious woodgrain hard rubber,
or any one of a number of other materials. (Including some super vintage
celluloids!) We're looking forward to doing a full length feature on
his work soon! Chris and his dad are shown below, manning their very
busy table on Sunday. The rod stock on the table is just a small sample
of the variety that Chris offers!
Of
course, no pen show would be complete if I didn't come home with a little
something for myself... As seems to be my habit of late, this meant
a Dupont. To be exact, a Montparnasse, this time in the Tortoiseshell
lacquer.
This pen will get more coverage in the Montparnasse article elsewhere in this issue, but it also serves as an excellent example of why attending a major show is so important, whether you are a relative newcomer to the hobby, or a jaded "old-timer". Simply put, you see a lot of pens at a major show. That might sound like an obvious statement, but it profound if you think about it for a bit. Where else can you count on being able to find not one, but several examples of a pen that's been out of production for ten or twenty years? A major pen show. Where else can you examine in person not one, but several examples of a given model of vintage pen? A major pen show.
Ebay might be a great market, with thousands of new listings every day, and it is possible to find great deals there, but there's nothing like having the pen in your hand before you plunk down your hard earned cash! When it comes to modern pens, it's really no different. You might not have the questions that come up when you're trying to take a chance on buying a vintage pen, but it's still nice to be able to shop in person from among several reputable dealers. All of whom are usually ready to wheel and deal on pens!
Stepping onto the floor of a trading room like the one in LA gives you almost instant access to thousands of pens. "Almost" instant, because you do have to factor in the time to wander from table to table!
The
layout for LA followed the traditional setup, with most of the modern
pen retailers set up outside the main ballroom, and the tables inside
given over to those dealing in vintage pens. Table after table covered
with pens, some in covered display cases, others simply on view in opened
leather 48 pen cases. Some simply scattered across the table surface,
or jumbled in boxes. The last are probably the most fun, as you sort
through them looking for the "perfect pen", or the diamond
in the rough. If you're a serious vintage pen nut, the chances of you
finding the pen you need for your collection, or even the pen part
you need, are very high at a large show like this one.
There are many dealers who specialize in one brand or another, so whether you are looking for a Sheaffer overlay, or a vintage Pelikan 100, you'll find an expert on hand to help you out. People like Rick Propas for Pelikan, Osman Sumer for Montblanc, Sherril Tyree for Sheaffer, Joel Hamilton for Parker, Susan Wirth for nibs, nibs, and more nibs, Gary Lehrer for almost anything in the way of hard to find vintage pens, or even that famous New York Doctor with a penchant for stripey pens from the 1930s and 40s, among many others. The best part is, all of these folks are collectors first, and merchants second. Sure, they'd love to sell you a pen or two, but if you just need advice, they've got you covered there as well. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen one of these folks help to steer a new collector in the right direction, even when it meant passing up the chance for a quick sale.
The
fact is, the money spent in getting to a show, even when you factor
in airfare from across the country, hotel, and lavish dining, is still
quite a bargain when you consider that you're not just getting a chance
to browse pens, you're really obtaining a post-graduate course in pen
collecting! I've never felt as though I spent too much money getting
to a pen show.
Too much money once I was there... That's a different matter altogether! But even then it's easy to justify. I spoke with more than one collector who had managed to find missing pieces to fill gaps in their collection. In one case, a "parts pen" that was then converted back into a complete pen after the needed parts had been removed, simply because the owner had discovered yet another "parts pen"...
When
it comes to modern pens, there was also quite a lot of opportunity at
this year's LA show. If you were looking for the latest in new releases,
factory reps and distributors were on hand from Delta, Monteverde, David
Oscarson, Signum, Conway Stewart, Michel Perchin, Taccia, as well as
some smaller companies that have come onto the scene of late. One of
the most popular tables was that of Michael's Fat Boys,who manufacture
a line of innovative rollerball pens in a variety of interesting, chunky
designs.
Aside from the manufacturers, there were several well known retailers on hand at LA. Finding something new was just not a problem, nor was finding a great deal on whatever it was you needed to have. In this regard, the LA show stacks up very well against the other large shows, there were dealers and retailers from not only across the US, but from around the world. This meant that the chances of finding even hard to locate items was excellent, and there were plenty of satisfied customers walking out the door on Sunday afternoon!
All in all, the response to the 2006 LA show was very positive, from both attendees as well as dealers. I didn't speak to anyone who wasn't very pleased with the way the show went. All the more reason (if you needed more reason!) to make your plans now for a visit to LA next February!
Images copyright 2005 William Riepl