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By Mike Stevens
The Pen of the Year series originated in 2003 with the pen crafted of Snakewood. This was followed in 2004 by one using natural amber. The Pen of the Year for 2005 continues this tradition with a pen crafted with stingray leather.
Often used in producing luxury goods during the Art Deco era, stingray leather or Galochat is a challenging material with which to work. The Southeast Asian stingray belongs to the large family of stingrays whose habitat is found throughout the oceans of Asia. Its back skin is characterized by an intricate pattern of interlocking pearlescent circles. Careful processing produces one of the most remarkable leathers available. More than thirty individual steps are required to create the Galochat barrel. Each piece of stingray skin is carefully selected, and then subjected to an elaborate vat-tanning process. Repeated careful buffing and finishing create the distinctive visual appearance of each individual pen. Galochat leather combines properties that are usually mutually exclusive . It has soft and smooth feel, while at the same time being remarked resilient and resistant to tearing. It is both waterproof and fireproof, and unsurprisingly considering these traits, it is considered to be the most durable leather in the world. Faber Castell has turned the unique properties of this material to their advantage in creating the Pen of the Year. The wonderful tactile properties of the leather make holding this pen a treat. Each piece is slightly different, making these pens each unique. The Pen of the Year 2005 is being offered in two different colors, Anthracite and Olive. Since the natural Stingray Leather tends to come in these two shades, offering two versions gives Faber Castell the chance to explore the full range of the material.
The Pen of the Year is a more than "full size", 5 3/8 inches long closed, seven inches with the cap posted, and just over a half inch across the barrel. Given the large size, it's not surprising that this pen is no lightweight. 2 1/2 ounces all in. Given that, this is probably not one that will get used with the cap posted. With the cap off, it's a bit more manageable, and actually balances well enough in my hand. It might be a bit short without posting, but the weight sits well down forward.
This may not be "the perfect pen", but if I were to buy one, I would write with it! That's a lot more than can be said of many Limited Edition pens, and Faber Castell gets points in my book for keeping in mind that their pens, even the Limited Editions, should be pens before being art objects. Of course, with this edition, they've managed the art object side pretty well, too.
The section is platinum plated to match the cap, which brings me to my main criticism of the Pen of the Year. Both the section and the cap collect fingerprints very easily. Of course, being platinum plate, any marks wipe off easily, but it's still a pet peeve of mine. I hate fingerprints on a pen! The nib is 18K and plated in a two-tone design. Engraved with the Faber Castell crest, the nib is typical of modern nibs, smooth, with a fairly generous amount of tipping material, but no flex at all. A smooth nib, just not giving much at all in the way line width variation. The nib on this one was medium, and seems nice enough, but I'd be tempted to order a broad nib and have it customized into a nice crisp italic. My personal thoughts on that aside, the Pen of the Year is available with fine, medium, and broad nib sizes.
It's kind of an unusual touch, maybe an unnecessary embellishment, but I like it!
That about sums up the entire Faber Castell Pen of the Year. "I like it"! It's not an everyday pen, but then it's not intended to be. The workmanship is first rate, with as much attention paid to the small details as to the overall concept. Considering the fact that the Pen of the Year is showcasing the best of nature, it's nice to see that Faber Castell has put the effort into the details. copyright 2005 Mike Stevens Images copyright 2005 William Riepl |
The
Faber Castell Pen of the Year series from Graf von Faber Castell have
been some amazing pens. Utilizing some interesting materials that showcase
nature, these large, impressive pens have been a great success for Faber
Castell. In business since 1761, and perhaps best known for the manufacture
of pencils, Graf von Faber Castell has developed a full line of high
end writing instruments. Including, of course, fountain pens. 
The
cap is a work of art in it's own right. It's platinum plated, and has
the same distinctive shape as the regular edition Faber Castell fountain
pens. The clip is one of the best parts of this pen, from a strict usability
standpoint. It's heavily spring loaded, and holds well in the pocket,
despite the weight of the pen. All in all, I rate this clip as one of
the all time best clip designs on a modern production pen.
The
example we received was in the Anthracite color, and the color ranged
from a light cream at the center of the circles to a dark, almost black
gray pattern between. The lustre of the leather is only visible under
certain lighting, for the most part, the leather presents a soft matte
finish to the eye. In the hand it's the same story. What looks as though
it should be a rough textured finish is actually a soft, smooth surface.
The
filling mechanism is a conventional piston filler, with one exception:
the piston knob is concealed under a blind cap at the barrel end. This
cap is platinum plated, as with the other metal portions of the pen,
and simply unscrews from the barrel end to reveal the piston knob.
